Vanhoucke lashes out at Lotto-Dstny: "My entire fall was ruined, the stress took a heavy toll on me"

He has left and returned before but is now closing the door again at Lotto. Harm Vanhoucke will ride in the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team colors for the next two years. This time, it seems settled as the 27-year-old Belgian lashes out hard at his former employer.

"I see that riders develop themselves at Team dsm - firmenich. As a team, they have had a lot of success on grand tours, so they have a lot of knowledge. It will be a new step in my career, so I am curious to see how I can further develop myself as a rider," Vanhoucke said in 2022 when he signed with Team dsm - firmenich.

Unfortunately, however, there was not much time to develop. Even before the end of the year, Vanhoucke's contract with the Dutch team was torn up. He was recruited as a finisher but did not manage to fully live up to that role. Therefore, the team decided to use him differently, something Vanhoucke himself did not agree to. So, the Belgian returned to his old employer immediately.

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Vanhoucke in the dsm-firmenich kit

Lotto kept Vanhoucke waiting, which ruined his entire fall

After two years, the Belgian rider made another transfer to Switzerland's Q36.5. He will become a teammate of Tom Pidcock, Sjoerd Bax, and Milan Vader there. An early return seems unlikely this time, however, because in an interview with Sporza, Vanhoucke lashes out hard at his former employer Lotto-Dstny.

Because the intention was to extend the contract. "At the Tour, we made a verbal agreement. I thought I would be able to sign pretty soon afterward. Until I heard that the team was no longer allowed to sign contracts except for the minimum ones." After that, it took a very long time. "They were stalling me. My whole fall was ruined because of it. I have a family and a house that needs to be paid off. Then suddenly, when you're without a contract, you don't know what to do. The stress took a toll on me. I did my workouts, but the stress took so much energy away from me," Vanhoucke tells his story.

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Vanhoucke a few years ago 

Q36.5 threw a lifeline to Vanhoucke ,and he took it with both hands

Fortunately for the rider, a lifeline came. "A nice offer. And so I decided to leave. It seemed like a growing team that wanted to make huge leaps. That appealed to me."

Although he is changing teams, his role remains the same. "In one-week tours like Oman, I want to score, and I am ambitious to ride a GC. And if we can ride a grand tour with the team, it will be a domestique for Pidcock or with a free role to go for stages." We can also find the 27-year-old rider in the Clásica Jaén, Ardèche, and Drôme and the International Cycling Week Coppi e Bartali this spring.

Q36.5 Pro Cycling will not receive a wildcard for the Tour de France; at least, that is not expected. Should it unexpectedly happen, they won't have to call Vanhoucke, who hasn't won yet in his career. "Last year, I went on the tour for the first time. If you ask me now, I'll say I'll never go back. It was super hectic. That frenzy in the peloton and surrounding the race was something I'd never experienced before. Great for once, and I'm glad I did it once, but I don't like it," he is outspoken.

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