The news of Stéphane Heulot's departure from the Lotto team management has shaken the cycling world in recent days. He arrived at the team in winter 2022, just after the Belgian squad confirmed its relegation from the WorldTour.
In his first stint as director, Heulot managed to return the team to the elite of world cycling, with two outstanding seasons that gave Lotto a place back among the best in the peloton. However, in this third season, difficulties began to accumulate and the atmosphere within the team changed.
Although the team was never in danger of losing the category, the shortage of points was a constant during this last campaign. This deficit was mainly due to the physical and fitness problems of key riders, who failed to perform at the expected level.
Despite the complications, the squad was never really threatened by relegation, but financial difficulties were a constant factor that prevented Heulot from having the necessary resources to compete on an equal footing with other more powerful teams in terms of budget.
The reason, the alternative and Heulot's explanation
Lack of money has been one of Lotto's main burdens in recent years, and one of the factors that has conditioned its strategic decisions. In this context, the team lost some of its most valuable cyclists, which led the management to look for alternatives to strengthen the structure.
In particular, a merger with the Intermarché - Wanty team was being worked on, an option that Heulot did not welcome. According to some sources, the deal with the Belgian team was worked out behind Heulot's back, which seems to have been one of the main reasons for his departure.
Lotto could join forces with Intermarché - Wanty
In an interview with Le Télégramme, Heulot explained that as of September 30, he will begin a new stage in his life, with new projects in his homeland of Brittany. "I feel relieved," he commented in statements to Ouest-France.
"We no longer share the same vision to continue developing the project, so it is better to separate. It has been an intense three years, we have achieved excellent results and shared unforgettable moments, both in human and sporting terms," said the former French cyclist.
The news of his departure was made official in a statement issued by the team yesterday afternoon, while it is expected that in the coming weeks the guidelines to be followed by Lotto regarding its future will be clarified, especially after this unexpected departure of its director.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- he is doing 460 watts for 35 min to achieve 7 w/kg with VO2 at 96 , just unreal numbers.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just do it, and put up with the consequencesJumpyjohn08-11-2026
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