'The future of cycling is in danger' – Lotto manager wary of rising budgets and sport moving towards a football-style model of transfers

Lotto manager Stephane Heulot has spoken about the difficulties his team faces as budgets increase around the sport, with riders leaving for larger contracts elsewhere and the ongoing battle to attract sponsors.

The team will this season be without a co-title sponsor after Dstny left at the end of 2024. Several major riders have also left during the winter as Maxim Van Gils, Florian Vermeersch, and Victor Campenaerts have all moved on to bigger budget teams Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, and Visma-Lease A Bike.

Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad, Heulot said that Lotto have "performed above our budget for two years already" but noted that his team's budget isn't increasing at the same pace as some of the larger teams in the WorldTour.

"Cycling is changing at a fast pace. A handful of teams are making the market explode," Heulot said. "UAE offered Florian Vermeersch double what we could offer him. So we cannot compete with those teams, which is not our ambition either.

"But if we want to play a role in the WorldTour in 2026, something has to be added. Anyone who has the budget to buy a Citroën cannot expect to be able to drive a Ferrari."

Heulot spelled out the budgetary differences within pro cycling, noting that the average budget in the WorldTour – the top division to which Lotto is currently on track to win promotion in 2026 – has increased drastically in recent seasons.

"The average budget in the World Tour is currently €32 million. In 2021, you could still get there with €20 million. Last year, it was €28 million. So in one year, another €4 million have been added," he said.

"A comfortable budget for the World Tour is therefore closer to €30 million than €20 million. We are not even at half of that €32 million. We have to find a solution. In fact, we have become a bit of a victim of our own success."

Heulot also talked about the departure of Van Gils, who has left the team for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe after negotiating a departure despite his contract at Lotto running until 2026.

He and the team agreed a new and improved contract in the spring of 2024 following a purple patch of form, but Van Gils pursued a move once the season drew to a close, seeking a larger contract which Lotto could't match. Heulot said that he fears cycling will continue in this direction – towards a "football model" of transfers.

"A generous contract where we did not feel like we were doing a bargain. We could not have foreseen that he would go through such an evolution," he said. "I understand him, a career is short and a lot can happen. But a contract is there to be respected. Only the legislator thinks differently about this.

"I fear that the football model is increasingly being transferred to cycling. I regret Maxim's departure; I fear that in the future more riders will follow the same path, and not only with us. We are not married to our riders. I defend the interests of the team, they defend their interests.

"The future of cycling is in danger. I have spoken to many people about this and everyone is worried. If only a handful of teams determine who wins the races, that will not benefit the interest in cycling."

Despite the loss of several big-name riders, Lotto heads into 2025 with the likes of sprinter Arnaud De Lie and climber Lennert Van Eetvelt still on board as the team takes aim at WorldTour promotion. Both are in line to take on the Tour de France this summer with Van Eetvelt set to take on the Tour of Flanders and Ardennes Classics while De Lie targets the cobbles and Milan-San Remo.

De Lie will start his campaign in late January at the GP Castellón and Clàssica Valenciana. Van Eetvelt gets his season underway at the UAE Tour in mid-February.