the next Boonen

[Andre.J]

First I will say that I regard most of you nice people as the most educated cycling aficionados/experts anywhere. That being said, I can't think of a better place to ask this question in: Which up and coming Belgian cyclist (if any) can be the next Boonen or for that matter Meseeuw? He would have to win Paris-Roubaix and the Ronde multiple times...plus maybe a green jersey in the Tour. Some other classics as well. A couple of years ago I thought maybe it would be Guillaume Van Keirsbulck. Later on I thought it would be Sep Vanmarcke; he's been a bit irregular though. Could it be Tiesj Benoot, or am I way off? GVA has done some good things but I fear he may be getting a little old now, and anyway he will never accomplish what Boonen has done.

Thank you for your time,

p.s I still believe Gilbert can win the Ronde...at least once.

 

[WheelofGear]

None in this decade. A lot of guys who are about equal.

 

[SeriousSam]

Even extreme talents will be unlikely to win PR and the Ronde multiple times ex ante.

 

[Bushman]

Lampaert is probably closer to Boonen as a type of cyclist as he can also sprint a bit.

It's not very likely we will see a Belgian rider as successful as Boonen for the next couple of years. If I have to name one it would be Benoot, he looks the most promising to me. Not sure if he has the profil for Roubaix though, the Flandrienne terrain suits him perfectly I think.

 

[sir fly]

Benoot looks like the most promising candidate. I was hoping already this season he'd be Lotto's dark horse, but wasn't given the role to exploit his chances. The result came after the race unfolded and when there wasn't any more duties.
PR looks like a different story for him. It may take some time to find formula for French pavé.
However, judging by what he's shown so far, he could even develop into Ardennes contender.

At the moment, to me it looks like Belgian hopes (and success) will be shared between Benoot and Vanmarcke in the coming years.

 

[Billie]

Benoot will definatly win some big races. Don't think he has the body for Roubaix. His upper body is not big enough I think to become a top rider for Roubaix. He's better of focussing on Ronde and Amstel

 

[Akuryo]

Re:

Benoot will definatly win some big races. Don't think he has the body for Roubaix. His upper body is not big enough I think to become a top rider for Roubaix. He's better of focussing on Ronde and Amstel

People also said Vanmarcke or Sagan would win los of big races. So far both haven't achieved that. Yes, Sagan has lots of good placings, but has yet to win big. And he is already older than Cancellara or Boonen were when they first took PR or Ronde. I agree that Benoot is hugely talented, but talent is not everything. And there are simply no guarantees that anyone will "definitely" win anything.

 

[TMP402]

I think Benoot has more good positioning than top speed, which makes it hard to see him getting a green jersey or taking as many wins in the sprint as Boonen did. He's more a GVA than a Degenkolb in that regard.

 

[classicomano]

Tiesj Benoot is amazing. Amazing.