The Lottery Dstny seems to be in the red financially, at least according to Dutch media sources, Cycling flash. Problems with sponsors, poor sports management, harassment, late payment… anonymous sources from the general framework of the team would have confided to the Batavian site. Contacted by Cyclism’Actu, Stéphane Heulotboss of the Belgian team, believes “be a victim of slander” in a paper that is not “just a web of lies”. Cycling flash, Maxim Van Gilsthe situation of French cycling… Stéphane Heulot spoke on many subjects. In short, more than 25 minutes of interview to watch on video or read below.
Video – Stéphane Heulot at the microphone of Cyclism’Actu!
“These slanders… We know where they come from”
What do you have to say in response to Wielerflits’ article?
“When we read this article yesterday, we didn’t know whether to laugh or cry about it. It’s so far-fetched compared to these slanders, we clearly know where they come from. Unfortunately, the life of a team is made up of people coming and going, it’s like in any society, there are riders that we renew, others that we don’t renew. … From there, the objective was clear: to establish a rather negative climate. What I can say today is that on October 2, there was the deadline for the security deposit, It’s a bit of a key to any team recording for a new season and it was done correctly on our part.
The budget is balanced, it is true that there was uncertainty, which caused a slowness in the transfer window, but it was not necessarily a worry for us because we had ensured re-engagement of our main leaders. We knew where we were going. Everything is in order, we are in the process of setting up our new racing service which is sumptuous, we are ninth in the world… It perhaps bothers people, probably, we are a little sorry for this kind of slander which harms the team but we also want to laugh, I haven’t even been contacted by… I don’t even know if you can call it media.”
What do you plan to do?
“We are already on the case. We are not going to let things slide, we know exactly who it comes from. The important thing for us is to clarify things. Now, we will have to argue because it is all well and good to talk under cover of anonymity but the anonymity was quickly lifted. We had no trouble identifying them. Once again, it’s just very low, at the height of the characters, the two main characters. what we need, now we are focused on the season and the team.”
“A departure from Van Gils? We’re not in the Wild West…”
Last May, the media were talking about a new sponsor, where is that?
“To summarize, Dstny had a 2-year contract with an option of two additional years. This option could be exercised until December 31, so we were a bit stuck. It took a long time to give us a clear vision , we got it after the Tour For the record, this is the fortieth year that the Belgian Lottery has sponsored a cycling team, and we had the guarantee that we could leave alone in 2025 even if it was. still better to find a partner in line with our values. The research is ongoing, we have various avenues.”
You have recorded a lot of departures… Is the transfer window over for you?
“As I said, we started late. Now, the departures are deliberate departures, apart from that of Florian Vermeersch. The rest are choices in relation to the vision that we have. We have a top development team, which has been working for many years, we have many talents, a relatively prodigious pool, I am obviously thinking of Jarno Widar but there are others. We know that 2026 will be crucial with the move to the WorldTour. . We are thinking about 2026 more than 2025.”
There have been rumors of transfers for Maxim Van Gils, can you assure us that he will stay?
“A contract is a contract. I had him on the phone again not too long ago. Maxim changed agents, he has the same one as Cian Uijtdebroeks so we know the story. The calls from foot are important, now, the rules have changed at the UCI level, we are not in the Wild West, a contract must be made with the agreement of the 3 parties Today, it is clear that it is. out of the question of breaking a contract The renewal was carried out in a very calm manner, at a time when he wanted it and on his conditions. We are all delighted with his progress but we did not imagine it at this level. , him first Today his value is different than what we were able to negotiate in January but in the opposite case like this year with Florian Vermeersch who we lost in the first race, the team assumed its commitments. .”
“The LNC/FFC conflict? A big symbol of bullshit, it’s dramatic”
Emmanuel Hubert estimates that in 5 years, 60% of French amateur teams will have disappeared, do you agree?
“Completely. When I stopped my career in 2002, I developed a training center in the Rennes region which was the base of the Sojasun pro team until the end of 2013. For 20 years, the FFC worked to structure amateur cycling which could have real legitimacy Today, this is less and less true, we know the economic situation, the situation of the municipalities and departments Beyond that, the FFC has increased its ceilings. budgetary measures to label teams but never realized the returns on investments On 350,000 euros of budget, there is less than 5% of aid And the investors want a return so when the devo teams arrived, the. DN1 no longer made any sense economically or sportingly.
There is a lack of discernment both from the Federation and also from the professional world which has never been connected to the amateur world. Today, we are creating a hyper-professionalized scheme, the League in particular requires that Conti teams be as professionalized as the teams above. We are creating a gap with young people who will not find structures in the three years after the Junior category and we are abandoning double projects, the riders will stop studying very early. We’re going into the wall. The DN1, DN2, DN3 organize races, which is not the case for the development teams, so we will have neither teams nor races. I am quite outraged when I hear people at the top of the pyramid regret the lack of volunteering. They did everything to destroy it and have never volunteered in their lives.”
Isn’t the FFC/LNC conflict a symbol of the evil that exists in French cycling?
“It’s above all a symbol of stupidity, a big symbol of stupidity, there is not one who is more intelligent than the other. It’s dramatic, do we have the energy to spend on this kind of stupidity? It’s years and years of work for many clubs, many people. Who cares in the end? What the FFC wants to put in place is a rule. ‘UCI, that France has changed. The professional world protects itself from the amateur world by this kind of stupidity. Everywhere else, it works, why don’t we put it in place in France. low-level lobbying. This shows how stupid we are in France. What I would like is for some people to find their memory and where they came from. There’s a lot of amnesia.”
Related News :