CPA President Adam Hansen has intervened to try and alleviate prolonged uncertainty amongst some riders in Lotto and Intermarche-Wanty over their future amidst the fallout from an upcoming merger between the two Belgian teams.
The rumblings of a fusion between the squads have been building steam since mid-year, even as rumours morphed into reality with a joint registration application lodged before the October 15 deadline.
However, Hansen said there are still a considerable number of riders who don't have a clear picture of whether or not they would have a place for next season.
"At the CPA, we're really not happy with this situation," Hansen, the head of the association representing professional cyclists, said in an update shared on social media.
"Everyone knows there are 44 contracts between the two teams, but only 30 spots available. Riders not knowing whether they'll have a job next season, especially this late in October, is exactly what we don't want."
"I've had a call with the UCl and both teams together, and I've requested a clear list of the 30 riders who will remain, as well as the 14 who won't," he said, adding his thanks to the UCI for facilitating the process.
"The riders deserved to know their situation, and they should have known months ago."
The transfer window officially opens on August 1, though much of the work to locate a position for the season ahead is done earlier and most of the deals are well and truly locked in by this point of the year.
"What truly upset me was how many riders were uncertain about their future," said Hansen. "Even more disappointing was having to tell some of them that they didn't have a contract for next year, especially when they had been told otherwise. In some cases, even their agents believed they were secure because that's what the teams had communicated."
A number from across the teams have retired, including Louis Meintjes, and others have moved but there are still plenty more that were counting on fulfilling their contracts and have now found that will not be the case.
"The CPA should not be the one delivering this kind of news, and not in October," said Hansen. "It was heartbreaking for me personally. This experience made it clear that we need to work closely with the UCI to create a stronger protocol, one that truly protects riders in these situations.
"At the moment, teams simply inform the UCI that their riders are "okay." But in reality, there are more than five riders without a contract for next season, and some only found out when ! told them directly."
At least under Belgian law the riders who find themselves without a team even though they had a contract in place, should be paid out.
"But that's not what the riders signed up for," said Hansen. "They signed to be WorldTour riders and now, some of them won't be."
The situation has left Hansen, who became CPA President in 2023 and is working through his first team merger since taking on the position, looking for ways that the CPA can work with the UCI to create stronger protections for riders caught up in this position.
"Thinking out loud," said Hansen. "Perhaps a merger should only be approved if the team can prove that every rider either has a confirmed place within the new team or has been offered a position elsewhere. Simply informing an agent is not enough."
However, there is no sense that merging is an option that should be discouraged. Given the sponsorship challenges evident in the current environment, and indeed for both teams, it is clear that sometimes merging is the better option. Elsewhere riders are facing the consequences of their team disappearing altogether, among them Arkéa-B&B Hotels which has been part of the professional peloton for 21 years.
"I want to thank both teams for working together to find a solution that ensures there will be a team next year. The situation for teams is becoming increasingly difficult — four teams almost folded this season — so it's positive that two were able to unite and allow one to continue," said Hansen of Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty.
"However, the communication with the riders and the timing of how this was handled were not appropriate. We can't change the past, but we can focus on moving forward in the best possible way for the riders."
