Thomas De Gendt

After 26 year-old Thomas De Gendt broke through in 2011 with a stage victory in Paris-Nice and the Tour de Suisse followed in 2012 as his breakthrough as a GC rider. The stage victory on the Stelvio in the Tour of Italy gave colour to the race and Belgium held its breath. After more than 15 years since the last top 3 position in a major tour, the man from Semmerzake was now on his way to a place within the first 3, and possibly a final victory. A strong time trial in the end earned De Gendt a 3rd place in the year he skipped the Tour de France. With his youthful age and year on year growth, team management believe he and Wout Poels are the big names for the major tours of the future. In 2013 he will compete in the Tour de France once again. The man from Flanders is aiming for a stage victory and perhaps a top-10 position in the GC. After two years, we now know what to expect when De Gendt puts his mind to something.