Lotto Soudal are set to relegate into Pro Team level in 2022, something which team CEO John Lelangue has dismissed throughout the season, but Lotto CEO Jannie Haek has talked about the advantages of the situation in which the team find themselves.
"It's not that you tumble into the second division like in football," Haek told Sporza. “Yes, we prefer to stay in the WorldTour, but is it a disaster to be at the top of the ProTeams? No. That is actually the most luxurious position. You will receive an invitation to all competitions and you can decide whether or not to participate. In a way that is also an advantage.”
From the teams that will ride at Pro Team level in 2023, the two with the most UCI points scored in 2022 will have automatic access to all World Tour events. A very flattering situation, and due to their efforts in the (unsuccessful) maintenance fight, Lotto Soudal - mostly with Arnaud De Lie's points - have secured themselves those wildcards. This means the Belgian team, alongside TotalEnergies, gets to choose which World Tour races they participate in the coming season, with no mandatory presence in any.
Israel - Premier Tech is expected to have automatic wildcards to the monuments, however the Israeli team's management sees relegation in a different side of the spectrum, with owner Sylvan Adams claiming to sue the UCI if the - inevitable - relegation goes through.
On Lotto Soudal's camp there is also chaos from within the management, with team CEO John Lelangue abandoning the role at the end of the year and entering a public feud with former team manager Marc Sergeant, but there is more sense of ease. “We will have to re-analyze who our spearheads are and where we can use them. A team at our level can no longer compete everywhere. We are going to have to make clear choices," Haek continued.
Tim Wellens, a long-standing team leader is leaving. However, most of it's main weapons stay, with some names specifically mentioned: “We can expect a lot from an Andreas Kron, we are also incredibly good with the Belgian talents and we still see a lot of ambition with the older guard – such as Thomas De Gendt or Victor Campenaerts. We're actually not that bad."
“We want to continue to find talents to help keep the race great in Belgium. The cycling enthusiast appreciates that, so we also want to maintain our image of a sympathetic team. It will be important to continue to invest in that ecosystem," he concluded.
With the presence of Arnaud De Lie, Caleb Ewan and a strong classics team, Lotto Soudal is certain to keep having a heavy influence over the non-mountainous races in the coming season.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Pidcock finished 9th place, 29 minutes down. he is a helluva rider, so gutsy. and he is amazing at all disciplines. but this headline is . . .mij09-11-2026
- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026
Loading
🇧🇪 #BincheChimayBinche Two world champions, ten years apart.
Write a comment