Belgian sprinter?

[Frankschleck]

Jens Debusschere is a pretty good sprinter. I hope they bring him to the vuelta, he should be able to grab a stage or 2.

 

[ColonelKidneyBeans]

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.

The thing to keep in mind with Benoot, he's not a full time pro cyclist yet, he's also a university student (economics i believe but don't take my word for that).

 

[swissfr]

Flemish riders are all the same.
0 flemish sprinters, climbers, puncheur...

 

[rhizopora]

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.

Well perhaps not in reality. It was played up that way quite a bit in the cycling press for a brief time-- there were staged photos of them arm-wrestling and glaring at each other, and similar items to stir the pot. And Cipo and other of his peers have spoken highly of him in retrospect, that he was pure hopping fast, just maybe lacked some cunning.

 

[Tonton]

Patrick Sercu .

 

[rghysens]

Frank Hoste

 

[Avoriaz]

Rudy Matthijs

 

[Echoes]

My best memories of Wilfried Nelissen, winning Omloop then called het Volk ... in a solo breakaway. If you absolutely want a Tour of France memory, then Vannes 1993... Besides he was racing for Panasonic and then Lotto in an era which was the way we know. And he had a master leadout man with the name Marc Sergeant, impressive what this guy could do.

Wasn't Guido Van Calster a pure sprinter? He was pretty fast but perhaps more all round. Noël Van Tyghem was a pure sprinter too, I think. Guido Reybrouck and Willy Planckaert were super fast but more all round than pure sprinters. But so were every rider at that time.

Nowadays the Walloon Jonas Van Genechten, at least on the semis.

 

[classic1]

Johan Capiot
Willy Vannisten
Willy Planckaert
Eddy Planckaert
Eric Vanderaerden

The last three were green jersey winners

A couple of obscure ones from the 80s. Jan Bogaert and Jerry Coomans. Both dominant in the kermesses. Coomans was insanely fast

 

[frisenfruitig]

Re:

Flemish riders are all the same.
0 flemish sprinters, climbers, puncheur...

Van Avermaet doesn't count as a puncheur anymore these days?

 

[Samamba]

Re:

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 road later this year though.

Well, that didn't take long. He just won the GP Stad Sint Niklaas. He definitely has the posture of a sprinter, so who knows he can become the next Belgian sprinten in the future. Too early and hard to predict though.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re:

Johan Capiot
Willy Vannisten
Willy Planckaert
Eddy Planckaert
Eric Vanderaerden

The last three were green jersey winners

A couple of obscure ones from the 80s. Jan Bogaert and Jerry Coomans. Both dominant in the kermesses. Coomans was insanely fast

Never heard of Coomans. Why didn't he ever try the road? Seems to have retired in 1994 at age 28