"If Ewan had won ten races last year, he would not have left now" - Lotto Dstny head sports director doesn't think the team lost by Ewan's departure

Head sports director Kurt Van de Wouwer was given the thankless task of managing Lotto Dstny in 2023 in the first year after relegation from the WorldTour, but miraculously the Belgian team rode its best season in years. The breakthrough of golden boy Arnaud De Lie had something to do with it, and the team now wants to build on that. Van de Wouwer said in recent interview.

The team did not undergo any major changes last winter, besides the much discussed loss of Caleb Ewan, who couldn't have been immediately replaced. "It was clear to us that there were still many riders under contract," sporting manager Kurt Van de Wouwer defends his transfer policy. "The fact that few things were possible to change actually made it a fairly quiet winter."

Read also

Wout van Aert: "Skipping the Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo was a difficult decision. But it was a necessary choice"

On paper you would say that the team is weakened. "But if Ewan had won ten races last year, he would not have left now, because he still had a contract. We ended up in the situation where the relationship deteriorated because he did not deliver what we expected. If Ewan is really good, then he is a top sprinter, we all know that. That is no longer the case, but in terms of breadth the other boys are a year more mature. I wouldn't say we're weakened."

With Ewan's multi-million contract, a serious chunk disappeared from Lotto Dstny's wage bill. How did the team invest that? "To a large extent in 'performance'. A trainer has been added, a dietician. High altitude training courses are fully paid for and expanded by the team, which also costs money. But I think it was a must for us to take that step. I think we were lagging behind in this regard two years ago, but we have made serious progress since last year. You still have three or four top teams with larger budgets, but we are just below that."

Read also

Primoz Roglic's 2024 calendar - Clash with Vingegaard at Basque Country, no Tour de Suisse and Ardennes, all-in for Tour de France

Stefan Küng argues UCI rules are to blame for European Championships crash: "Every rider will always do what can make him fastest"