After a few years of quality riding in the Belgian circuit, Tom Paquot managed to find his way into the World Tour in 2023 with Intermarché – Wanty. He was promised a contract back in May with the team but it never came, turned down conversations with other teams and now is fighting to find a contract to remain a pro at age 26.
“In May, I reached an agreement with the team management to continue. But unfortunately, the contract was never sent to me. By July 15th, I realized it wasn’t going to happen,” Paquot said in words to La Dernière Heure. “I’m not naive: at that time, more than forty riders had contracts running until 2026.” The lack of communication with riders has been apparent from multiple sources and Paquot, over on the Intermarché side of the spectrum, reveals that the management didn’t mention this to the riders at all and went about with their business.
“I first heard about the merger plans in the press, just like everyone else,” he reveals. “I wasn’t really worried at first. I thought it would come to nothing, just like with Quick-Step and Visma | Lease a Bike two years ago. But the merger quickly became a reality. I have to thank the journalists: without them, we wouldn’t have known anything.”
He regrets the choice he made against a management that didn’t seem to be open with the riders and staff – as was the case with Lotto‘s, largely: “I had no illusions back then. I haven’t spoken to management since. There was no communication at all, which fueled the uncertainty. The question is: would I have done better? Maybe. A merger always takes time, and I believe you should complete something like that before 2027. That way, people still have time to prepare. Now everyone is backed up against the wall.”Turned down other teams over faith in Intermarché
Paquot, a seven-time monument starter and classics specialist, had the opportunity to have made the jump elsewhere a few months ago but did not. And he is not gentle with his words regarding the team that left him up to dry: “But I didn’t go for it. I had faith in the Intermarché-Wanty project. That might be my mistake, but I can’t go back now. As a domestique, it’s extra difficult to find a team. If you look at my results, you might click away, but I have a much broader role.”
Nevertheless with the peloton still in October and with over a month until the start of the first team training camps, there is time for the Rocourt-native to find a new home in the peloton. “With my WorldTour experience, it would be great if I get the chance to show the real Tom Paquot somewhere. I’ve worked a lot for others in recent years, but now I really want to show my true self and race aggressively.”
However, he regrets not having been chosen to be part of the Intermarché-Lotto project, as he has several riders within Lotto that he would’ve liked to team up with. “If an opportunity arises to continue with the merged team, I would say yes. Being part of the Arnaud De Lie project would be fantastic. It’s still too early to turn the page, but if it turns out I have to stop racing, I will do so without regret.”