Promising Classics talent, Yves Lampaert made an impression in his first season at WorldTour level and is aiming to do even better in 2016.
The Etixx-QuickStep rider took overall victory at his home race the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen, finished seventh at Paris-Roubaix and second to Jurgen van den Broeck at the Belgian national time trial championships. Lampaert impressed his new employers so much that they selected him for their six-man team time trial squad for the World Championships, who went on to take silver.
"It's been a great experience. It's not so easy to go as a young guy to one of the biggest teams in the world. You don't know what to expect but everything went really smooth, and I'm really happy that I could make the step to Etixx-QuickStep," Lampaert told Cyclingnews.
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Born in the municipality of Izegem in West Flanders, a stone's throw from Harelbeke, Lampaert was destined to be a man for the cobbles. Growing up on his parents' farm, his hero was Tom Boonen whose first Flanders-Roubaix double came in 2005 when Lampaert was only 14. When Boonen did his second in 2012, Lampaert himself finished second at the under 23 Paris-Roubaix – behind Bob Jungels.
Lampaert turned professional the following season with the Pro Continental outfit Topsport-Vlaanderen after finishing his education. He continued to show promise in the Classics and was quickly snapped up by Etixx-QuickStep for 2015, a chance Lampaert said he 'grabbed with both hands.' An amateur just two years previously, the move allowed him to race alongside Boonen.
"Tom Boonen is still one of my favourite riders," he smiled. "You look up to a lot of riders when you start cycling. It's awesome to ride next to them in the peloton. Guys like [Chris] Froome and [Joaquim] Rodríguez, [who are riding at the Saitama Criterium where Lampaert is talking to Cyclingnews –ed] you look up to them, and now you can ride with them. Sometimes it's surreal but it's amazing to be able to do it."
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