The merger of the Lotto and Intermaché-Wanty organisations has led to sweeping changes for the latter's cyclo-cross team, with Bart Wellens being replaced as the squad's manager by Bart Verschueren. Now, Wellens will focus full time on his role as sports director the newly promoted WorldTour team on the road as of January 1, 2026.
"They left me no choice," Wellens told Het Nieuwsblad. "Initially, it was said the cyclo-cross team would continue until the end of the cyclo-cross season, but then the discussions accelerated, and it was decided to merge the cyclo-cross teams as well, effective January 1st. Which I understand. But then I also had to read that there was no longer a place for me."
Lotto's Deschacht-Hens 'cross team and Intermarché-Wanty's Charles Liégeois Roastery CX team will become Charles Liégeois – Deschacht on Thursday.
Article continues below“For the past four months, I've been working with this cyclo-cross team seven days a week," Wellens said. "I did everything I could to give my riders the best of the best. I brought Julie Brouwers to the level she's currently riding, and I know she can do even better. I hope the new team management will spend as many hours on their moped or give as much training in the cyclocross field as I did.
"I'm not completely abandoning Julie and Keije [Solen] either, right in the middle of the season. I promised them that if they need me during the week, for example, to ride behind their moped, I'll be there for them.”
"In 'cross, I have to limit myself to a few tips - which tubes, how much pressure in the tires — and we're only a handful of people. On the road, there's so much more to it: logistics, planning, and taking thirty to forty people into account.
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