Tiesj Benoot will not make his grand tour debut in 2016. "I'm going to wait for another year," the 21-year-old Belgian tells Het Nieuwsblad. "I would have liked to do one but my coach doesn’t recommend it. The Giro comes too early after the spring and this year the Vuelta is held at the same time as the races in Québec and Montréal and the Eneco Tour. I am better suited to those.”

Benoot again hopes to make his presence felt in the spring classics. As a neo-pro, he was a surprise fifth in the Tour of Flanders, a result that will be hard to improve. "If I stay healthy, I assume that I will be the same level, but I'm going to get less freedom," he realizes. "With the same condition, I may finish 11th in De Ronde."

Paris-Roubaix and Amstel Gold Race are also on his calendar. "In the U23 ranks, Paris-Roubaix suited me very well. I just love long races, "says Benoot who could only just make it into the top 100 in 2015 when he was set back by bad luck. "And Amstel is the Tour of Flanders without cobblestones. I really hope I can do it this season.”

Benoot won’t ask for a sole leadership role at Lotto Soudal. "I think I am still will always be a little bit below Jürgen,” he says, referring to his teammate Roelandts. "After all he has anyway already proved more than me and he can use his experience.”