At Lotto-Soudal, Thomas De Gendt hopes to rediscover the legs that allowed him to finish on the podium in the Giro d'Italia. "Here I can again do what I do best: attack," De Gendt teels Sporza. "In a big team like Omega Pharma-Quick Step, there is no room for a free rider."

Last year Omega Pharma-Quick Step offeredThomas De Gendt a lifeline, but the marriage was unsuccessul. "I already felt that after the Giro," De Gendt tells Sporza.

"In a big team, there is not a room for a free rider like me. When you're in a team with Martin, Kwiatkowski and Cavendish you can not say: "I'm will on on the attack".

"But I am grateful that Omega Pharma-Quick Step allowed me to ride there and I also learned a lot. Especially in preparation for a competition such as a time trial.

"I do not feel at home in a mega team. At Lotto-Soudal it is a bit calmer. The language here is mainly the one of Antwerp. That removes all the pressure. Therefore Lotto Soudal was at the top of my list.

"Here I get a lot of confidence from the team. Here I can do what I do best: attack They give me the confidence that I can get back to my former level," said De Gendt, whose moment of glory is still his third place in overall standings of the Giro.