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Teams & Riders Lotto Dstny Cycling Team

Page 19 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
According to PCS a lot of neopros (from the devo team) coming in next year and in 2026.

2025: De Schuyteneer (till 2027), Orins, Van de Wynkele & Giddings (all 3 till 2026)
2026: Widar, Donie & Grisel (all till 2027)


Bit weird cause PCS normally only does this when it's official and there are no rumours about Giddings and Van de Wynkele having signed in the press, but it seems weirdly specific for it to not be true.

All those 18 and 19y olds are as expected (Widar could be in 2025 already if he keeps on winning I assume), Orins too after his results this year. Giddings to a lesser extent, but he's interesting. He's a leadout/classic guy. I think he's deserves the chance. Van de Wynkele on the other hand I don't understand AT ALL and it just confirms the budget problems for me. I have no idea how Lotto is going to go back to riding a full WT calendar when their average age will be like 24 in the future.
 
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I'm gonna need an explanation. Is this some kind of Belgian media thing?

450998321_984177217051931_3973530530550722905_n.jpg
 
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Interesting article in Het Nieuwsblad. Dstny will stop as sponsor after the 2024 season. Apparently because Lotto CEO Jannie Haek is a pain in the a*s to deal with, and because Dstny would like the team to have a more international profile. Leaving a 5-7 million euro hole in the team's budget. These stories won't be beneficial in the search for a new co-sponsor.

https://m.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20240729_91698214

Cycling team Lotto Dstny will lose the second part of its name on January 1, and reportedly 5 to 7 million euros in sponsorship money per year. Telecom company Dstny will stop sponsoring the team at the end of 2024. One of the reasons is the relationship with the other sponsor of the team, according to business newspaper De Tijd. And especially the relationship with director Haek himself.
It had already leaked to the press that the relationship between Dstny CEO Daan De Wever and Haek was particularly difficult. Officially, Haek has not been on the cycling team's board of directors since 2022. But behind the lines, he is said to still be pulling the strings.

According to De Tijd, Dstny is pulling the plug on the sponsorship project, "because of the style and personality of Lottery CEO Jannie Haek". In addition, Dstny as a company mainly wants to become internationally known, and that clashes with the Lotto team's strategy to focus mainly on Belgium.

De Wever would no longer see the collaboration as “in line with the values and standards of his company”.

The latter sounds like a finger pointing at Haek, who ended up in the eye of the storm in April of this year because the unions within the National Lottery had sent a letter of complaint about him to the board of directors. In it, they talked about “a toxic attitude based on fear and violence”, “excessive alcohol consumption” and “unacceptable verbal violence”.
 
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„a toxic attitude based on fear and violence”, “excessive alcohol consumption” and “unacceptable verbal violence”.

Seldom nowadays… But Lotto remains sponsor which is good. Team of McEwen and Van Petegem after all.
 
Lotto-Dstny will continue to focus on scientific support and will continue with Ghent University as a partner
https://sporza.be/nl/2024/10/01/lot...er-voort-met-ugent-als-partner~1727797487454/
Goolging translation -
Lotto-Dstny and Ghent University have extended their wedding vows. Ghent University will remain a partner of the Belgian team for the next 4 years, which wants to continue to innovate.
Lotto - Dstny and Ghent University have been working together for 2 years. Professor of Exercise Physiology Jan Boone and doctor of health sciences Kobe Vermeire and their teams provide the scientific framework for the cycling team. ...
"With Kobe Vermeire, we have a full-time trainer since this season who is affiliated with Professor Boone's department. In this way, we can always separate sense from nonsense and scientifically test every new trend that blows through the peloton."
Lotto-Dstny also announces the arrival of Victor Verschaeve as innovation coach. Wannes Taelmans will be responsible for the aerodynamic tests. "They will work as freelancers and help build the further professionalization of the team," it sounds.
 
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Puting the boot in at Visma ... Ouch!:p
https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...s-jarno-widar-can-reach-the-top-with-his-team
On the rumours that Widar isn't completely happy with Lotto Dstny, Heulot is firm. "That’s blah blah blah. We just extended our partnership with Ghent University for four years. Our performance is even being strengthened. I accept that people ask questions, but be informed. The only difference between us and Visma or INEOS is our communication in that area," he responds bullishly. "It’s true that we don’t advertise everything. Is that wrong? Maybe. But should we also put stickers on a camper, put some screens in it and put an antenna on the roof and start talking about a Control Room? Knowing full well that it’s not even allowed."

"That’s all fun for the media and your image. But believe me: there’s almost no difference between us and those teams in terms of support. Another thing: Jarno said after the Tour de l’Avenir that he has to race too much with us. The truth is that he had 45 racing days before the Tour de l’Avenir. There were guys in the Tour de l’Avenir who easily had ten more racing days," Heulot concludes his assessment. "Oh, Jarno is still young. I think he himself has now understood that he was wrong to say those things.”
 
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Puting the boot in at Visma ... Ouch!:p
https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...s-jarno-widar-can-reach-the-top-with-his-team
On the rumours that Widar isn't completely happy with Lotto Dstny, Heulot is firm. "That’s blah blah blah. We just extended our partnership with Ghent University for four years. Our performance is even being strengthened. I accept that people ask questions, but be informed. The only difference between us and Visma or INEOS is our communication in that area," he responds bullishly. "It’s true that we don’t advertise everything. Is that wrong? Maybe. But should we also put stickers on a camper, put some screens in it and put an antenna on the roof and start talking about a Control Room? Knowing full well that it’s not even allowed."

"That’s all fun for the media and your image. But believe me: there’s almost no difference between us and those teams in terms of support. Another thing: Jarno said after the Tour de l’Avenir that he has to race too much with us. The truth is that he had 45 racing days before the Tour de l’Avenir. There were guys in the Tour de l’Avenir who easily had ten more racing days," Heulot concludes his assessment. "Oh, Jarno is still young. I think he himself has now understood that he was wrong to say those things.”
A French guy working for a Belgian team... the perfect mix to explode with jealousy regarding Visma :)
 
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A French guy working for a Belgian team... the perfect mix to explode with jealousy regarding Visma :)

The whole interview is lie after lie him trying to save face and trying to put out the most positive image possible about the team, but that's literally the only thing that's simply the truth. Of course you are here defending it, but literally everyone in the cycling world knows that whole van thing was a sponsored media thing (fair play, it worked). It looked great but there was nothing innovative or special about it and yes, it was also not UCI legal to use it way they said they were going to.
 
The whole interview is lie after lie him trying to save face and trying to put out the most positive image possible about the team, but that's literally the only thing that's simply the truth. Of course you are here defending it, but literally everyone in the cycling world knows that whole van thing was a sponsored media thing (fair play, it worked). It looked great but there was nothing innovative or special about it and yes, it was also not UCI legal to use it way they said they were going to.
Where am I defending the control room saga? It's just not a very strong argument to bring up in an interview regarding your own supposed strength as a team. "We're just as advanced as the team which has a useless control room that's nothing new and isn't allowed". Well, good for you.
 
That's just not what he said tho is it?
His point (as I understand it) is that they're doing the same as Visma and Ineos but these teams just sell it better. And then he offers the example of the control room which is a marketing stunt and not even allowed. Not a very good example, I would say. Not if you're trying to argue that you're doing the same but you just don't advertize it...
 
His point (as I understand it) is that they're doing the same as Visma and Ineos but these teams just sell it better. And then he offers the example of the control room which is a marketing stunt and not even allowed. Not a very good example, I would say. Not if you're trying to argue that you're doing the same but you just don't advertize it...

It's a perfect example actually. Visma is the only team that advertized it that way (mostly to put their sponsors out there, so yes a marketing stunt but obviously not portrayed or taken like this by many) while most teams are doing similar things. And just to be clear, I do not agree that they are doing the same, or even remotely close, impossible with their budget, but it is true that others have been showing off their "performance stuff" way better, Visma being the prime example of that. It's pretty smart tbh, people think (or thought) they are miracle workers, which is utter bs.

Also wheter we agree on this doesn't even matter, your comment about his assumed jealousy including nationalities was just based on nothing. He (and a lot of other team managers of similar teams btw) are annoyed with the way their are being portrayed as amateurs often compared to some teams, it's understandable.
 
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One thing we can probably guess with some certainty in regard to Lotto is that with this belt tightening, the loss of several big names and replacement with devo riders is that they will still only be doing two GTs in 2025.

I'm sure I read earlier in the season that the plan for next year was to ride all three, but with only 26 (?) riders and so many youngsters the numbers just don't add up for 3 GTs imo. Good news for Polti/VF/Tudor fans if true.
 
After I read the interview and how he speaks and defends himself about absolutely everything…I am not sold that Widar stays. Why would he be so aggressive about it if there is no smoke?

Because he doesn't want to give the impression that everyone can just leave whenever they want or that contracts don't mean anything, when i reality, well they really don't, especially not these small contracts for youngsters. Unless Widar cares about possibly hurting his reputation (breaking contract, etc) and doesn't want the drama, he will be out, Heulot knows this obviously. Widar has to pay a compensation of maybe 100k (probably less) and he's free to do whatever he wants, that's just how Belgian law works and there's nothing the UCI will do about it, even tho Heulot pretends like they will. It's the same with Van Gils, but he (well basically the team that wants him) has to pay between 1.5 and 2M probably.