Lotto Soudal "still racing to win, not for the points" says John Lelangue

Lotto Soudal team manager John Lelangue has talked about the team's current situation regarding their possible maintenance, detailing the happenings until this moment and the team's plan moving forward.

In an interview with Sporza, Lelangue has mentioned that ilnesses have severely hampered the team's ambitions until now, affecting several of their leaders. "Tim Wellens fell ill the night before the Omloop, our first big goal. Caleb Ewan was also doing well, but a few days before Milan-Sanremo he also became ill. He also missed Brugge-De Panne and Gent-Wevelgem, where he was our leader... In the Ardennes classics we also had to miss Andreas Kron and the young Maxim Van Gils."

"A lot can change in one or two good weeks," Lelangue rightfully said, however things are at the moment complicated for the Belgian team, despite being one of the most victorious teams so far this year: "We have already won twelve times this season, which puts us around fourth place in the annual ranking. But it was always in smaller races, so yes, disappointment prevails."

Lelangue has talked well of neo-pro Arnaud de Lie, winner of three races already this year, and has stressed that the team is currently developing a new generation of riders which should be crucial for the future: "It is a young group, so we have to be patient with it. Riders such as Steff Cras, Harm Vanhoucke and Maxim Van Gils already recorded good performances in the shadows. With, for example, promise Alec Segaert, there is also a good crop in the waiting room."

He maintains the same stance as he did over the first months of the season: "We are still racing to win, not for the points." Whether that is a wise decision or not remains to be seen, however the situation isn't looking too go - albeit if the season were to end now, Lotto Soudal would be relegated but have automatic wildcard invitations to all World Tour races.

"At the beginning of the season, the focus was on the competition from Cofidis and Arkéa. Now we see that other teams are getting into trouble, such as Israel-Premier Tech, Movistar or Education First. They had started the season with a lead. . But a lot can happen," he said.

Confidence is key in the Lotto Soudal camp, as Lelangue concludes: "I live with pressure, I also had that in my ten years at BMC. I don't feel calm, but I do have a lot of confidence that it will be okay."