Improved climbing ability, fast finish, big engine - why can't he factor in Flanders?
Following his stunning success in Sanremo on Saturday, the prognostications for the future have begun to flow. The name of De Vlaeminck has already been uttered, and now to go along with that, Goss's manager, Paul De Geyter, feels that Goss has the capacity to win the race of Goss's dreams - the Tour of Flanders.
De Geyter admits to Sporza that he was less than surprised about his Australian's win this past weekend.
"I had him tipped beforehand. I've followed Goss for four years now and saw him make some serious progress this winter."
For a sprinter, big progress often means climbing improvement. For a rider like Goss, his sprint is unquestioned - the main task in a race like Sanremo, or any for that matter, is staying with the leaders, and just that is what Goss accomplished on Saturday…then left them all behind in the dash for the line.
De Geyter says that the winner of four races already this year improved his climbing greatly over the winter: "Matthew worked a lot on his climbing ability without it hurting his sprinting capacities."
With those improvements in hand, a sizzling start to the season, and a Monument(al) victory, De Geyter and the rest of the world cast their eyes at what's to come. Considering the cast of characters who finished behind Goss in Sanremo: Cancellara, Gilbert, Ballan, and Pozzato - who's to say that Goss can't be a major factor in Flanders?
"Matthew is a rider with a very powerful engine. Goss dreams of the Tour of Flanders. Perhaps he is still a bit young, but he can win it someday."
Indeed, Goss already has a third place finish at Gent-Wevelgem to his credit when he was still only 22. He's no stranger to the cobbles, and he's a powerful rider with a powerful sprint. Even more compelling, will be Goss's HTC-Highroad team, which though extremely powerful in general, does not really have a cobbled favorite in its ranks. Goss will get a chance to race the Classics with a big result in mind.
Of course, De Geyter can't hurt himself by trumping up Goss's prospects in major races for the future either. The 2011 sprinting sensation will be on the open market at the end of the season, so the more future prospects Goss has, the better his market value, something that De Geyter will be all too aware of.
Money or not though, the possibility of Tassie glory in Belgium is real. He certainly won't be a favorite heading into April 3rd's Ronde van Vlaanderen, but he'll be a rider to watch and as De Geyter says, a rider capable of winning Flanders in the future.