long post<\/a> on social media.<\/p>\n\u201cAt the CPA, we\u2019re not really happy with this situation. Everyone knows there are 44 contracts between the two teams, but only 30 spots available. Riders not knowing whether they\u2019ll have a job next season, especially this late in October, is exactly what we don\u2019t want.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had a call with the UCI and both teams together, and I\u2019ve requested a clear list of the 30 riders who will remain, as well as the 14 who won\u2019t. On that note, I do want to thank the UCI for this.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe teams deserved to know their situation, and they should have known months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018What upset me was so many riders were uncertain\u2019
\n![\"Arnaud](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2235943668.jpg\"\/)
Arnaud De Lie is one of those who will be part of the merged team (Photo: Luc Claessen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
There is pressure every year for a number of the riders in the peloton to find new contracts for the following season. With many riders trying to step up to higher divisions and also talented young riders coming through, demand is always greater than supply in the sport.<\/p>\n
But things are particularly difficult this year given the recent news that Lotto and Intermarch\u00e9 will become one squad, and that Ark\u00e9a-B&B Hotels will stop.<\/p>\n
That has created a lot of stress within the marketplace yet despite the pressure any riders seeking a deal will encounter, it seems that either Lotto, Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty, or both haven\u2019t taken the time to tell those who won\u2019t be extended that they are on the way out.<\/p>\n
In fact, according to Hansen, in some cases riders were reassured they were safe when this wasn\u2019t actually the case.<\/p>\n
It has now fallen on him to break the bad news to the riders, which appears bizarre.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked the team\u2019s rider representative to post a message in the team\u2019s WhatsApp group, asking riders to contact me individually if they wanted to know where they stood,\u201d he said. \u201cI will not share the list publicly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat truly upset me is how many riders were uncertain about their future. Even more disappointing was having to tell some of them that they don\u2019t have a contract for next year, especially when they had been told otherwise.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn some cases, even their agents believed they were secure because that\u2019s what the teams had communicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018We need to work closely with the UCI\u2019
\n![\"Biniam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2225791012.jpg\"\/)
Biniam Girmay has been linked to a possible move to another team but may also be set to stay (Photo: Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
It seems incredible that such miscommunication could take place. Being left stranded and finding out too late to secure another slot could have serious effects on some riders and their families although, as Hansen notes, the national laws should at least insulate those concerned from short-term financial loss.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder Belgian law, the team must pay out the riders\u2019 full contracts, and that is clear,\u201d he said. \u201cBut that\u2019s not what the riders signed up for. They signed to be WorldTour riders and now some of them won\u2019t be.\u201d<\/p>\n
But even if those riders receive a pay cheque for 2026, they could miss out on a year of competition and be left in a very difficult situation. And even if they do manage to find a team, they may not have the same level of racing they would otherwise have benefited from.<\/p>\n
Hansen notes it is the first team merger that he has had to deal with during his time as CPA president and he said he has learned a lot from the experience. But while he thanks Lotto and Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty for working hard to complete the merger agreement, he is clear that some things were not done correctly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe CPA should not be the one delivering this kind of news, and not in October. It was heartbreaking for me personally,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis experience makes it clear that we need to work closely with the UCI to create a stronger protocol, one that truly protects riders in these situations.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment, teams simply inform the UCI that their riders are \u2018okay.\u2019 But in reality, there are more than five riders without a contract for next season, and some only found out when I told them directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hansen wants things to improve for the future. He underlines the need to brainstorm at the next CPA Steering Committee meeting to improve protections for riders in such situations.<\/p>\n
Once such idea may be to put the onus on teams to ensure those concerned will not be left short.<\/p>\n
\u201cThinking out loud, perhaps a merger should only be approved if the team can prove that every riders either has a confirmed place within the new team or has been offered a position elsewhere,\u201d he suggested.<\/p>\n
\u201cSimply informing an agent is not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hansen\u2019s full statement can be found here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Published October 19, 2025 04:20PM It seems farcical, given the valid deals they have with the Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":225956,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,54263,82,108111,108112,73720,61643,54267],"class_list":{"0":"post-225955","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-parent_category-road","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-tag-adam-hansen","14":"tag-tag-cpa","15":"tag-tag-intermarche-circus-wanty","16":"tag-tag-lotto","17":"tag-type-article"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}