Thijsje Benoot turned out to be ahead of his time: when he turned pro in 2015, specialization was all the rage. Following a fifth-place finish in his debut Tour of Flanders and a solid Alpine run at the Criterium du Dauphiné, common sense said the Belgian would soon have to make a decision between cobbles and climbs.

Instead, Benoot continued to mix and match goals throughout his tenure with Lotto Soudal and in his first season with Sunweb (now Team DSM). The Ronde was a longtime goal, but eventually the Ardennes Classique was added to the program, and he also finished 20th overall in his debut Tour de France in 2017.

Five years later, Grand Tour riders are winning Classics, monument riders are climbing mountains, and the sport's biggest stars are bouncing between disciplines throughout the year.

"It's a good trend, but it's actually something we do all the time," Benoot told Cycling News. [For me, it's great to be able to participate in the biggest races on the calendar throughout the year and to be able to fight for the win in the finals. I think with my ability, as many young riders are showing right now, I can fight for different races."

"I think the only time you have to sacrifice a lot is when you are going for GC in the Grand Tours.

The Belgian newspaper Le Soir recently published a profile describing the 26-year-old as "eternally indecisive" with Benoot's Grand Tour ambitions in mind.

Benoot does not necessarily disagree, but emphasizes that he is in no hurry to test himself over the next three weeks. At least as far as 2021 is concerned, his stage race ambitions will be limited to further improving on his encouraging runs in recent short-distance events, such as his second place in Paris-Nice last March.

"This season, instead of aiming for GC in the Grand Tours, I'm going to take the next step in shorter stage races," Benoot said.

"Then next year (2022) we could go for the Grand Tour or be co-leaders of the Grand Tour, which we will evaluate by the end of 2021 and decide what to do next year."

When Benoot delayed his debut campaign in Sunweb until the opening weekend, he had no way of knowing that the season would be interrupted two weeks later by a pandemic.

With all of Europe shuttered, Benoot took his third career win on the final stage of Paris-Nice, and the next day he finished second behind Nairo Quintana in the summit finish of La Colmiane.

"In Paris-Nice, I rode at the highest level of my life," Benoot said. Despite a back injury, he put in solid performances in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Flanders, contributing to Sunweb's aggressive ride in France.

He closed out his campaign with solid runs in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Flanders, contributing to Sunweb's aggressive run in France.

Sunweb has a youthful team with an emphasis on attack, with riders such as Michael Matthews and Wilco Kelderman out of the Tour and no fixed leader. Both riders are expected to replicate a similar collective approach alongside Benoot in next spring's classics.

"It's also something we talked about last winter," said Benoot. 'We wanted to run the Classic aggressively as a block, not as a lone leader.

"To win the biggest race on the calendar, I need some people around me, some teammates, so that we can play as a team. We'll see if that's possible, but at least that's the goal."

In addition to emphasizing collectives, Sunweb has earned a reputation for imposing a level of structure that seems intimidating to some, as suggested by high-profile players who have left the team before their contracts expire.

However, after 12 months with the team, Benoot believes that accusations of micromanagement are exaggerated. For example, on the day of his stage win in Paris-Nice, he had the freedom to override Team Car's instructions to the Sunweb riders to work with overall leader Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), even though they had been told to do so.

"Ultimately, I don't think it's as controlled as everyone thinks it is or as much as is being said in the press. But I knew that, and it was my choice," Benoot said.

"I think it's a team that has to be really open to what they have to say. Once you're open, whatever field you're in, all the knowledge of the team is there to help you, so you can work together to create something really good. It's worked out well for me, and it's lived up to my expectations."

The race program for Benoot in 2021 has not yet been finalized, but as usual it will be a mix of different terrain, depending on the Corsa Rosa route, which will be announced in early January.

The non-cycling schedule is not too demanding for the 26-year-old, who is studying for a master's degree in marketing at Ghent University.

"Right now I'm writing my thesis, and then I have three small courses left," Benoot joked: "then I can finally work."