Belgian super-talent Jarno Widar looks set to stay with Lotto-Dstny's development team for the 2025 season despite interest from as many as 10 WorldTour teams.
The 18-year-old is one of the most sought-after young riders in the sport after winning the Alpes Isère Tour, the Giro d'Italia Next Gen and the Giro della Valle d'Aosta in 2024, his first year at Under 23 level.
Widar, who joined Lotto-Dstny's programme at the start of the year, also finished second at the Ronde de l'Isard and Flèche Ardennais having won a slew of races at junior level including the Tour of Flanders, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, La Classique des Alpes and La Philippe Gilbert juniors.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe had been among the teams pursuing Widar. The German team's offer is the most appealing for him, according to Het Laatste Nieuws but the Flemish media is now reporting that Wider will stay with the Lotto development team for 2025.
Widar was reportedly disgruntled at the team after a disappointing 29th-place finish at the Tour de l'Avenir. After the race, he told Het Laatste Nieuws "I was just broken, as you can see.
"I told the team I was riding too many races, but they didn't listen. This week has shown that I need to train more and race less."
The disagreement was seemingly smoothed over despite Widar being spotted at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre in Salzburg, Austria in early September.
Lotto-Dstny sporting manager Kurt Van de Wouwer told Het Nieuwsblad that the pair had had "a positive conversation" while noting that Widar had said he "wasn't quoted completely correctly."
Het Nieuwsblad reported that Widar's concerns lay mainly in the future performance [i.e. bikes, training camps and staff] funding for 2025 following the departure of second sponsor Dstny.
His contract with the team runs through the end of the 2027 season with a planned move to the senior team set for 2026. However, a report from Het Laatste Nieuws indicates that the deal includes an exit clause which comes into place from January 1, 2026. He will then be able to leave the team via a contract buy-out which would include a severance payment and associated legal costs.
Widar's camp met with Karel Van Eetvelt, chairman of the team's board of directors to discuss the situation earlier this week and reportedly agreed to avoid a public and legal conflict by staying with the team. Widar was seen at the Lotto team's get-together in Belgium this week.
Widar's long-term future remains uncertain. He will remain with the team through the 2025 season, at least, with the UEC Road European Championships in France, the Tour de l'Avenir and the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda his top goals for the season.
