A model teammate, lead-out rider, and highly experienced road captain: Dutchman Boy van Poppel will end his professional cycling career at the end of the 2024 season, after fourteen years in the peloton, including five with the Intermarché-Wanty team. This decision follows his crash in March during the Nokere Koerse, where he suffered multiple fractures.
Son of Jean-Paul, winner of the green jersey and nine stages of the Tour de France, Boy was destined for a career in sprinting. At 20, he won his first and only professional victory at the 2008 Tour of Missouri ahead of a certain Mark Cavendish and his teammate Michael Van Staeyen, whom he was supposed to launch.
It is in this role of lead-out rider that Boy has excelled throughout his career, first in the service of Robert Förster at UnitedHealthcare (2011-2012), then of his own brother Danny van Poppel at Vacansoleil (2013) and then Trek (2014-2018).
After five seasons in the American team and a stint with the Dutch team Roompot (2019), he rejoined his brother at Intermarché-Wanty, with whom he raced the Tour de France for the second time, finishing ninth in Fougères in 2021.
A true point of reference in the team, in the sprint trains and the core of the Classics, he became the mentor of Gerben Thijssen, whom he propelled to his first professional successes in 2022, an experience also benefiting the young riders Biniam Girmay, Hugo Page, Arne Marit, and Madis Mihkels.
In 2023, at the age of 35, he finished third in the sprint in Zaragoza during the Vuelta a España. This was the pinnacle for Boy, making him the third member of the van Poppel family to step onto the podium of a Grand Tour stage, following in the footsteps of his father and brother.
A happy father of two girls, Mèxx and Ivy, Boy van Poppel has participated in nine Grand Tours and is part of the exclusive club of riders who have finished the Giro, the Tour, and the Vuelta, in addition to fourteen Monuments, including six Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders.
Boy van Poppel: “After fourteen years as a professional cyclist, the time has come for me to turn the page. In March, I broke my vertebrae during Nokere Koerse, and even though I gave it my all to come back, my body signaled that it was time to stop. It was a difficult period mentally, but now I feel better and ready to move on. I started cycling at the age of 10, inspired by my hero: my father. From the beginning, I shared this adventure with my brother, who himself became a top-level cyclist. I am proud of him and everything we have accomplished together. Looking back, I am happy with the path I have taken and, above all, with the fact that I always gave my all. I can leave without any regrets. To the riders who have accompanied me, I hope I have passed on something they can use to continue to grow and succeed. It was an honor to be part of their journey, and I know they will continue to assert themselves, even without me by their side. I would like to thank Intermarché-Wanty in particular for bringing out the best in me in recent years. I truly felt like part of a family there. To everyone who has supported me: family, friends, fans. Thank you. Your support has carried me through the most difficult times. This is not the end, but the first page of a new chapter in my life. I can’t wait to spend more time at home and discover what the future holds. On to the next adventure!”
Paul Jorna (team doctor): “In his fall during the Nokere Koerse on March 13, 2024, Boy van Poppel fractured the vertebrae in the middle of his spine. Such an injury often has significant, long-lasting, and even permanent consequences for cyclists, such as chronic pain. On a bicycle, the back is essential for transferring power to the pedals. Additionally, the vertebrae constantly take a beating on poor road surfaces. Despite his great determination, the pain made it almost impossible for Boy van Poppel to complete his training sessions in recent months. He was forced to end his cycling career.”