Management

SILENCE-LOTTO (SIL) - BEL

The Belgian Silence-Lotto team won 23 races in 2008 and has the riders to do even better in 2009.

Sponsored by the Omega Pharma company and the Belgian national lottery, the team has talented riders for every kind of race.

Australia’s Cadel Evans is one of the best stage race riders in the world and consistently one of the best riders in the peloton. He won the 2007 individual UCI ProTour title and finished sixth in 2008. He was also second in the Tour de France and second in the Vuelta Pais Vasco.

A part of the Silence-Lotto is dedicated to helping Evans in major races. Britain’s Charly Wegelius has been brought into the team to help him in the key mountain stages and highly talented Dutchman Thomas Dekker will also play a key role in the team, targeting time trial and shorter stage races.

Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen has left the team after seven successful years but current Belgian Champion Greg Van Avermaet is expected to do just as well in the future after taking five impressive victories in 2008.

The spring classics are always a huge objective for Silence-Lotto. The team has signed Belgium’s Philippe Gilbert and can also count on Leif Hoste, making it one of the strongest teams in the cobbled and hilly races. Gilbert won Het Volk and Paris-Tours in 2008, and at 26 he is now at his physical best.

«Silence-Lotto is a very professional and very strong team. I think we can win a lot of races on every terrain: stage races and one-day races,« Gilbert said.