There has been a lot of talk and writing in recent months about the merger between Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty, but with the arrival of 2026, it has finally happened. The two teams are merging for the new cycling season, but the new kit mainly still resembles the Lotto team.
Sponsor Intermarché is clearly displayed on the front of the new kit, but the merged Lotto-Intermarché team will race next season in the recognizable red 'Lotto jerseys.' At first glance, however, there is a subtle change: the new jersey appears slightly darker in color, especially around the abdominal area.
See here the announcement video on X
— Lotto-Intermarché (@IntermarcheW) January 2, 2026
Lennert Van Eetvelt and Arnaud De Lie remain loyal to the team and will be the leaders in stage races and the classics respectively. The very young Jarno Widar joins from the development team and, given his status as a super talent, is likely to make an immediate impact. He will get his chance in the Giro d’Italia, while the other two will likely feature in the Tour.
Squad
The young lieutenant leaders and talents such as Jenno Berckmoes, Steffen De Schuyteneer, and Milan Menten also stayed on the Lotto side. Just like talents Matys Grisel and Mathieu Kockelmann. Now, the departures of Brent Van Moer (Q36.5) and Alec Segaert (Bahrain Victorious) seem to sting the most. Elia Viviani is retiring.
From the Intermarché-Wanty core, a total of ten riders are making the step to the brand new WorldTeam, though they have lost their top guns such as Biniam Girmay (NSN), Louis Barré (Visma | Lease a Bike), Laurenz Rex (Soudal Quick-Step), Arne Marit (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Gerben Thijssen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) who are benefiting from their contract-free status.
