It was a double stroke of luck for Soudal - Quick Step last year. In Luke Lamperti and Paul Magnier, Patrick Lefevere's team signed two of the most promising youngsters in the sprint cosmos of cycling. Both came from the British continental team Trinity Racing, which had only recently announced that it would cease operations.
The fact that they had known each other for a while was evident in the first part of the season. The two harmonised so well that they occasionally outdid the established competition and finished on the podium together. While the Frenchman Magnier, still a good year younger than the 21-year-old Lamperti, has a faster finishing speed and performs particularly well in flat bunch sprints, his buddy is a little better on the hills.
Fisher-Black and Magnier prevent Lamperti victories in Oman
The races in the Middle East are proof of this. At the Muscat Classic (1.1) in Oman, it was only Finn Fisher-Black (UAE Team Emirates) who was able to maintain four seconds on the large chasing pack after an attack on the last climb of the day. Lamperti led them across the finish line.
Two days later, the 2nd stage of the Tour of Oman (2.Pro) was on the programme. The stage profile was similar - as was the outcome. This time Fisher-Black saved a two-second lead to the finish. His pursuers were again led by Lamperti. The next day, the mountain was missing from the finale and with it Fisher-Black. This time, his team-mate Magnier pushed ahead of Lamperti. Both had already finished first and third on the podium at the Trofeo Ses Salines (1.1) on Mallorca. Lamperti was able to console himself for one day with the overall lead and the leader's jersey.
Lamperti leads Merlier to three Giro stage wins
After three second places in four days, Lamperti also proved that he can ride at the front on other terrain. On the opening weekend of the classics season, the US rider from California finished seventh at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. In a strong team with Julian Alaphilippe and Kasper Asgreen, he was the best Quick-Step pro. For the rest of the cobbled races, he was in the service of Tim Merlier, who also won the Scheldeprijs alongside Nokere Koerse.
Lamperti then took part in his first Grand Tour alongside Merlier at the Giro d'Italia. He rode his captain to three stage wins in the Belgian's leadout, leaving no room for his own ambitions. However, the first half of the season was more than presentable for Lamperti, who took a two-month break from racing after the Giro.
First victory in the Czech Republic followed by good results on German soil
After that break, he returned to the peloton at the Czech Tour (2.1) at the end of July. And how. Lamperti won the bunch sprint on pavement slabs in the shopping street of Ostrava at the start of the tour, celebrating his first victory as a professional. The yellow jersey for taking the overall lead came as a bonus.
Lamperti took his good form with him to the Tour of Leuven (1.1) - he finished the one-day race in sixth place - and then to the Deutschland Tour. After a poor result of 13th place on the five race days, he finished fourth in the final standings, his best result in the overall standings to date.
Things also went well for the American on German soil. At the Cyclassics, he replaced his fallen captain Merlier in the final and finished 13th, while he finished the Münsterland Giro in ninth place. In between, he finished eleventh in the difficult Grand Prix de Quebec, once again the best of his team. He rounded off his 57-race season with a good 9,000 kilometres of racing in China at the end of the season.
