By Brecht Decaluwé in Sint-Niklaas The manager of Omega Pharma, the company that own Predictor...
The three team leaders of Predictor-Lotto (Image credit: Brecht Decaluwé)
Predictor-Lotto presented in Belgium
By Brecht Decaluwé in Sint-Niklaas
The manager of Omega Pharma, the company that own Predictor kicked off the presentation of the Predictor–Lotto team with a wink towards their product. "Nine months after getting the idea to change the team's name, the baby has been born." The team has created a structure to get Belgian talents into its ranks; it works together with two continental teams and a handful of youth teams.
"I truly believe that we have the best cycling pyramid of the world, every year we allow young riders to move up. Cycling is one of the few sports in Belgium where we are one of the best in the world, the only way to benefit from that massive base is to build on it," Coucke said. "We have three team leaders who have the aura that is needed for that position. Next to them we hope that two younger riders can take the step forward," Coucke expressed his hope on a successful 2007 season.
Marc Sergeant is the sportive manager of the Predictor team and he hammered on the team's pyramid system as well. "Our team is now stronger even though we rejuvenated, thanks to the pyramid system," Sergeant said. During the first ProTour year the team finished fourth in the team's ranking and last year they were sixteenth. "Our place is somewhere in between," Sergeant said. The Predictor team has no less than four neo-pro's, they all have the Belgian nationality: Dries Devenyns, Geert Steurs, Dominique Cornu and Greg Van Avermaet.
