Tiesj Benoot set to leave Lotto-Soudal at end of 2019 season
Belgian is not short of offers from other teams according to local media
Tiesj Benoot looks set to leave Lotto-Soudal at the end of the 2019 season to join another WorldTour team, reports suggest.
Het Nieuwsblad reports that the 25-year-old is resolved to join a new team at the end of his contract, having first started his career as a trainee with Lotto in 2014. Turning pro the following year, Benoot has spent the past four seasons with the Belgian team, with 2019 his fifth and last.
>>> Mathieu Van der Poel will ride Tour of Britain 2019
Benoot immediately impressed as a Classics rider in his first year, taking fifth place on his Tour of Flanders debut in 2015. Since then he has struggled to make the jump from top-10 finishes in races to victories, with third place at the 2016 E3 Harelbeke his best result until he finally took his first pro win in sensational style at a wet and muddy Strade Bianche in 2018.
Team Ineos were one of the teams strongly rumoured to be interested in the out-of-contract Belgian, with Lotto-Soudal unable to match their financial power despite wanting to keep him. The British team could see Benoot as the key to winning one of the cobbled Monuments, which they've struggled to do since their inception in 2010.
Ag2r La Mondiale, Movistar, Cofidis and Sunweb are also reportedly interested in Benoot, although Ag2r still need to secure their sponsor beyond 2021 while Cofidis have yet to move up to the WorldTour.
Benoot is currently riding the Tour de Suisse and is scheduled to ride the Tour de France in July alongside the likes of Thomas De Gendt, Tim Wellens and the team's sprinter Caleb Ewan.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
One man who won't be at the Tour de France as things stand is John Degenkolb. The German sprinter is unlikely to ride with his Trek-Segafredo looking to fully back Richie Porte in his overall ambitions.
Degenkolb is likely to leave the team at the end of the year with Lotto-Soudal one of the teams trying to sign him, potentially in order to fill the Classics void left by Benoot's exit.
Belgian site Het Nieuwsblad also reports that Degenkolb, winner of Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix, could join American WorldTour team EF Education First for 2020.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Follow on Twitter: @richwindy
Richard is digital editor of Cycling Weekly. Joining the team in 2013, Richard became editor of the website in 2014 and coordinates site content and strategy, leading the news team in coverage of the world's biggest races and working with the tech editor to deliver comprehensive buying guides, reviews, and the latest product news.
An occasional racer, Richard spends most of his time preparing for long-distance touring rides these days, or getting out to the Surrey Hills on the weekend on his Specialized Tarmac SL6 (with an obligatory pub stop of course).
-
'Our costs are going up but customers can’t pay more': Community bike shops are making cycling affordable, but can they afford to keep the doors open?
Not-for-profit setups designed to make cycling accessible are feeling the pinch - but the communities they're designed to serve can keep them alive
By Isobel Duxfield Published
-
Small Cost, BIG Features | Is This Indoor Training Platform Worth The Switch?
icTrainer costs 9x less than the market leader but this indoor training platform is still jam packed with features
By Sponsored Published
-
‘Current WorldTour system is killing all the smaller teams,’ says Reinardt Janse van Rensburg
South African ex-Lotto Soudal rider fears more teams could find themselves in B & B Hotels-KTM situation if the system doesn’t change
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Caleb Ewan ‘not going anywhere’ after team's relegation, says Lotto-Soudal
Spokesperson for Belgian team says that Ewan has expressed desire to stay and lead the team in 2023
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
‘It's not been a great Tour for the sprinters’ - Caleb Ewan rues bad luck at the Tour de France after heavy crash on stage 13
Lotto Soudal sprinter involved in nasty crash with a teammate midway through stage into Saint-Étienne
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I’m still having to pinch myself a little bit, what a ride!' : Reinardt Janse van Rensburg’s journey to a sixth Tour de France
The 33 year old South African rider feared his career was over before Lotto Soudal came calling.
By Tom Thewlis Last updated
-
Lotto Soudal pins Tour de France hopes on 'one of the fastest riders of the peloton', Caleb Ewan
Caleb Ewan, Philippe Gilbert, Andreas Kron and Tim Wellens all make the team's Tour de France lineup
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Racing every race like it's the last of the season: how smaller teams are overperforming this year
Lotto-Soudal and Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux have won 11 races between them in 2022 after just 21 in all of last year, so what's going on?
By Adam Becket Published
-
Meet Florian Vermeersch, the history student and local councillor who finished second at Paris-Roubaix
The Lotto Soudal rider on living up to new expectations, the new approach of his team, and how time trialling helps in the Classics
By Adam Becket Published
-
Paris-Roubaix runner-up Florian Vermeersch posts incredible ride to Strava
The 22-year-old Belgian put in an astonishing ride on his 'Hell of the North' debut
By Tim Bonville-Ginn Last updated