by Belgian super talent Jarno Widar is likely to remain on Lotto-Dstny’s development team for the 2025 season despite interest from up to 10 WorldTour teams.
The 18-year-old is one of the most sought-after young riders in the sport, having won the Alpes Isère Tour, the Giro d’Italia Next Gen and the Giro della Valle d’Aosta in 2024, his first year at the U23 level.
Widar, who joined Lotto-Dstny’s program at the start of the year, also finished second in the Ronde de l’Isard and Flèche Ardennais after winning a number of junior level races including the Tour of Flanders, Kuurne-Brussels -Kuurne, La Classique des Alpes and La Philippe Gilbert Juniors.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe was among the teams chasing Widar. The offer from the German team is the most attractive for him Het Laatste Nieuws but the Flemish media are now reporting that Wider will remain in the lottery development team until 2025.
Widar was reportedly unhappy with the team after a disappointing 29th place finish at the Tour de l’Avenir. After the race he talked Het Laatste Nieuws “I was just broken, as you can see.
“I told the team I was racing too much, but they didn’t listen. This week has shown that I need to train more and race less.”
The disagreement was apparently resolved, although Widar was spotted at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center in Salzburg, Austria, in early September.
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This is what Lotto Dstny sports manager Kurt Van de Wouwer said Het Nieuwsblad that the two had “a positive conversation” and pointed out that Widar had said he “wasn’t quoted quite correctly.”
Het Nieuwsblad reported that Widar’s concerns were primarily around future performance [i.e. bikes, training camps and staff] Financing for 2025 after the departure of the second sponsor Dstny.
His contract with the team runs until the end of the 2027 season, and a move to the senior national team is planned for 2026. A report from Het Laatste Nieuws points out that the deal contains an exit clause that will come into effect from January 1, 2026. He can then leave the team via a contract purchase, which would include a severance payment and associated legal costs.
Widar’s camp met with the team’s chief executive Karel Van Eetvelt earlier this week to discuss the situation and reportedly agreed to avoid a public and legal conflict by remaining with the team. Widar was spotted at the Lotto team meeting in Belgium this week.
Widar’s long-term future remains uncertain. He will remain with the team until at least the 2025 season, with the UEC European Road Championships in France, the Tour de l’Avenir and the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda being his main goals for the season.
