Team Lotto-Belisol targeting the Paris-Roubaix 2012
Team Lotto-Belisol has struggled so far in the spring classics and it appears as if the team has to face more disappointment after its star rider Andre Greipel was rushed to the hospital, on Thursday.
The Belgian team is currently enjoying a good overall season with quite a few stage victories in its bag. The team secured overall victories at the Volta ao Algarve and the Grand Prix Pino Cerami.
Andre opened the team’s winning account during the Cancer Council Helpline Classics. He also bagged stages at the UCI inaugural event, Santos Tour Down Under.
The 29-year-old claimed the 1st, 3rd and the 6th stages of the Australian race, including the 1st and the 4th stage victory at the race.
Jurgen Van Den Broeck finished third during the Volta a Catalunya and helped the team with useful UCI points. The team is currently holding the 11th overall spot after the UCI World Tour rankings as of April 1st 2012.
It has bagged a total number of 101 UCI points, with Van Den Broeck adding the maximum number of 70 points.
Greipel helped the team with 22 UCI points, with Gianni Meersman 8 and Greg Henderson contributing 1 point in the season so far.
While commenting on the team’s prospects during the 2012 version of the Paris-Roubaix, Team Manager Herman Frison noted, "we're not going to count anyone out".
“Everyone must ride for what it's worth and we will try to have riders in a break,” he concluded.
Herman told Het Nieuwsblad, "We had made this Scheldeprijs an important goal. It's not good and we must look at things. But we do everything. I can hardly reproach the riders".
“We strengthened our train for Greipel and in Australia found that it worked, but since then we haven't been able to ride together once”.
Greipel is currently going through a tough time as Frison noted, "He is frustrated on the team bus. His form is good and we continue to believe in him".
The team is currently eyeing the 2012 version of the Paris-Roubaix and only time will tell if the Belgian sqad can get its guts together at the coming classics event.
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