Lotto Dstny is in recent years having an extraordinary development program, but with so much quality turning pro with the Belgian team it simply remains very hard to maintain it all with the current budget. Currently, both Maxim van Gils and Jarno Widar have deals with the team but we also have teams looking to buy out their contract.
This comes as no surprise, as the ProTeam has turned into an absolute factory of Belgian talent. Arnaud De Lie, Lennert van Eetvelt and Maxim van Gils are already proven winners at the top level; Jenno Berckmoes is starting to show his true colours at top level; three-time under-23 European time-trial Champion Alec Segaert recently finished second at the Renewi Tour and the team already have assured 18-year old Jarno Widar to join the elite team in 2026, one of the most prominent climbing talents in the world right now.
It is nothing short of impressive what is happening with the team, that is set to climb back to World Tour level in 2026, but they may not carry all of their talent over. Widar has the deep interest of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe who are actively seeking to buy out his contract; as the German team recently acquired more budget and are focusing on young talents. Het Laatste Niuews reports however that Widar is not the only one in this situation.
We learn that Maxim van Gils - who was on the podium of Strade Bianche and Flèche Wallone; was fourth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and GP de Montréal; and has won Eschborn-Frankfurt this year - has two teams also looking to buy out his contract that currently stands until 2026. One of them, surprisingly, is Movistar, who are in search of new leaders after the departure of Alex Aranburu and Oier Lazkano.
The other is Astana Qazaqstan Team, who are also having renewed budget due to the entry of a new Chinese sponsor into next season. The Kazakh team is virtually doomed to be relegated next season due to their lack of UCI points and are currently making big signings in order to still have a chance of survival, and seemingly have the cash to make this hypothetically big move.
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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.
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