Marc Sergeant believes Team Lotto Belisol “was not good enough” during the opening Belgian races
Team Lotto Belisol had a good start to its 2012 campaign after Andre Greipel sealed three stages of the UCI inaugural event, Santos Tour Down Under.
The team continued its performance during the Tour of Oman, Volta ao Algarve and Paris-Nice to mark a perfect start for its new season.
However, the team has struggled during the recent Belgian races and none of its riders could play a significant role during the recent week.
The Belgian team was looking ahead at Andre Greipel to help the team with his tremendous abilities but the German sprinter struggled to find his form in the past week.
Team Manager Herman Frison told Het Nieuwsblad, “We put everything on Gent-Wevelgem our team is struggling with many injuries”.
“We are letting some riders rest and giving the young riders their chances in Dwars door Vlaanderen and the E3 Harelbeke. Sunday is for Greipel and we will have a better team for the day,” he concluded.
Andre has already filled his bag with as many as six victories in the young season. He claimed the first, third and sixth stages of the Santos Tour Down Under.
The cyclist also succeeded at the Cancer Council Helpline Classic and grabbed the first and the fourth stages of the Tour of Oman.
Gianni Meersman helped the team with the victory at the first stage of the Volta ao Algarve and the fourth stage of the Paris-Nice.
The Belgian team struggled during the recent Dwars door Vlaanderen and also at the E3 Prijs. He is optimistic to take its performance to the next level at the coming races.
Team Lotto started its operations in 1985 and achieved its Div.1 license in 2003 and 2004.
The side claimed its UCI Pro Tour license in 2005 and rode at the top level of the sport for eight consecutive seasons.
While commenting on the side’s performance, the team’s Sporting Director Sergeant sad, "The team was not good enough, know I repeat myself, but if you are missing guys like Bak and Roelandts, and Henderson is not yet his usual self, it is difficult".
Team Lotto will now try its luck at the Three Days of De Panne-Koksijde scheduled on March 27-29 and will also ride the Tour of Flanders.
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