With Andre Greipel’s fitness suffering after a bad crash in Gent Wevelgem, Lotto Belisol lost their likely leader and main focus for the Giro d’Italia. As a result they have opted for a team with mixed ambitions, one capable of being involved on all fronts but without a star rider. Kenny Dehaes and Tosh Van der Sande will hope to be involved in any sprint finishes, with Van der Sande capable of contesting sprints on the hillier stages or even from a break. Adam Hansen, Lars Ytting Bak, and Tim Wellens are all capable breakaway riders for the hilly stages, Hansen, in 2013, and Bak, in 2012, have both won stages from breaks in the Giro. However the teams General Classification hopes rest solely on the shoulders of 31 year old Belgian Maxime Monfort.
One of Lotto Belisol’s major signings for 2014, Monfort is expected to improve the team's profile in both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España. Monfort is a classic GC rider; he isn’t an explosive attacking rider or an obvious stage winning threat, but rather a rider who climbs well and is solid against the clock; he doesn’t truly excel in either discipline, but is capable of limiting his losses on all terrain. Monfort has rarely been given the opportunity to ride for himself in the biggest races, tending to be a very strong domestique for a legitimate GC contender, but he has done well when given the chance to be a team leader.
Monfort demonstrated his GC potential while with the Cofidis team, with an 11th overall finish in the Vuelta a España in 2007. Monfort joined Leopard Trek in 2011 and after working for the Schleck brothers in the Tour de France, he was given more freedom to ride for himself in the Vuelta. He recorded a 6th overall finish, his best Grand Tour result, after finishing 8th on the hideously difficult ascent of L’Angliru.
Monfort rode both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España again in 2012, finishing 16th in both races, and then last season Monfort produced his best ever performance in the Tour de France, finishing 14th overall. Monfort was strong throughout, frequently being one of the final riders to be dropped in the mountains by the elite climbers.
Monfort has proven to be consistently strong in the Grand Tours; he may be capable of improving upon his 14th placed finish in the Tour de France, but he probably isn’t a legitimate contender for a top 5-10 finish there. However his potential is greater for the other two Grand Tours, both of which tend to attract weaker fields than the Tour de France. At Lotto Belisol Monfort gets the chance to both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España as an outright leader. Looking after his own ambitions, Monfort is certainly capable of competing for a top ten finish over the next month and that is the target his team have set.