ZLM Tour stage winner Yentl Vandevelde has to look for new team as TDT-Unibet considers him "not ready for the next level"

Yentl Vandevelde has to leave Tour de Tietema-Unibet. The Belgian rider achieved the biggest victory of the future ProTeam in the ZLM Tour, but in an interview for WielerFlits he reveals that he has been told that he will not be able to handle the level next year and thus won't be renewed.

In June, Vandevelde secured TDT-Unibet's first victory in 2023. It was also a big victory, because the continental team immediately won at the Pro level. To this day, it is also by far their biggest win of the season. They owe that success to Vandevelde, who expected to stay with the team. "We were told that the idea was to keep the group together and that we could all stay."

"A few weeks ago I had a meeting with the team management and I also received positive signals. I was told that my performance was on the rise and that things looked good for next year," Vandevelde continues. "Two weeks ago that picture changed completely. I have been told that I cannot stay with the team. I was given the excuse that I wouldn't be able to handle the level next year."

"If I really couldn't handle the level, I could accept the situation. But I have proven that I can handle the level and I will not get another chance. It feels like they have little respect for me. I am convinced that if I had been allowed to take my own chances in races other than the ZLM Tour, I could have proven that that victory was not a lucky shot," Vandevelde concluded.