The team Lotto has already started its preparation for the 2025 season, but new challenges await the training led by Stéphane Heulot for 2026. In that year, if everything goes according to plan, Lotto will regain the level WorldTour after three years of absence, that is to say the highest level of world Cycling. In addition to the challenges linked to sponsors, the team will also have to instill a new sporting dynamic. Discreetly, the Belgian team ProTeam d’Arnaud De Lie is already actively preparing for this future status in WorldTour.
Video – Stéphane Heulot, manager of Lotto, for Cyclism'Actu in 2024
“We will have to strengthen ourselves on all fronts this summer”
The sports manager of the Belgian team Kurt Van de Wouwer explained his team's current situation: “Mathematically, we are already assured of promotion. We have a total of 26,000 points. This amounts to around 13,000 points per season, while the team ranked 19th (first relegation place) is already 11,000 behind points Of course, we are not completely abandoning the race for UCI points. It will always be in our minds. But we no longer need to impose certain specific obligations on ourselves. achieve this objective This is why we have also removed certain races from our calendar.he explains.
The sports manager also discussed the changes to be made in the squad in order to be at World Tour level in 2026: “We will have to strengthen ourselves on all fronts during the summer. Above all, it is clear that we lack climbers in the team. Today, the week-long WorldTour stage races feature a lot of climbs. We definitely need to improve ourselves in this area. Fortunately, this year we have a young team, including six neo-professionals. All these young people will have an extra year to progress quietly. If we manage to recruit one or two additional leaders, I think we will really be on the right track.”
“Logically, we are looking for a climber profile”
Even if Van de Wouwer recognizes the lack of climbers in the squad, he has not yet decided precisely what type of rider would be needed as an additional leader: “It will partly depend on what will be available on the market. Logically, we are looking for a climber profile, but it could also be a rider for the classics. We are a Belgian team and the classics have remained a weakness for us for several years So that would be welcome. And why not a sprinter? It's also possible. Arnaud De Lie is currently our best fast man, but he is not a typical sprinter..
Finally, Van de Wouwer discusses the talents already present in the youth teams: “If the money is there, a lot of things are possible. But we also have to keep in mind that the current team will be more mature with another year. We are not starting from scratch. Our basic core remains intact , and the important riders are already under contract. Our nugget Jarno Widar will definitely make the jump from the development team to the pro team in 2026. He could become a potential leader. But he will also need some additional reinforcements. 'we need a Otherwise, we'll find ourselves in trouble at the highest level, and that's what I fear.”.
