Lotto-Belisol has strengthened its roster for the sprints by signing Belgian Kris Boeckmans who has raced for the Vacansoleil team during the last two seasons. The Belgian had a very strong first season in the WorldTour in 2012 and now hopes to improve in his new surroundings.

Lotto-Belisol has always put great emphasis on the sprints and the development of Belgian talents and those two things go hand in hand with the signing of 26-year-old Kris Boeckmans. The sprinter made his debut with Topsport Vlaanderen and made a very strong impression before signing with Vacansoleil where he has raced for the past two seasons.

His 2012 season was a huge success as he was very visible in the sprint and finished 2nd in 4 races before going on to making his Tour de France debut in which he finished 5th on the Champs-Elysees. This season has been less successful but he still made it into the Vacansoleil roster for the Grande Boucle for the second consecutive year.

With Vacansoleil's future in serious doubt due to the lack of a main sponsor, Boeckmans has secured the continuation of his career by signing with Lotto-Belisol and so he returns to a team from his home country. He previously raced for its U23 feeder team and now hopes to develop further into a classics specialist in familiar surroundings.

“I’m very satisfied with my transfer to Lotto Belisol, this will certainly give a boost to my career," he said. "There is trust on both sides. The Belgian atmosphere is appealing. I’ll be part of a team that has been active in the peloton already for many years. I’ll meet Kurt Van de Wouwer again, I know him from my time in the U23 team. I have fast legs and I want to further develop that asset within Lotto-Belisol. This choice is the right one for that. To begin the classic season will be important next year, I look forward to Milan – Sanremo.”

Manager Marc Sergeant hopes to put Boeckmans' career back on track after a difficult year.

“In 2009 Kris Boeckmans completed his training in the U23 team of Kurt Van de Wouwer, so we know him very well," he said. "He then successfully set the step towards the pros at Topsport Vlaanderen. Since last year he rides at Vacansoleil-DCM where 2012 was a good season. This year he was less in the picture, partly because of the very heavy programme that was imposed on him. I think we can make an even better rider of him, also because of an optimal support through Energy Lab, a good programme and a Belgian team where he definitely will feel at home.”

Boeckmans' most recent win dates back to 2010 when he won the final stage of the Ster Eletrotoer.