Bjorg Lambrecht will make his pro cycling debut with Lotto Soudal in 2018, and the team is prepared to give him `all the time he needs to grow and to mature,` according to team manager Marc Sergeant. The Tour de l`Avenir runner-up and under-23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner looks to be among the most promising prospects the WorldTour squad has signed in recent seasons. `At the beginning of this year, I had never thought that I could make the transition to the pro peloton in January 2018,` Lambrecht said via a Lotto Soudal press release on Monday. The 22-year-old Belgian enjoyed a stellar season at the U23 level in 2017, riding with Lotto Soudal`s developmental squad. He powered to his Liège victory in April and followed it up with other strong performances, including second-place overall finishes in the Giro Valle d`Aoste, the Tour de Savoie Mont-Blanc and the Tour de l`Avenir, the premier stage race for cycling`s up-and-coming prospects.ADVERTISEMENT In September he rode the 1.1-rated GP de Wallonie - where Lotto Soudal`s Tim Wellens nabbed the victory - and registered a top 10 finish as a member of the national team. His consistent success across the year led him to a pro deal in the sport`s top division. The team announced his signing on Friday. `Last winter I was out for eight weeks with a broken foot and I was only able to do some stabilization exercises to get ready for the new season. I thought my level of fitness would be far too low in the first races. I was supposed to come back to racing after Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but I could somehow start a bit earlier than expected,` Lambrecht said. `In Liège-Bastogne-Liège, I had a great day and I won the race. I went on and had a super great season. My performances in the Tour de l`Avenir in August led to the decision to make the transition to the professional peloton at the beginning of 2018. Many talented U23 riders have signed a pro contract for January 2018, and I would have had a lot of pressure on my shoul ...
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