Tom-Jelte Slagter’s switch from Belkin to Garmin-Sharp has seen the young Dutchman step his fledgling career up another level, with two stage wins at Paris-Nice the highlight of his season so far. Only an unfortunate, ill-timed crash saw him lose out on a good overall finish in that race, but two fourth places at the Tour of the Basque Country ensured he remained in good form ahead of the Ardennes Classics.
More than capable on the uphill finishes, as he proved with his stage wins, Slagter was 21st at the Amstel Gold Race but could improve that significantly at La Fleche. Team-mate Dan Martin was fourth in this race last year and the Irishman could be a contender again this season, but with the Irishman yet to show the sort of form which propelled him into the limelight last season, Slagter seems a natural fit to take over as team leader.
