Teams & Riders Inter Lotto Marché

[aruipksni]

Additional information via the Belgian daily Le Soir :

- "It was not from the Tour that the file of a collaboration between Intermarché and Lotto was leaked, but from the office of Jannie Haek, the CEO of the National Lottery."

- "The first contacts date back a few weeks and brought together Jannie Haek, Gregory Maes, Olivier Alsteens (National Lottery), Jean-François Bourlart, Benoît Soenen and David Sauvage (Intermarché)" -

"[Regarding the potential purchase of the Intermarché license] we have heard that the Swiss team Q36.5, which has also been in talks with the International Cycling Union for several months to propose an extension of the WorldTour… to 19 teams, would be interested in the approach"

- "The two teams also had to speed up the movement because a third party was in the dance, always in relation to a rapprochement with Lotto, Alpecin in this case, which finds itself in the same situation since the announcement of the departure of its partner Deceuninck"

 

[pastronef]

Additional information via the Belgian daily Le Soir :

- "It was not from the Tour that the file of a collaboration between Intermarché and Lotto was leaked, but from the office of Jannie Haek, the CEO of the National Lottery."

- "The first contacts date back a few weeks and brought together Jannie Haek, Gregory Maes, Olivier Alsteens (National Lottery), Jean-François Bourlart, Benoît Soenen and David Sauvage (Intermarché)" -

"[Regarding the potential purchase of the Intermarché license] we have heard that the Swiss team Q36.5, which has also been in talks with the International Cycling Union for several months to propose an extension of the WorldTour… to 19 teams, would be interested in the approach"

- "The two teams also had to speed up the movement because a third party was in the dance, always in relation to a rapprochement with Lotto, Alpecin in this case, which finds itself in the same situation since the announcement of the departure of its partner Deceuninck"

is it still allowed by the rules to BUY the pending WT license, or UCI will just give it to the 19th team?

 

[aruipksni]

is it still allowed by the rules to BUY the pending WT license, or UCI will just give it to the 19th team?

my guess is that if INTERMARCHE will not apply for it, then it will be given to the team locates 19 place.
there is still a chance that INTERMARCHE will not be relegated (this is why they use the LOTTO license), in case UNO-X will pass COFIDIS and INTERMARCHE.

 

[Samamba]

Yeah Bini is a nice guy but their fans are imposible to cope with. Also the poor Community Manager needs to post stuff related to Eritrea to keep them happy. They even posted a story about Daniel Teklehaimanot a few days ago. I'm pretty sure he will leave so you will be spared of the Eritrean experience.

I just want them to keep Intermarché licence to keep our guys and staff. Pure selfish. Integrating Wanty into Lotto will feel like the team disappears in a way. But I guess it won't happen and being realistic it is probably the logical choice.

Sporting-wise, apart from Bini I think Lotto has the 3-4 best riders (Van Eetvelt, Beckmoers and Widar as upcoming talent) but our roster is much deeper (Gigi, Rex, Braet, Page, Van Boven, Artz, Barré, Rutsch, Gualdi, Marit, Rota if comes back to his 2024 self). Like I said, take those riders and the good mid-tier Lotto riders (Menten, De Buyst, De Schuyteneer, Craps, Lyvins) and you have a decent team.

As it looking right now it will be the Lotto license. Given they have the more valuable riders if Girmay leaves anyways (which are the rumors) and have more points right now it's kinda logical. Lotto would also be paying more (Intermarché doesn't put that much in). I understand the feeling. like I said before, mergers aren't really mergers, If I read the articles about it, it sounds more like Lotto is just taking over and Bourlart was convinced by getting the CEO role of a bigger team. Ofcourse a good amount of riders will join, also a lot of staff (Lotto had a lot leaving anyways), so it will feel like some sort of merger, but in the end the Intermarché license disappears. And some riders will be out of a job. I just don't hope they for example keep Van de Wynkele over some decent INtermarché rider just because Lotto is the paying agent. That would be dumb. But I'm assuming they won't do that cause that would mean there's only 8 spots for Intermarché riders, that seems way too harsh.

They could make a decent team, but they would still be missing climbers imo and would have way too many mediocre "sprinters".

 

[Samamba]

is it still allowed by the rules to BUY the pending WT license, or UCI will just give it to the 19th team?

I don't think the UCI would accept that. How do you even do that. Buying someone license would also meaning buying the contracts. Those intermarché riders wouldn't be free for example, and the new merged team wouldn't be able to get Intermarché's better riders even. How does Intermarché even apply for a license if they don't have enough riders under contract or bank guaranteed cause they are given to anothr team, ... It's seems way to complex and I don't think the UCI would like it. But hell do I know, maybe the UCI is fine with it and just says ok fine, Q36.5 gets the WT license, which would be ridiculous.

 

[pastronef]

from the French forum Gruppetto. if the Lotto-Intermarché deal does not happen, Intermarché could even fold the team

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

from the French forum Gruppetto. if the Lotto-Intermarché deal does not happen, Intermarché could even fold the team

I doubt that happens, the entire brand of Intermarché basically revolves around "fair trade, equality and doing the right thing". If the merger were to fall through it's more than likely that they'll cease after 2026

 

[aruipksni]

I doubt that happens, the entire brand of Intermarché basically revolves around "fair trade, equality and doing the right thing". If the merger were to fall through it's more than likely that they'll cease after 2026

then they will go with Alpacin instead.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Looks like Baloise want in on the action and merger and they want to create and I quote "A superteam"

From the transfers thread, seems apposite here.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Nieuwsblad just makes it out to be Lotto taking Intermarchés sponsors, CEO and some riders lmao. Lotto license will be hold. Lotto still first namesponsor (confirms my fear budget would still be low) and owner of the team.

Is that not always what "mergers" in cycling amount to? one entity continues, and positions itself as recommended destination for sponsors, riders and other staff leaving the other, with no obligation on them.

 

[ingsve]

This type of merger will be a mess for a lot of riders. It's not just 2 teams merging, they both have development squads as well with riders wanting a move to the WT. I guess it might mean a lot of you talents will be looking for teams. Perhaps there is an opening for Uno-X to get Felix Örn-Kristoff.

 

[ingsve]

BTW are we sure this type of merger will be settled using the 23-25 promotion ranking? I'm thinking it might depend on when the merger actually formally happens. If by the time the promotions for 2026 are processed by the UCI, the merger hasn't happened yet then the decision from the UCI would have to be that both Lotto and Intermarche gets licenses right? So if the merger happens after the UCI has already processed promotions, is there anything that says they would use the same list to fill the new vacancy or would they be free to promote the highest ProTeam from 2025 instead?

 

[QueenStagiaire]

BTW are we sure this type of merger will be settled using the 23-25 promotion ranking? I'm thinking it might depend on when the merger actually formally happens. If by the time the promotions for 2026 are processed by the UCI, the merger hasn't happened yet then the decision from the UCI would have to be that both Lotto and Intermarche gets licenses right? So if the merger happens after the UCI has already processed promotions, is there anything that says they would use the same list to fill the new vacancy or would they be free to promote the highest ProTeam from 2025 instead?

I think one of the teams won‘t apply for the license if the merger is almost finalised.

 

[ingsve]

I think one of the teams won‘t apply for the license if the merger is almost finalised.

Bit risky though if everything were to fall apart last minute.

 

[Samamba]

Bit risky though if everything were to fall apart last minute.

The rumors are that Intermarché will apply for their own license

 

[Samamba]

Eén maand na de huwelijksintentie Lotto-Intermarché: grens tussen fusie en overname is dun, maar (voor de UCI) cruciaal

Van twee dingen één. Lotto Cycling Team en Intermarché-Wanty willen in 2026 hun financiële en sportieve slagkracht bundelen op WorldTour-niveau. Om daar te geraken volgt een proces dat niet in één-twee-drie is gefikst en veel tijd vergt. Hoe staat het met dé Belgische wielerfusie? En waar zitten...

www.hln.be

More questions than answers.

A whole lot of stuff about the UCI but I just don't understand it cause as far as I know their rules don't say anything relevant about mergers at all.. Everything seems more complex then it should be.

Also in it, Girmay would stay (not the first journalist to say that the past few weeks). Combo with De Lie is going to be weird. I don't see a world where a Belgian-Walloon team would not prefer De Lie. I also don't really understand why you would not try to use this opportunity to get out of a 2M/year contract with Girmay.

 

[Berniece]

Also in it, Girmay would stay (not the first journalist to say that the past few weeks). Combo with De Lie is going to be weird. I don't see a world where a Belgian-Walloon team would not prefer De Lie. I also don't really understand why you would not try to use this opportunity to get out of a 2M/year contract with Girmay.

It's not that Girmay or De Lie has been performing at a high level in spring the past few years. Maybe they just want to hedge their bets. Although Girmay really doesn't deserve to earn 2M/year, I find him very overrated. De Lie is better in everything if both are at their best.

 

[Samamba]

It's not that Girmay or De Lie has been performing at a high level in spring the past few years. Maybe they just want to hedge their bets. Although Girmay really doesn't deserve to earn 2M/year, I find him very overrated. De Lie is better in everything if both are at their best.

Doesn't really matter that they didn't perform. You're paying more than 3M combiend for similar riders (almost copies imo), that's just way too much. Definitely for Girmay, who's in Africa half the year. De Lie is (imo) simply better, but also he's Belgian from Wallonia, it's the most important thing ever for both Intermarché Wanty and Lotto. They should always go fully for him.

But De Lie only has a contract till the end of 2026 ofc, maybe that has something to do with it. Maybe they know it's unlikely he stays. Or it's just Girmay who simply does not want to leave, maybe no one else want's to match that 2M offer right now (I would understand after this year). His manager is Carrera so yeah...

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Also in it, Girmay would stay (not the first journalist to say that the past few weeks). Combo with De Lie is going to be weird.

I think it could work pretty well in the classics (I’m thinking more G-W, Omloop etc, not RVV/PR). De Lie in form is often riding quite aggressive and then Girmay can sit in the bunch.

 

[Samamba]

I think it could work pretty well in the classics (I’m thinking more G-W, Omloop etc, not RVV/PR). De Lie in form is often riding quite aggressive and then Girmay can sit in the bunch.

Yeah in theory, till De Lie also just wants to sprint in the end if he's still there. And that's for the classics, a lot can happen there. It probably won't be that big of a problem in those kind of races, but what about the Tour. They are simply not compatible. Unless Girmay doesn't care about the Tour anymore, this should always be a no go. It's asking for trouble imo.

And it's not only that. Like I said before, Girmay is hella expensive, so is De Lie (but paying him more makes more sense for a Belgian team). They won't be a rich team, that extra money should go to different type of riders, like more climbers to help Van Eetvelt and/or Widar in the future. They will have a million sprinter types (De Schuyteneer, Menten, Grisel, Thijssen, Marit, Page, Girmay, De Lie) but no climbers. Being stuck till 2028 with Girmay at 2M a year just seems like a very dumb decision.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Bruyneel says in his last Podcast that Girmay will not be a part of the new team. Pure guessing or does he have some insight?

 

[Samamba]

Bruyneel says in his last Podcast that Girmay will not be a part of the new team. Pure guessing or does he have some insight?

He probably just read some news articles (and not the most recent ones). I don't think anyone really knows right now, his agent is carrera, everything can happen, but know that he has a very lucratif contract with Intermarché, one that he probably wants to keep.

I just watched it, he's just repeating what has been in the Belgian media before, but some of these things (who will have the license, bikes, etc.) haven't been fully decided according to those same media (yes being a journalist is easy when you can just guess and pretend you know everything to then just say nothing has been decided a month later). Sure his story about Girmays bonusses seems "new" (he probably just heard some random thing at the Tour, who knows if it's true), but 95% of what he's saying is him just guessing and making assumptions.

 

[jmdirt]

Does it deserve a thread? Not yet...but its got one.

 

[pastronef]

Does it deserve a thread? Not yet...but its got one.

well it does. the merging would free 1 WT license, that's crucial for some teams

 

[pastronef]

According to HLN Heulot had a new namesponsor lined up but Haek chose a merger over it.

WOW!