Danish cyclist
Jonas Gregaard, 28, is gearing up for a
promising season with
Lotto in 2025.
In a recent interview with Feltet.dk,
Gregaard shared his plans for the start of the season and his ambitions to
compete in a Grand Tour.
Gregaard’s campaign will kick off at the Grand Prix Cycliste
la Marseillaise on 2nd February. Following this, he will line up for the
five-day Etoile de Bessèges - Tour du Gard, a race that will feature
high-profile riders such as Mads Pedersen, Magnus Cort, Filippo Ganna, and
Gregaard's teammate Arnaud De Lie. While his schedule is shaping up, Gregaard
expressed his hope that the season will include a Grand Tour appearance, either
the Tour de France or the Vuelta a España, as ProTeam Lotto has once again opted
out of the Giro d’Italia.
"I hope to ride a Grand Tour. I also felt that I showed
the team that I have the strength and experience they can use when I rode the
Vuelta (in 2024)," says Gregaard.
The off-season has brought significant changes to Lotto,
most notably the departure of
Maxim Van Gils to Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe.
Gregaard reflected on his former teammate’s move with mixed emotions.
"I really liked Maxim, so I'm sorry. But I can
understand him in some ways. Of course, I'm sorry that I won't be his teammate.
He's a great talent. The opportunity he's been given is probably very good for
him," he shared.
However, Gregaard also voiced concerns about the ease with
which larger teams can acquire riders. "I may feel that it is a bit of a
shame that the big teams can so easily take riders wherever they want. But it
is up to the big powers that be to discuss how they can resolve that
situation."
Despite the changes within the team, Gregaard remains
optimistic about the atmosphere at Lotto and the relationships he has built
with his teammates. "The team still seems to have a good atmosphere. We
still have Lennert, who I'll probably do a lot of races with. So
for me, it probably won't change much."
He also acknowledged the natural turnover in elite sports,
with some teammates leaving and others joining the team. "Of course there
are some new faces, but it will probably be many of the same ones gathered
around Lennert. Of course Andreas and some others are out, and that's a shame,
but that's how it is in elite sport."