Serious (legal) pressure prevents transfer for youngster Widar: "Virtually no difference between Visma and us in that regard"

As the season draws to a close, uncertainties remain at Lotto Dstny in terms of the upcoming year. The team is parting ways with co-sponsor Dstny, and a replacement sponsor has yet to be found. In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad, CEO Stéphane Heulot discusses the future of the Belgian team and the consequences for riders under contract, including Belgian top talent Jarno Widar.

The first thing the 53-year-old Frenchman emphasizes is that "no one should be worried. It’s not as if there are no options at all right now. We’re talking with various companies, but the new partner must align with the values of the National Lottery and the whole team." According to Heulot, the budget situation for next year remains unchanged. "What has happened, though, is that we had to take a step back in the transfer market. But that was entirely due to Dstny, who kept us in the dark about their plans to continue or not for a long time. They finally made the decision at the end of the Tour, which was a shame – it could have been done earlier. That delay cost us time."

With departing riders like Victor Campenaerts (Visma | Lease a Bike), Andreas Kron (Uno-X Pro Cycling), Harm Vanhoucke (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) and Thomas De Gendt (retiring), the Belgian team has lost a considerable portion of its roster. Still, Heulot isn’t pessimistic. "Ultimately, we managed to keep the riders we wanted to keep. The only departure I truly regret is Florian Vermeersch. I didn’t feel his journey with us was over yet, but I can’t blame him either. When the world’s best team comes knocking, with the conditions they offered him, then we simply can’t compete." After seven years of loyal service with the team, Vermeersch is leaving for UAE Team Emirates.

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"No difference between Visma, INEOS and us in terms of development"

Another rider constantly in the rumor mill is Jarno Widar. The 18-year-old prodigy has attracted strong interest from multiple top teams. "Let me be clear: Jarno Widar has a contract with us," Heulot asserts. "In life, you have rights and obligations. Last year, he had the right to sign with us. Now, he has the obligation to honor that contract. That’s all I’ll say on the matter."

Transfer rumors around the young climbing sensation emerged after he criticized his employer. Following a disappointing Tour de l’Avenir, Widar openly questioned whether Lotto Dstny had the resources to help him reach the highest level. "That’s nonsense. We recently extended our partnership with Ghent University for four more years. Our performance capacity is only growing. I accept that people ask questions, but they should be informed. The only difference between us and teams like Visma or INEOS is our communication style. It’s true that we don’t broadcast everything we do. Is that wrong? Maybe. But believe me, there’s virtually no difference between us and those teams in terms of support."

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Jarno Widar won the 2024 Giro NextGen

Widar would like to stay at least one more year

Despite the rumors, Widar seems inclined to stay for at least another year under Lotto Dstny’s pressure. Heulot was clearly irritated by Widar’s statements, and he set the young rider straight once more. "After the Tour de l’Avenir, Jarno said he’d had to race too much with us. The truth is, he had 45 racing days before the Tour de l’Avenir. There were riders in the Tour who easily had ten more racing days under their belts. But, well, Jarno is young. I think he’s since realized he was wrong to say those things."

Still, rumors about Widar have not subsided in recent weeks, and his agent has done little to downplay the hype surrounding him. Yet, it appears Widar is raising the white flag under Lotto Dstny's pressure. The Belgian paper HLN reported Friday morning that "due to the legal complications of an early exit," a widely discussed transfer is likely postponed for at least another year.

"His contract includes an exit clause that only allows him to leave after January 1, 2026, following two U23 seasons," HLN states. "If Widar wishes to leave sooner than that, he would need to unilaterally break or buy out his contract in labor court. Besides the financial consequences — paying termination fees and legal costs — that come with such a contract breach, Widar’s camp wishes to avoid a media storm similar to the one that erupted when Cian Uijtdebroeks unilaterally broke his contract with BORA-hansgrohe last year."

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