"I have resigned myself to the fact that there will no longer be a professional career" - Yentl Vandevelde is still chasing a 2024 contract

Just under a month after Yentl Vandevelde revealed the news in a conversation with WielerFlits that he will not be allowed to stay at the Tour de Tietema-Unibet in 2024, the 22-year-old from Ghent has still not found a team for next year.

"It was nice to see the many positive reactions to that message. A lot of people were with me, but not the people I had hoped for: those who lead a team. I have received many responses from Belgian club teams. But then you are riding local races. That is not my dream, so I kindly thanked you for that," he tells WielerFlits.

"I have contacted almost every team, because I don't have a manager. Each time I was told that it is too late, that they are full. Or maybe they underestimate me because I have ridden so much in support of others. I had already feared that a bit. Luca Van Boven and Aaron Van der Beken have done everything they can to get me into Bingoal WB, but it is the boss who decides, not my friends," Vandevelde doesn't give up just yet.

Things are therefore not looking so good for 2024. "In the beginning I was often sad, but now I have resigned myself to the fact that there will no longer be a professional career. Hopefully I can get the most out of it with a continental team and ride some races abroad. Or yes, maybe become an amateur rider and look for a job, because I won't earn as much as this year anymore. I just enjoy cycling too much to stop."