After competing with the Vacansoleil–DCM[6] squad since 2009, Poels moved to the Omega Pharma–Quick-Step squad for the 2014 season.[7]
Team Sky (2015–19)
In September 2014, Team Sky announced that Poels would join them from 1 January 2015.[8] His first win for the team came in the 2015 Tirreno–Adriatico, where he led the team following the withdrawal of Chris Froome. Poels won stage 4 into Castelraimondo with an attack on the final climb and a solo descent to the finish line. He moved into the lead of the race and went on to finish seventh in the overall standings.[9][10] He later finished second overall at the Tour of Britain, winning the toughest mountain stage with an uphill finish on Hartside Fell.
In 2016, Poels won his first one-day race after sprinting to victory from a four-man group in Liège–Bastogne–Liège. It was the first monument for Team Sky and for Poels himself.[11][12]
Bahrain–McLaren (2020–present)
In September 2019, Poels announced that he was joining the Bahrain–Merida team, later renamed as Bahrain–McLaren, for the 2020 season.[3] In his first season with the team, Poels finished sixth overall at the Vuelta a España.[13] The following year, he held the polka-dot jersey for four days at the 2021 Tour de France, and recorded his best finish at the race to that point – sixteenth overall. In 2022, Poels won the penultimate stage and the general classification at the Vuelta a Andalucía,[14][15] his first overall stage race win since 2016.[16] Poels then won his first Tour de France stage in 2023; having been part of a large breakaway on stage fifteen, Poels and three other riders went clear following the Col des Aravis, with Poels soloing away on the final climb towards Saint-Gervais-les-Bains and he ultimately won the stage by more than two minutes.[17][18]
^ a bFarrand, Stephen (18 September 2019). "Wout Poels leaves Team Ineos for leadership role at Bahrain-Merida". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc.
^"Bahrain Victorious". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
^"Poels optimistic about return to racing in 2013". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
^Atkins, Ben (3 January 2012). "Vacansoleil-DCM presented with twelve new riders for 2012". VeloNation. VeloNation LLC.
^"OPQS Signs Wout Poels and Janier Acevedo". Omega Pharma–Quick-Step. Decolef. 1 September 2013.
^"Team Sky sign Leopold König, Nicolas Roche, Wout Poels, Andy Fenn, Lars Petter Nordhaug". skysports.com. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
^O'Shea, Sadhbh (15 March 2015). "Tirreno-Adriatico: Poels wins in Castelraimondo". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
^"Tirreno-Adriatico: Quintana wins overall". Cyclingnews.com. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
^"Poels wins Liege-Bastogne-Liege". Cyclingnews.com. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
^"Wout Poels (Wins)". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
^Puddicombe, Stephen (9 November 2020). "Vuelta a España 2020 ratings: how did each team perform?". Cycling Weekly. Future plc. Retrieved 23 August 2023. After losing time on both the opening two stages in the Basque Country, Wout Poels slowly but surely climbed up the rankings, eventually reaching sixth by the end of the second week and remaining there until Madrid.
^Goddard, Ben (19 February 2022). "Wout Poels wins stage 4 of Ruta del Sol". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
^Goddard, Ben (20 February 2022). "Kämna wins final stage of Ruta del Sol". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
^"Poels ends drought by winning Tour of Andalusia". SuperSport. Agence France-Presse. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
^Ostanek, Daniel (16 July 2023). "Tour de France: Wout Poels blasts to blockbuster stage 15 solo victory". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 23 August 2023.