It is not a big secret that Tour de France is an ever biggest season’s objective for Jurgen Van den Broeck, and even though the Belgian rider insists that he fights for victory in every race he participates in, eventually it all comes down to his showing at the French grand tour while assessing his performances.

The Lotto Belisol rider suffered a terrible Tour campaign last year, as he crashed out of the competition with a broken knee, and e injury seriously affected his preparations for 2014 season. To make things worse, Van den Broeck experience anything but smooth spring campaign as he injured the same knee at the Tirreno Adriatico, but despite some doubts he managed to bounce back at the Criterium du Dauphine and his team believes that the 31-year old Belgian would be able to challenge Chris Froome (Team Sky) and Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) in July.

Reportedly, not only the Lotto Belisol manager, Marc Sergeant, was pleased with Van den Broeck’s latest performances, but his team mates acknowledged that both his form and self-confidence significantly increased within the last month.

“Jurgen is on track,” general manager Marc Sergeant told VeloNews. “He’s stronger than last year and more confident, even his teammates come up to me to tell me, ‘he’s good.’”

“There was nothing smooth about my spring,” Van den Broeck added. “I had a hard winter to come back from the injury, and I had to train a lot.”

“He suffered a lot, also mentally,” Sergeant said. “He was always surrounded by some guys where he felt he didn’t belong, that weighs on you. He’d be riding in the races and lose contact from the 10 best riders, sitting 30 to 40 riders back and thinking, ‘this was not my place.’”

While Sergean is aware that Van den Broeck most likely won’t be able to challenge Froome and Contador in the decisive mountain stages, he believes that the third podium spot is within the reach of the 31-year old Belgian and still leaves some room for a typical element of unpredictability …

“It looks like Jurgen will have to fight for third overall at the Tour de France with the way that Alberto Contador and Chris Froome are riding, but then you never know,” Sergeant explained. “We like to think that anything is possible. You saw from Froome’s stupid crash in the Dauphiné that bad luck can strike. If that had been a broken collarbone, it’d be over for Froome. Jurgen had bad luck last year, and before with broken ribs and an injured shoulder.

“Froome is sprinting uphill all the time, Contador can follow that, but Jurgen can’t follow that. He has to stay consistent. Jurgen knows that if those two go, he just has to keep his own pace and sometimes he comes back.”