Jurgen Van Den Broeck(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
No one argued when Olivier Kaisen (Lotto Belisol) called shotgun(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Gianni Meersman and Dirk De Wolf at the team's training camp(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Lotto Belisol is going into the 2012 season with a new name and a new combination of sponsors, and without world number one rider Philippe Gilbert. But the Belgian team has gotten off to a booming start, with sprinter Andre Greipel taking three WorldTour stage wins at the Santos Tour Down Under.
Greipel will be one of the top riders at the team this year, along with Jurgen Van den Broeck and Jelle Vanendert. All three riders were present as the team was presented Thursday in Brussels.
“I hope the form I showed in Australia will hold for a while,” Greipel said. The sprinter has his eye on the earlier Spring Classics of Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix.
The later Classics will be for Vanendert, who last year broke through with strong performances in those very races, including a sixth place in the Fleche Wallonne. He capped his year by winning the 14th stage of the Tour de France atop the Plateau de Beille, not bad for his very first pro win.
The team features 10 newcomers this year, including veterans Lars Bak, Greg Henderson and Gianni Meersman. The most exotic addition to the team is Iranian sprinter Mehdi Sohrabi.
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