'We'll make a decision on Thursday' says Lotto Soudal manager
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Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal) at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal) at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal) wins Strade Bianche(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) won the time trial stage(Image credit: Getty Images)
A banged up Tiesj Benoot on stage 7 of the Vuelta a San Juan(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Lotto Soudal will wait until Thursday before announcing whether Tiesj Benoot will attempt to defend his Strade Bianche title. The Belgian crashed out of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and injured his left knee, opening up a wound that has not properly healed since a crash on stage 7 of the Vuelta a España last year.
Benoot was in strong form before his crash and is desperate to make the start line for Strade Bianche. However, with teammate Tim Wellens not participating in the majority of the Belgian Classics, Lotto Soudal are keen for Benoot to take a long-term view over the spring, rather than fixate on one race.
"Obviously, it’s a sad story because he was good and for once we had two guys up front," Sergeant said. "I hope that happens in the future, but since Tim Wellens’ only Flemish race is that one, it falls on Benoot for the rest of the Classics. So I hope that the wound will heal fast so he can participate in Strade Bianche and then at Tirreno.
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
