Jarno Widar is one of the biggest talents in the world of cycling. We are talking about an 18-year-old Belgian rider who belongs to the Lotto-Dstny Development Team, with which he has a contract until 2027. However, it seems that his relationship with team owner Stéphane Heulot has deteriorated and he no longer wants to be part of this squad.
One of the most powerful teams in the peloton, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, has set its sights on him. And the young pearl has been spotted at Red Bull's APC (Athlete Performance Center) near Salzburg, according to WielerFlits. The German squad's intention is to sign him in 2026 - although it's not excluded that his contract can be bought out already this winter.
John Wakefield, Red Bull - BORA's development director, said recently: "The ultimate goal is to build a Tour de France winner over the next five years through our U19 or U23 team, or to find the next Mathieu van der Poel. Widar seems to fit this rider profile perfectly for the future.
This year he has really come into his own. He started the season by winning the Ronde van Limburg under-23 at the beginning of March. He was second in the final overall classification of the Ronde de l'Isard behind Dutchman Darren van Bekkum. He finished 2nd again in the Flèche Ardennaise, beating Spaniard Pau Marti in the final sprint and second to teammate and compatriot Milan Donie.
He won the Alpes Isère Tour ahead of another Spanish rider, José Félix Parra. He also won the Giro d'Italia Next Gen with two stage victories, accompanied on the podium by two other Spaniards, Pablo Torres and again Pau Martí. And he continued his good work in Italy by winning the Giro Ciclistico della Valle d'Aosta - Mont Blanc, taking 4 and a half minutes from his main pursuer.
The last time we saw him compete was in the famous Tour de l'Avenir, where he was one of the big favorites. He was well positioned after stage 4, second, 31" behind Pablo Torres in the overall. Both were caught out in the fifth day, so he fell to seventh place. But he fell apart completely on the last day on the way to Colle delle Finestre, where he lost more than 28 minutes. He then criticized the team for putting him racing too much which led to fatigue in the French race.
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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.
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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)...
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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- 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
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