Even after the merger between Lotto and Intermarché, Arnaud De Lie (23), Jarno Widar (20), and Lennert Van Eetvelt (24) remain on board as the main leaders of the team. With this generation of top talents, the new fused team aims to rank in the mid-table of the WorldTour this year. Kurt Van de Wouwer updates us on the expectations.
These ambitions are set by the team's management, which, from 2026 onward, consists of CEO Jean-François Bourlart, sporting director Kurt Van de Wouwer, and performance manager Aike Visbeek. “When it comes to recruitment, the three of us sit around the table,” explains Van de Wouwer. “That gives better ideas. I make the decisions about the selections. Performance involves cooperation with Ghent University and coordinating the coaches. It’s clearly defined, but sometimes it overlaps. And that’s okay.”
An important aspect of the merger, besides extra budget and an additional title sponsor, was also a stronger selection and less dependence on the team leaders. “I think that, apart from the losses of Biniam Girmay and Louis Barré, we have retained the best riders,” says the Kempen native. “With this roster, we should be positioned between 12th and 14th in the WorldTour rankings. That’s realistic. Back when we were with Lotto, we aimed for that too and finished ninth twice. That exceeded expectations then, and it can do the same now.”
Van de Wouwer does see one key condition to meet those expectations. “Last year at Lotto, after a few outbound transfers, we had two clear team leaders. Both were lost due to bad luck, so it’s logical that things are tougher. Now we have Jarno Widar as an additional leader and a strengthened middle group with young talent. But the motto remains to have fewer illnesses at the wrong times or crashes. That’s where things went wrong last year, frankly.”
The team was presented in Temse – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Very concretely: what are those ambitions then? “In the classic spring races, which are naturally very important as a Belgian team, we want to show ourselves. We want to race attractively there. I also hope to finally win a semi-classic again. It’s been a while. In the grand tours, we should compete for stage wins. The national championships are also a goal. If we tick off those targets, then we can certainly call it a successful season.”
In potential, De Lie is probably the biggest talent and the most important factor within the team, but that hasn’t shown in the spring classics over the past two years. The challenge for Lotto now is to get the Walloon up to speed in those races as well. “That’s also what we expect from Arnaud,” says Van de Wouwer. “It’s only certain circumstances that caused him to miss the spring two years in a row. Nobody doubts him.”
“It’s simple,” the sporting director continues. “If he’s healthy and mentally ready, he reaches his level and rides a good spring. He’ll just be in the mix. We saw last year he won seven races in the fall. Many riders can’t do that in their entire careers. It’s another proof that he must be able to maintain that level, and then he will confirm it in the spring. Physically and mentally, he’s back in shape.”
Or at least partly, because an ankle injury still affects his training. “The biggest mistake now would be to put all the pressure on the spring,” says Van de Wouwer. “That injury would have been better not to happen, but normally it won’t affect the period from March onward. Maybe it can even work in his favor to peak later. The spring season is very long, and after that, we have other important races, like the Tour de France and the national championships, where we will also deploy him.”
The European U23 champion arrives with strong credentials from the U23 ranks, but no one expects him to deliver immediately at the highest level. “He is the emerging talent,” says Van de Wouwer. “We shouldn’t put too much pressure on him. But if you see how he stands out, along with Paul Seixas, among the U23s, then you have some solid expectations. We realize we have gold in our hands.”
The 20-year-old Limburger has a demanding program right away, with the Walloon classics and the Vuelta as milestones. “He’s someone who mainly wants to progress to the top as quickly as possible, even though we give him time to grow. I think we have given him a very sensible program, in which he gets to taste the Vuelta once. Before that, he has a calm build-up. In that Vuelta, he aims for stage wins; overall classifications and a grand tour like the Tour are ambitions for later.”
Still, Widar will also frequently be used as a leader. “Because he is so ambitious, he naturally comes into that role in certain races. Wherever he sets a goal, we’ll help him, and then he is a team leader. From our side, there’s no pressure. I think that happens naturally. We have often seen in recent years in the peloton that talents of this calibre quickly put their foot beside the top riders. You should not hold that back; it’s important to let them do their thing.”
Since Widar is waiting a while before aiming for general classifications, one might think that vacancy opens up for the other big talent in the squad. But the 24-year-old climber has had a tough year. Since the Tour, he has not raced. “A real unlucky season,” says the sporting director. “Two days before the Tour of Flanders he broke his foot, at the national championships he crashed again, and once more in the Tour. That season went completely wrong, unfortunately. That’s why we remain somewhat cautious in our statements.”
Regarding expectations for the climber, Van de Wouwer points to a season earlier, in 2024. “He won two nice week-long WorldTour stage races then, the UAE Tour and the Tour of Guangxi. That wasn’t the easiest year either, with knee problems. If Lennert now stays free of bad luck, he can return to that level. I think that’s a fair expectation for Lennert.”
However, the general classification ambitions for grand tours are put on hold for now. “Lennert will primarily focus again on one-week stage races, starting with the Tour Down Under and UAE Tour, followed by the Walloon classics. In his two grand tours planned, the Giro and the Tour, we will forget about the overall classification for a while and go for a nice stage win. When we return with Lennert to those events, we can reevaluate and look ahead. Just give it some more time,” outlines Van de Wouwer.
“Shortly after those three comes Jenno Berckmoes. He has already shown many promising signs, he rides a program with the biggest classics and will be used as a team leader at certain moments,” says Van de Wouwer. “Steffen De Schuyteneer is the spearhead of the slightly younger generation, who may make their breakthrough. That has happened so often in our team. Maxim Van Gils was also not named a leader as early as January back then, but he developed into a top rider very quickly.”
“In any case, there is plenty of talent, thanks to the merger with Intermarché-Wanty. We again have a solid middle group, with climbers like Georg Zimmermann, Lorenzo Rota, and Simone Gualdi. In the classics come Felix Ørn-Kristoff and Huub Artz. The latter will be in the core group around Arnaud in the classics, but as with many of our talents, there are also chances in semi-classics and smaller stage races as a natural next step in their development. You never know how quickly that can happen.”
What is Jarno Widar already capable of? – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Team leader Lennert Van Eetvelt remains cautious – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
