Cycling: It was a big surprise when it became known a few months ago that André Greipel would no longer receive a new contract with Lotto - Soudal. The 36-year-old German will be replaced in 2019 by Caleb Ewan, who is twelve years his junior. Will this transfer make the Belgian team even stronger?
Lotto – Soudal 2018: Once again, the hunt for the stages was the top priority
The Belgian team Lotto - Soudal has been a team for sprinters, breakaways and classic hunters for years. Only rarely has a rider been able to attract attention in the mountains or convince in the overall ranking of a Grand Tour. A whopping 26 stage wins and 33 more places on the podium sum up a very strong 2018 season. During Tim Wellens responsible for the hilly terrain won André Greipel in the bunch sprints and Victor Campenaerts was again very strong in the fight against the clock. And the numerous other Belgian pilots in the squad now and again successfully escaped. These included in the past few months, above all Jelle Wallays and runaway king Thomas De Gendt. The successes of the still young and highly talented Belgians should not be forgotten Bjorg Lamprecht and Tiesj Benoot, which can certainly be increased.
Transfers: Caleb Ewan is the future of Team Lotto – Soudal
Every era comes to an end. was eight years André Greipel the figurehead of Lotto – Soudal. For eight years he was one of the top favorites in almost every mass sprint. But at the age of 36, André Greipel no longer has a great future of several years ahead of him. It is understandable that the team management of Lotto - Soudal looked around for a younger driver of this caliber. In Caleb ewan the Belgian team finally found what they were looking for. The Australian was not nominated for the Tour de France by his team Mitchelton - Scott and was therefore upset. A perfect constellation to complete the upheaval in the sprinter issue. Of course, Lotto - Soudal was also active on the transfer market outside of this position. But none of the other transfers will even come close to having such a drastic change on the team. The squad was mainly rejuvenated without really changing the character of the team.
departures | Additions | |
---|---|---|
André Greipel (Arkea – Samsic) | Caleb ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) | |
Moreno Hofland (EF Education First p/b Cannondale) | Roger Kluge (Mitchelton-Scott) | |
Jens Debusschere (Katusha – Alpecin) | Adam blythe (Aqua Blue Sport) | |
Lars Ytting Bak (dimension data) | Brian Van Goethem (Roompot – Netherlands Lottery) | |
Marcel Sieberg (Bahrain – Merida) | Carl Fredrik Hagen (Joker – Icopal) | |
James Shaw (unknown) | Stan Dewulf (Lotto – Soudal Trainee) | |
Rasmus Byriel Iversen (Elite 2) |
Lotto - Soudal 2019: Actually, everything stays the same
The art of upheaval is that the pros who leave the team are replaced by the same type of rider. As a result, changes to a team can go smoothly without having a negative impact. The Lotto - Soudal team does not have to make any changes, but the star of the past eight years is to be replaced by a newcomer. With Caleb ewan you definitely got someone who has the potential to follow in the footsteps of André Greipel to kick. The big advantage is that hopes don't just rest on him. The entire team consists of drivers who can occasionally win races. Only in the high mountains will you rarely see the red and white jerseys. It can be strongly assumed that the success statistics of the past few years will not change much in 2019 either. With Bjorg Lamprecht and above all with Tiesj Benoot you even have two drivers in the team who could still exploit a huge potential.
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