At 21 years old, Luke Lamperti (Soudal Quick-Step) dreams of Paris-Roubaix, the UCI Road World Championships and the green jersey at the Tour de France.
Among the eleven new faces at Soudal Quick-Step for the 2024 season, nine are neo-professional. Historically, the Belgian structure has been among the best when it comes to bringing young talents to the forefront, and this batch is already shining on the roads, especially with Paul Magnier and Luke Lamperti, both hailing from the British UCI Continental Team Trinity Racing.
The duo started with a bang in Mallorca, Spain, where the American rider led his French teammate to victory in the Trofeo Ses Salines-Felanitx while claiming the third spot on the podium for himself. From Spain, they headed to Oman, where they again performed with panache: Lamperti wore the leader's jersey for a day, took second place in two stages, and finished the race second in the points classification, while Magnier finished in the top five in one stage and immediately followed his American teammate in the points classification.
“I always hoped to be competitive right away but I’m definitely surprised,” says Lamperti, who got a taste of the cobbles in the Belgian opening weekend (7th in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne). The American sensation aims to fly the Star-Spangled Banner over the biggest one-day races, after his countryman Sepp Kuss (Team Visma | Lease A Bike) conquered a Grand Tour last year, in La Vuelta Ciclista a España.
“You want to be like the big guys”
Your first two-wheel experiences come from motocross, before you adopted the bicycle. How did you make the switch?
Luke Lamperti (LL): My dad was into motocross and I got into it through him. I was racing from the first time I got a dirt bike, when I was three years old. And when I was 10-11, I started riding a bicycle. I was actually training for motocross, with my older brother Gianni. We started riding on the mountain bike and the road bike. And I loved the bicycle so I started racing locally. From there, slowly, I made my way to a local Junior team, then a bigger Junior team that travelled across the US, and then the national team.
What is it like riding in Northern California?
LL: Actually, I would say it’s the best riding in the world. I’ve ridden a lot of places and it’s still my favourite. Of course I’m a bit biased because it’s home for me but you really have everything. You have really nice climbs, you can do a mix of everything. We also have vineyards, great views, it’s a perfect place for training. BMC had their service course there. And there were quite a few other guys as well who came from Sonoma County and around the area.
With your performances as an Under 23 rider, how much were you chased by teams?
LL: I was really fortunate to have a good season in 2023 with Trinity. The first half of the year I got a lot of wins [stages in the Volta ao Alentejo, Circuit des Ardennes, Tour de Bretagne, Tour of Japan, Giro Next Gen] so of course it helped me. My choice kind of came down to my gut feeling and where I felt comfortable. I think Quick-Step have done maybe the best job in the past taking Classics guys and sprinters, riders like me, and making them big stars in the peloton. I think that’s what every neo-pro aspires to be, you want to be like the big guys, you want to be a big star who wins races. So I can take confidence from knowing that they’ve done it with so many other guys.
“Roubaix would be the biggest dream”
You’re being compared to riders like Tom Boonen, Johan Museeuw, Peter Sagan… What do they mean to you?
LL: They’re legends of the sport. When you hear these names, these are for sure guys who have done really big things. I’m still quite young, and just at the start of my career, to say maybe I’ll be like them, but I think that’s the goal of course. When you start, the goal is to be at the very top of the sport and everyone strives to be at the very top. So if it’s possible, of course you want to be like these guys.
Sagan has a strong relationship with California…
LL: I think actually he is the one I’ve looked up to the most. When I was getting into cycling, he won a stage of the Tour of California in my hometown. And since then I followed him. After that, he won three UCI Road World Championships. He also was with Specialized quite a long time and I’ve now been with Specialized almost six years. He’s done a few rides in Sonoma County and for sure I look up to Sagan a lot.
You’re also passionate about Paris-Roubaix. What does it mean to you?
LL: It’s my favourite race to watch since I was a kid. I’ve done it once as a Junior and it’s my favourite race I’ve ever done still to this day. I hope to come back and hopefully at one point in my career be able to ride for a win there. It’s just the most legendary race to me. Roubaix, it would be the biggest dream. But to win a big Classic, any of them, would be a dream come true.
Is there a jersey that inspires you especially?
LL: You always want to win a UCI World Championship. It’s something I’ve chased all three years of Under 23. And it’s not easy. You have to put everything together on the day and you see these guys that do it are really special. I would love to go for a green jersey in a Grand Tour as well, but these things are hard to think about now when it’s still ways down the road.