Sander Armée will make the transfer to Lotto Belisol next year. The 27-year-old rider is now a cyclist at Topsport Vlaanderen – Baloise. As of the 1st of January 2014 he’ll join the team for two seasons. Sander Armée, who’s in his fourth year as a pro, has a history in inline-skating. He became Belgian champion 15 times and in 2002 even European champion on the marathon in the juniors category. He only started cycling when he was 14 and until he was 20 he combined both sports. In the last Tour de Wallonie Armée crashed and broke a cervical vertebra, until the 12th of September he has to were a neck brace, so he’s out of competition. In the beginning of this year Armée became 8th in the overall classification of the Ruta del Sol, after he finished in top 10 in each of the three stages.
Sander Armée: “This transfer is very important to me, because I feel that I’m a rider who can perform better in bigger and tougher races. In my current team is miss the small tours where one has to climb a lot, that’s why I decided to make a move. Lotto Belisol is a WorldTour team and I think that’s the step everybody wants to make in his career. I also like the fact that it is a Belgian team, where I know people like sports director Jean-Pierre Heynderickx and Kris Boeckmans. It seems to me a team that has a good bond, where there is a familiar atmosphere. In the spring I’m looking forward to the Flèche Wallone and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. I’d love to get selected for one of the Grand Tours; Giro or Vuelta. I think I have the capacities for that.”
“My injury is less serious than was thought in first instance. The broken cervical vertebra wasn’t dislocated, so surgery wasn’t necessary. I got a neck brace and had to rest a lot. At the moment I’m already riding on the rolls, but the chances that I’ll come back in action this season are minor, maybe some smaller races in the beginning of October. Mentally I’m already preparing myself for next year, especially with my transfer to Lotto Belisol I’m really looking forward to it and am focused on that.”
Ron Callahan is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.