Lotto Soudal, the Belgian WorldTeam, has finalized its roster for the upcoming cycling season with the signing of Cedric Beullens. The 24-year-old Belgian, known for his potential as a Classics rider, has agreed to a two-year contract. Beullens has previously competed for Sport Vlaanderen – Baloise, where he achieved top twenty results in prestigious races such as Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Eschborn-Frankfurt.
Expressing his excitement, Beullens stated, “To be honest, it hasn’t fully sunk in yet that I will defend the Lotto Soudal colours next season, but of course I am very happy with this transfer! Following two great years at Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise, this is the right step in my career to further develop myself. Why the choice for Lotto Soudal? The Belgian team has a nice project, a good framework and I will be surrounded by a lot of youngsters and more experienced riders. Besides, I get the chance to play a role in the spring Classics, races in which I really want to evolve. I just love the atmosphere and the charm of the Flemish Classics.”
With the addition of Beullens, General Manager John Lelangue has successfully assembled the Lotto Soudal WorldTeam roster for 2022. Lelangue emphasized Beullens’ skills and potential, stating, “Completely in line with our vision, we complete our team for 2022 with another young Belgian talent Cedric Beullens. Cedric will strengthen the Classics squad and has proved this year that he can do well in the one-day races with among others a 17th place at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and a 12th place at Eschborn-Frankfurt…At Sport Vlaanderen – Baloise, he has been able to develop himself over the past two years and we are looking forward to welcoming Cedric to the team next season!“
Looking ahead to his time at Lotto Soudal, Beullens expressed his ambitions, saying, “Last season, I already had a taste of some WorldTour races like Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Ronde van Vlaanderen. I feel that I have grown as a rider and I’ve also acquired more race insight. But at the same time, I realize that being part of a WorldTeam will be quite the challenge. But I’ve already shown that I have what it takes and I hope to confirm this in the coming seasons. Therefore, I would like to continue to grow and become an important part of the Classics squad. In addition, it would also be nice to go for some own results and riding a Grand Tour also seems like a very enriching experience to me.”
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Image: Photo News.
