Cycling: With a very strong year, Lotto Dstny has maintained ninth place in the UCI rankings. However, the Belgian team is now facing a difficult season due to the many painful departures.
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Lotto Dstny 2024: Three drivers among the top 35
Who would have thought that Lotto Dstny would have three riders in the top 2024 of the world rankings in 35? After many difficult years, in which the team even had to fear for participation in WorldTour races, the Belgian team has recovered significantly and is now one of the best teams in the world. This becomes clear when we recognize the versatility of the team. Arnaud de Lie in sprints and flat one-day races. The Belgian won seven races, including Tro-Bro Léon and a stage of the Renewi Tour. Fellow countryman Lennert van Eetvelt has blossomed into one of the best climbers in the peloton. He triumphed on the final stage of the UAE Tour and secured the overall victory. He was also unbeatable in the Tour of Guangxi. And Maxim van Gils Eschborn – Frankfurt won, finished third at Strade Bianche and fourth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. If it gets hilly, he can be reckoned with. But also Jenno Berckmoes, Alec Segaert and Lionel Taminiaux were convincing. They all have two things in common: they are young and they come from Belgium.
Experience goes ...
You don't have to be a clairvoyant to predict that Lotto Dstny will not be able to repeat the performance of the previous two years in 2025. Too many strong drivers are leaving the team. Maxim van Gils who still had a contract but was able to reach an agreement with the team management to terminate the contract early. He will be missed by the team in every respect, especially as a winning driver on hilly terrain. The two old hands Thomas de Gendt (End of career) and Victor Campenaerts (Visma – LaB) are also leaving the team. Although they were no longer good for the really big results, their experience made them an important part of the team structure. The departures of Florian Vermeersch and Andrew Kron may be painful.
… talent comes
In return, Lotto Dstny does not even try to replace the departures with equivalent players. At 24 years of age, Baptiste Veistrovfer the oldest newcomer. The other six newcomers are 23 years old or younger. The Belgian Steffen de Schuyteneer in the sprint and Reuben Thompson in the mountains. The first mentioned comes from the own development team, as well as Robin Orins and Joshua Giddings, who are also said to have a lot of talent. All in all, Lotto Dstny is exchanging a lot of experience for a lot of talent. In the long term, this could pay off. The only question is whether we will see this in 2025. After all, this change also contains an opportunity. Drivers like Lennert van Eetvelt and Arnaud de Lie must now take on their leadership role at a young age.