Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal will lose its title sponsor mid-season, Cibel returns to rescue the top team
Cyclocross
Cyclocross team Pauwels Sauzen - Bingoal will have to continue without main sponsor Bingoal. The gambling company will close on 1 January 2025 as a result of changing legislation in Belgium that prohibits gambling sponsorship in sports. The team of team manager Jurgen Mettepenningen has found a temporary sponsor in fruit and vegetable company Cibel. The team will thus be called Pauwels Sauzen - Cibel Clementines after New Year.
Cibel is not a new sponsor in the cycling echelons. The company previously run a Belgian continental team with several future pros coming through their ranks between 2014 and 2019. After closing down on the UCI level, the formation continued to operate on a smaller scale at the local scene, running a solid amateur team.
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According to Mettepenningen, the collaboration with Cibel is a temporary solution. Jurgen De Witte (CEO of Cibel Clémentines) confirmed this at the press conference on Wednesday and said that it would be for a period of six months. In the course of 2025, another company which is currently active in football will join as the new main sponsor, it was further announced. It is not yet known which partner this will be.
However, Bingoal is not abandoning the team entirely. The betting company will continue to co-sponsor the cyclocross formation in a way compliant with the new rules. Clothing sponsor Vermarc, L.Brador (Swedish company in workwear) and Quick (fast food chain) will also join the Pauwels Sauzen cross team from 1 January 2025.
There has also been a change in the staff: Thomas Joseph succeeds Robby Cobbaert as sports director. The 27-year-old former cyclist of Tarteletto-Isorex joins Mario De Clercq in the team management, and will mainly focus on the road season with the team around leaders Eli Iserbyt and Michael Vanthourenhout. Cobbaert left earlier this year to join the technical staff of Visma | Lease a Bike.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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