With many domestiques on the roster, Lotto Belisol has been very reliant on their few star riders but with health issues plaguing Jelle Vanendert and Jurgen Van Den Broeck for much of 2013, the team failed to make an impact on many WorldTour races in the past season. For 2014, the team has made many key signings and is convinced that they will have a much broader range of captains in the future.

Lotto Belisol has always been based on the philosophy of supporting young Belgian riders in their attempt to be world stars, with the youngsters riding alongside a few foreign stars that have achieved most of the results for the team. However, that idea has made the team vulnerable when bad luck has hit the team's biggest names.

That was very evident in 2013 when two of the team's four designated captains failed to reach their objectives. While Andre Greipel enjoyed his usual success in the sprints, winning a stage in the Tour de France, the Brussels Cycling Classics and a number of WorldTour races, and Jurgen Roelandts got his breakthrough in the cobbled classics by finishing 3rd in the Tour of Flanders, Jelle Vanendert and Jurgen Van Den Broeck had no success.

Vanendert had targeted the Ardennes classics but health issues forced him out of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco and he never reached his highest level for the hilly one-day races. He was later infected by a parasite that left him with no strength and saw him miss the Tour de France.

Van Den Broeck appeared to be riding at his usual high level in the Tour de France but crashed hard in the sprint on stage 5 and had to abandon the race with a bad knee injury. He missed the rest of the season as a consequence.

In 2013 Lotto Belisol won 28 races but they were mostly taken by their sprinters Andre Greipel, Jens Debusschere and Kenny Dehaes. With Van Den Broeck and Vanendert hampered by injuries and illness, the team failed to make an impact on the GCs in the stage races.

To have a broader base of captains and be less vulnerable in the future, the team has been very active on the transfer market. Maxime Monfort has been signed to lead the team in the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France while Clasica San Sebastian winner Tony Gallopin will be an important weapon in both the cobbled and hilly classics.

Sander Armee will be an important addition in the hilly races while Pim Ligthart and Kris Boeckmans will provide the team with more fast finishers and power in the classics.Youngsters Stig Broeckx, Vergard Breen, Boris Vallee and Sean De Bie will all turn professional in 2014.

The many new signings have come at a price. Many riders have been left of the market and have had to step down to continental manager. Manager Marc Sergeant admits that the decision has been a difficult one but he is happy to have a stronger team at his disposal.

"It is a big change, it's true, and it was not easy to skip so many riders at the end of the season," he said. "But it's part of my job to make decisions. As a team, we are looking for results and visibility. After watching the Giro on TV, some sponsors asked me if he had even participated. Francis De Greef whom we have given many chances, was 21st and has not been much in the spotlight. With Monfort, we will be much more visible and can aim for a result in this prestigious race. And Tony Gallopin is a strong classics rider for both the Ardennes and the Flemish races. He will form a great duo with Roelandts. And we can't forget Greipel and Debusschere who are getting much stronger.

"I know that we have had a lot of bad luck in 2013, in the classics with crashes and mechanicals, in shorter stage races and in the Tour de France. But next year I hope that we can maintain our level on the European Tour and be much more visible on the WorldTour."

 With many new riders joining the team, the management has done a lot to create team cohesion at the first team gatherings. The team is currently attending its first training camp of the season in Spain.