Gaudin: Terpstra is a born leader

Niki Terpstra has insisted he is very satisfied with how things are going at Direct Energie, and it seems the feeling's mutual, with Damien Gaudin describing the Dutchman as a "born leader" who has breathed new life into the second-division French team in the build-up to the spring classics and especially this weekend's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Terpstra won the Tour of Flanders, E3-Harelbeke and Le Samyn in a glittering spring campaign last year, but raised eyebrows when he left the all-conquering QuickStep for the Professional Continental outfit. Formerly only one 'option' in a star-studded line-up, Terpstra is now the leader and talisman at a team that has little pedigree in the Classics of northern Belgium and France.

Many have questioned what Direct Energie can give him, and whether they are capable of supporting him adequately, but it's also worth looking at what he brings to them.

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"For sure this is the most motivated I've been coming into the Classics," Gaudin, the team's former leader for the spring races, told Cyclingnews.

"We have a big leader who has already won the biggest one-day races in the world, and who's the reigning Flanders champion. Being at the start of the Classics with Niki really gives me something extra."

The perceived gulf between WorldTour and Professional Continental teams can be overstated but Gaudin paints a clear picture of Terpstra bringing his ideas and helping to raise standards.

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