Belgian sprinter?

[Lexman]

With all those sprinter stages it strikes me that there's no belgian sprinter that name worthy in a WT or PCT.
I know there's Dehaes, Boeckmans, Jans, Dupont but how many sprints did they win this year already?

0

Are there any younger guys who has a real possibility to become a first class sprinter in a WT in the years to come?

There's Capiot and Van Lerberghe but they seem to be of the same quality as the ones before mentioned?

Might De Buyst with his track ability become a sprinter?

There's Theuns and Stuyven but they always lose out to someone else it seems...

Just thinking when Belgium had lot's of good sprinters and compared today to countries like France (Demare, Bouhanni, Coquard), Germany (Kittel, Degekolb, Greipel plus some younger ones), Netherlands (Van Baarle, Groenewegen)...

 

[King Boonen]

Benoot?

 

[Echoes]

Jasper De Buyst can sure become a top sprinter, specialising in the field. His track days are gone now, so he said.

The other guys are more all-round than that. Debusschere maybe but still too allround to qualify as sprinter. Just like Jens Keukeleire, especially in recent years, he worked on his ITT dramatically.

Gerben Thijssen might be the one for the future but he's still a U23 first year. Last year he got a few good results at the Euro track championship as a junior. That's where I noticed him. While back from Lyme disease and a shoulder injury. This year he raced the Elfstedenronde with the pros in the Belgian national team with Jens Keukeleire and Oliver Naesen.

Belgium has really lacked a top sprinter for decades now but for Boonen who did not specialise in the field and poor Wouter Weylandt.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Benoot?

Thats literally the only thing Benoot isnt good at (I think).

 

[RedheadDane]

Seems like a lot of Belgian sprinters past, present (and future?) are also pretty good in the classics. Which might be a culture-thing.

 

[Squire]

Re: Re:

Benoot?

Thats literally the only thing Benoot isnt good at (I think).

He's pretty fast, actually.

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

Benoot?

Thats literally the only thing Benoot isnt good at (I think).

He's had some very good classics results for a young rider.

To be honest, apart form Maertens, I'm struggling to think of Belgians that you'd think of as sprinters rather than classics riders with a fast finish.

 

[Leinster]

Re: Re:

Benoot?

Thats literally the only thing Benoot isnt good at (I think).

He's had some very good classics results for a young rider.

To be honest, apart form Maertens, I'm struggling to think of Belgians that you'd think of as sprinters rather than classics riders with a fast finish.

Tommeke and Museeuw both started out as sprinters and ended up as classics specialists.

 

[DFA123]

Same with Belgian GC riders in recent years isn't it? I guess that in the last 10-20 years or so, everything has been so much about specialisation in certain types of races. And for Belgians, classics (cobbled or hilly) are going to be the focus of any serious junior riders nowdays - more so than GTs or sprints. So, while in the past the top classics riders could also compete at the top end of sprints, now that it is all so specialized, they can't.

I think 30-40 years ago, a rider with the qualities of Van Avermaet would be competing in bunch sprints at the Tour. Nowdays he can't even get close to the full-time sprinters.

 

[Echoes]

Both Freddy Maertens and Tom Boonen were classic riders with fast finishes. From start to end of career.

 

[Samamba]

De Buyst is fast, but not "win a bunch sprint" fast. I think Debusschere is the fastest Belgian, but he isn't having the best year.
Philipsen and Thijssen are some fast U23 riders. Philipsen already won some races, but most of them after winning the sprint of a smaller group, although he has won 1 or 2 bunch sprints. He's probably gonna be a classic rider in the future though. Thijssen had really good results on the track and in the junior ranks, but hasn't won anyhing in the u23 ranks as of yet, which can be explained by his preference to ride on the track right now (he's riding the UC in Anadia in a few weeks). I expect a win on the rood later this year though.

 

[Anderis]

Netherlands (Van Baarle, Groenewegen)...

Van Baarle is not a sprinter.

 

[BalearicBeats]

I think Lotto is counting on Enzo Wouters to develop into a pure sprinter. It's obvious anyway that all sprint talents get pushed towards the classics (Van Asbroeck & Theuns for instance). Dupont and Jans are probably the most "pure" sprinters right now but they're not of WT level this season.

 

[rghysens]

Both Freddy Maertens and Tom Boonen were classic riders with fast finishes. From start to end of career.

The last 4-5 years of his career (basically anything after the 1981 WC) Maertens was neither a classic rider nor a fast finisher.

Belgium has really lacked a top sprinter for decades now but for Boonen who did not specialise in the field and poor Wouter Weylandt.

Steels (late 90's + early 00's) and Nelissen (mid 90's, but his career ended because of some nasty crashes)

 

[Lexman]

Re:

I think Lotto is counting on Enzo Wouters to develop into a pure sprinter. It's obvious anyway that all sprint talents get pushed towards the classics (Van Asbroeck & Theuns for instance). Dupont and Jans are probably the most "pure" sprinters right now but they're not of WT level this season.

that's something I don't understand : having a real sprinter gives you a lot of chance to win with your team and to win more than a classic rider can win...

 

[Sylvester]

Re: Re:

Benoot?

Thats literally the only thing Benoot isnt good at (I think).

He's had some very good classics results for a young rider.

To be honest, apart form Maertens, I'm struggling to think of Belgians that you'd think of as sprinters rather than classics riders with a fast finish.

Wilfried Nelissen
Tom Steels
Patrick Sercu

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Can't believe everybody's left this open goal for me, but there's a Belgian sprinter who's won multiple World Tour races. Jolien d'Hoore.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Re: Re:

Benoot?

Thats literally the only thing Benoot isnt good at (I think).

He's had some very good classics results for a young rider.

To be honest, apart form Maertens, I'm struggling to think of Belgians that you'd think of as sprinters rather than classics riders with a fast finish.

Steels

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Benoot?

Thats literally the only thing Benoot isnt good at (I think).

He's pretty fast, actually.

So, he can do everything, but he hasn't won a race yet? I cheer for the guy, I like allrounders like him, but man it would be a waste if he didn't really specialize in something. I saw he finished relatively high up on La Planche, I think he should drop that really. Doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[rhizopora]

Re: Re:

[quote}
To be honest, apart form Maertens, I'm struggling to think of Belgians that you'd think of as sprinters rather than classics riders with a fast finish.[/quote]

Rik Van Linden.

Also Nelissen was already mentioned, he' s best remembered as the "other guy" from the policeman's crash, but he really was a big rival of Cippolini's.

 

[Squire]

Re: Re:

Benoot?

Thats literally the only thing Benoot isnt good at (I think).

He's pretty fast, actually.

So, he can do everything, but he hasn't won a race yet? I cheer for the guy, I like allrounders like him, but man it would be a waste if he didn't really specialize in something. I saw he finished relatively high up on La Planche, I think he should drop that really. Doesn't make any sense to me.

I think a lot of 23-year-olds would be very happy to have his results by that age.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re:

Can't believe everybody's left this open goal for me, but there's a Belgian sprinter who's won multiple World Tour races. Jolien d'Hoore.

I'm afraid the OP was implicitly referring only to male riders...

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

To be honest, apart form Maertens, I'm struggling to think of Belgians that you'd think of as sprinters rather than classics riders with a fast finish.

Rik Van Linden.

Also Nelissen was already mentioned, he' s best remembered as the "other guy" from the policeman's crash, but he really was a big rival of Cippolini's.

Van Linden is a good one.

I really don't think you can call Nelissen a big rival of Cippolini though.

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Benoot?

Thats literally the only thing Benoot isnt good at (I think).

He is worse at time trialling. Much worse than you would expect for someone who is so good at everything else.

 

[Billie]

Steegmans won multiple mass sprints in the Tour.


And Museeuw when he was at Lotto also won a couple Tour mass sprints and almost the green jersey. Not many remember that