Biniam Girmay's future in limbo as Lotto-Intermarché merger drags on and November 1 deadline looms

Biniam Girmay's future is in limbo and he does not yet know which team he will ride for in 2026, as the expected merger between Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty drags on into the off-season.

Girmay is apparently at home in Eritrea, waiting to see if the merger is completed before next Friday's key November 1 UCI deadline. If the merger falls through, his agent Alex Carera has reportedly negotiated a deal with the Israel-Premier Tech team, which next year will rebrand and move away from its Israeli identity. The team was listed as 'Cycling Academy' in the UCI's list of team submissions for 2026.

Girmay is the biggest name on a long list of riders unsure of their future as teams disappear or lose sponsors and cut back on their budgets for 2026. Girmay's future is in limbo due to contract law and the complex UCI registration process.

On Monday, the UCI confirmed that Lotto but not Intermarché-Wanty had registered for 2026 WorldTour status, meaning that the Lotto team owners will be legally responsible for the new WorldTour team in 2026. The UCI also confirmed that riders from the teams that had failed to initially register for 2026 'may terminate their contracts early'.

That perhaps opened the door for Girmay to terminate his 2026 contract with Intermarché-Wanty and move to the new-look 'Cycling Academy' team. However, as always, the devil of the UCI regulations is always in the details. The UCI specified that the possibility of terminating a contract has to be 'in accordance with the UCI Regulations and subject to other applicable provisions.'

Cyclingnews has been told that the UCI has somehow used its regulations to 'block' Girmay from terminating his contract as the 2026 registration process is completed and the final 30-rider roster is confirmed. Despite Lotto now taking forward the team registration process, the UCI somehow considers Lotto joining forces with Intermarché as a merger.

Cyclingnews contacted the UCI for an explanation, but did not receive a reply in time for publication.

18 riders have contracts with Intermarché-Wanty for 2026, with Girmay's likely lucrative contract, signed after he won three stages and the points jersey at the 2024 Tour de France, running until the end of 2028.

According to Het Laatste Nieuws, who are following the Lotto-Intermarché merger closely, a number riders have found new teams or are retiring, while others have been told they will not be part of the 2026 roster and will probably be paid out of their contracts.

The new Lotto-Intermarché team is expected to try to hold onto Girmay, Louis Barré and Gerben Thijssen as they look to build the strongest team possible for 2026 and beyond. Girmay apparently has no problem sharing team leadership and sprinting chances with Arnaud De Lie, while Lennert Van Eetvelt and 19-year-old super talent Jarno Widar are the team leaders for stage races.

Other riders have agreed deals to leave Intermarché-Wanty to help reduce the new combined Lotto-Intermarché roster to the UCI limit of 30 riders. However, Girmay is considered a key team leader for the new Lotto-Intermarché if the contract issues are resolved.

According to Het Laatste Nieuws, the Intermarché supermarket chain in Belgium somehow covers the cost of Girmay's salary. However, Intermarché has yet to be confirmed as a sponsor of the new team to the UCI for 2026 registration, complicating the whole process.

Several weeks ago, it emerged that the Intermarché-Wanty team has debts of €2.5 million, which the new Lotto-Intermarché team is expected to take on board.

A puzzle of many pieces

Girmay's future at the team in 2026 is just one piece of the complex team merger puzzle that management has been trying to resolve. There are many others.

According to Het Laatste Nieuws, the team will be based in Lotto's current service course in Temse, near Antwerp and ride Orbea bikes.

Jean-François Bourlart, the current CEO at Intermarché-Wanty, will be the CEO of the new team, and Aike Visbeek will be the performance manager, while Lotto's Kurt Van De Wouwer will be the senior directeur sportif. However, doubts remain about the team's clothing sponsor and many other technical sponsors.

According to reports in Belgium, 16 riders from the Lotto team and eight from Intermarché-Wanty, plus key staff, travelled to Charleroi in Belgium for a three-day off-season get-together that began on Wednesday. Team staff on both teams have been cut, leaving some to look for new jobs and leaving everyone unhappy.

The off-season get-togethers usually include medical testing, bike fitting, clothing testing, race calendar planning and team bonding.

Ineos Grenadiers gathered on Sunday, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, including new leader Remco Evenepoel, are staying near the Germany-Austria border, Lidl-Trek is heading to the Lidl HQ in Germany, and Soudal Quick-Step will soon gather in Belgium.

At Lotto-Intermarché, the biggest talking point is the merger for 2026 and the many problems still to be resolved. Bourlart has returned from a final race in Japan, and Carera was apparently in Belgium on Tuesday to try to clarify Girmay's position.

Team manager and UCI officials usually gather in Paris for the Tour de France route presentation, and Thursday's event is likely to help clarify and confirm some details of the Lotto-Intermarché project.

Het Laatste Nieuws described the current situation as 'chaos reigns,' ending their latest investigation with a reminder that "the team must meet numerous financial and administrative requirements according to the UCI registration," and that "the next UCI deadline is November 1."