JASPER STUYVEN

We need to talk about…

The ‘next Fabian Cancellara’ is a moniker that has been foisted upon a few up-and-coming Classics stars. The 26-year-old Belgian Jasper Stuyven laboured under the label, given he’s a ParisRoubaix Juniors winner and that he spent his early pro years working for the Classics powerhouse. It followed that Stuyven would step into Cancellara’s big boots when he finally retired.

Stuyven’s long-range attack to win Kuurne-BrusselsKuurne in 2016 had the hallmarks of the Swiss’s modus operandi. He looked set to grow into the role via a stint as Classics co-leader the following year with John Degenkolb. But much of Stuyven’s 2017 campaign was ruined by poor fortune and illness. Fourth at Paris-Roubaix was something to take heart from, however. And this year, though he didn’t come home with any hardware, Stuyven continued where he left off: he proved a stout contender with top-10 finishes in all but one of the cobbled Classics.

Stuyven has admirable versatility too. He won a Vuelta stage in 2015 and narrowly missed out on a Giro stage last year. He also came close to an improbable victory at Mende, in the second week of this year’s Tour. His first victory of the season finally came with a late move off the front of the peloton on stage 4 of the BinckBank Tour. It was a cathartic result after several near misses.

It was always going to be hard for Stuyven to live up to the expectations placed upon him, but he has proved a consistent and reliable rider. While he hasn’t set the world alight like Cancellara and his compatriot Tom Boonen, his progression is steady. Stuyven can also take heart from the career of Greg Van Avermaet, a man of comparable versatility and who didn’t win his first Monument until he was 31. There’s plenty of time yet.