Lotto Soudal rider Tiesj Benoot has been elected as Belgian talent of the year. He was one of the three nominees together with Youri Tielemans (soccer player at RSC Anderlecht) and Ketbi Si Mohamed (taekwondo). For the 21-year-old Benoot it is the coronation of his strong first year as a pro at Lotto Soudal. He made a surprisingly strong debut at the Flemish classics and later this year he showed his skills in the Belgium Tour.

“For sure I’m very happy with this prize, but also a bit surprised," he said. "When you look at the performances of the other nominees, then I’m honoured that I won with such a difference in votes. Probably because cycling is a real Belgian sport that creates a certain emotion with lots of people and the fact that they can appreciate the development of a talent. It’s a recognition by Belgian professional sports journalists, people who follow sports day in and day out. I was happy to be part of the fifteen nominees. That I was part of the three super nominees was a surprise itself and winning is obviously fantastic.

“I want to take the opportunity to thank some people. I can call myself a ‘product’ of the youth development of Lotto Soudal in which the National Lottery puts lots of energy. They give young riders the chance to develop from talents to professionals. The fact that I’m elected as the talent of the year is also a reward for their efforts.

"Secondly, I want to thank my parents and my girlfriend; they know what it’s like to live with a cyclist who focuses that hard on his job. I also want to thank the entire staff of Lotto Soudal and especially manager Marc Sergeant who gives young riders the opportunity and who guides us as good as possible to make sure we can develop into worthy professionals.

"Of course I also want to thank my teammates of which several belong to the world top. Training and working together on a daily basis gives a young rider the opportunity to learn from the best and make small steps forward.”