On 12 September 2008, Utrecht-born van Poppel made a name for himself at the Tour of Missouri, winning the fifth stage. With that victory, he handed Mark Cavendish his first 'defeat' in a bunch sprint since the Giro d'Italia held in May.[8] In the 2012 Tour of Britain, van Poppel finished consistently in the top ten in numerous stages, which helped him secure the Points Classification jersey before second-placed Mark Cavendish.[9]
In late 2012, van Poppel signed a contract for the 2013 season with Vacansoleil–DCM, becoming the third member of his family to be part of the squad; his brother Danny van Poppel also joined the team for the 2013 season as a first-year professional, while his father Jean-Paul van Poppel worked as a directeur sportif for the team.[1]
Van Poppel joined Trek Factory Racing for the 2014 season, after his previous team – Vacansoleil–DCM – folded at the end of the 2013 season.[2] He was named in the start list for the 2015 Vuelta a España.[10]