Intermarché manager reassures the payment problems were "only a temporary issue" that won't influence the future of the project
Cycling
Intermarché-Circus-Wanty did not pay its riders on time in the months of July, August and September, writes Het Laatste Nieuws. The Belgian formation says that these are temporary problems, as everyone has ultimately received their money in recent months.
According to HLN, there is nevertheless 'nervousness' at Intermarché-Circus-Wanty. Normally wages are paid around the fifth day of the month. In recent summer months this happened one to two weeks later. CEO Jean-François Bourlart has an explanation for this: "A number of sponsors are delayed with their quarterly payments - which can happen - and that means we are also a bit late. But this is just a shortfall in the treasury, this has nothing to do with our budget or any problem for the future."
A 'cash flow problem' and 'a problem of punctuality', Bourlart tries to calm the mood. According to him, it will only become a serious problem if wages can no longer be paid, which is therefore not the case. Nevertheless, the UCI was informed of the situation this summer and the cycling association has already spoken to the team. "There has been contact with the UCI, that is correct. Everything was transparent. The UCI carries out continuous checks, they do an audit every year."
According to Bourlart, the fact that some employees will leave after 2023 is not directly related to the deferred payments. He is also not concerned about the selection for 2024. There are 26 to 27 riders under contract and the fact that Circus will no longer be in the name due to a new gambling law in Belgium will not have any major consequences. "At the moment our budget remains the same as that of 2023, but today I had a meeting with a potential new sponsor. I hope that our budget will increase a little in 2024. I assure you, budget won't be a problem. If you have less money, you hire less expensive riders, so everything remains in balance."
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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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- Blah Blah Blah !frieders308-11-2026
- MS said she was changing gears so that caused her slight deviation. Nothing was intentional.frieders308-11-2026
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santiagobenites07-11-2026 - Seriously why do they keep doing stupid things like this. Its one thing to relegate when the placings are minor, when the action is blatant. But when it is ambiguous, why dont they at least take advice from some higher up to avoid embarrassing themselves. This is similar to the Halland goal when his teammate was clearly offside and interfered in play and VAR gave them the goal. if you dont have evidence you cannot convict. Even for doping they have these rulesabstractengineer07-11-2026
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Good luck to our 8 riders competing in the European Championships this week 🤩🇪🇺 🇮🇹 Francesco Busatto 🇧🇪 Jasper Dejaegher 🇫🇷 Axel Huens 🇪🇪 Madis Mihkels 🇳🇱 Lauren Molengraaf 🇪🇪 Rein Taaramäe 🇳🇱 Mike Teunissen 🇧🇪 Jelle Vermoote
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