Stéphane Heulot fires back at rumours of riders wanting to leave and sponsor woes
Lotto Dstny boss definitely had his Weetabix this morning as he comes out fighting
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It’s been a tough for months for Lotto Dstny, with the loss of riders on the transfer market, their co-sponsor set to depart at the end of the season. And now there are rumours that two of their brightest stars are being courted by the WorldTour but team boss Stéphane Heulot certainly isn’t letting that get to him, with the Frenchman shutting down stories of financial woes at the squad and reaffirming that both Maxim Van Gils and current development team star, Jarno Widar, both have long-term contracts with the second division team.
Dstny’s departure as a co-sponsor has been on the cards for several months but in the last few weeks there have been distracting rumours surrounding Van Gils and Widar.
The latter is just 18 and only joined the squad’s development programme at the start of this year. He is contracted for another 12 months before a two-year pro contract kicks in with the senior team at Lotto. He’s enjoyed a phenomenal season, winning the Giro d'Italia Next Gen, and the Alpes Isère Tour.
According to a report in Het Laatste Nieuws, the rider wants out, despite positive talks with Lotto’s management in the last few weeks. The Belgian publication reports that Lid-Trek and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe have expressed interest in the rider, with reports that Widar visited the Red Bull training facility in August. The German team never comments on such matters but we’ve heard within Lidl-Trek that a move to the American team is currently unlikely.