Bet on cycling

Tom Boonen is the star of the Quick Step team but the depth of talent in the Belgian squad makes it one of the strongest in the UCI ProTour peloton.

Ronde van Vlaanderen double winner Stijn Devolder creates a perfect double act with Boonen for the cobbled spring classics, while Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel and Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian-San Sebastian winner Carlos Barredo do the same in the hillier one-day races.

Boonen starts the 2010 season as the Belgian National Champion and so will wear the standout red, yellow and black jersey as he fights for success in sprints and the spring classics. Despite a difficult 2009, the 29 year-old Flemish rider won Paris-Roubaix for a second time. He has now won both Paris-Roubaix and Ronde van Vlaanderen twice and a third victory in either would cement his place in cycling history. Devolder could also go for a Ronde van Vlaanderen hat trick, meaning April could be a very special month for Quick Step.

Of course, having racked up 275 victories in the last five years, making it the most successful team of the last five years, Quick Step will also be looking to win throughout the 2010 season. Chavanel and Barredo could use their aggression in the hilly UCI ProTour races, while Kevin Seeldraeyers is expected to shine in stage races after winning the best young rider prize in the 2009 Giro d’Italia.

Other names to remember include Belgian track star and fast finisher Iljo Keisse, young Italian Dario Cataldo and hard working domestiques Matteo Tosatto, Kevin Hulsmans and Wouter Weylandt.

“In 2010 I’m confident we’ll continue to be one of the best teams in the world in the classics and we’re developing a new generation of riders for stage races that includes Kevin Seeldraeyers,” General Manager Lefevere predicted.