What should have been a routine pre-season camp in Charleroi this week has instead highlighted the growing uncertainty surrounding the planned merger between Lotto Cycling Team and Intermarché–Wanty. With sponsors still unconfirmed, riders unsure of their contracts, and even the team kit and equipment undecided, the new Belgian “super team” looks anything but ready for 2026.
The gathering at Hotel Aero 44 in Charleroi was meant to mark the first official meeting of the merged squad. Typically, such team days are used for bike fittings, medical tests, sponsor meetings and race programme planning. For the new Lotto–Intermarché project, however, it has quickly become a symbol of confusion. Even the basic question of what clothing and helmets riders will wear next season remains unanswered.
Originally, Lotto planned to host its pre-season camp near its service course in Temse, but the location was switched after Intermarché–Wanty’s pre-booked hotel in Charleroi could not be cancelled. Sixteen Lotto riders and eight from Intermarché–Wanty were called up, including Arnaud De Lie, Lennert Van Eetvelt, Jarno Widar and Milan Menten from the Lotto side, and Biniam Girmay, Georg Zimmermann and Lorenzo Rota from Intermarché–Wanty.
Yet even among those present, few know where they will actually be riding in 2026. Intermarché–Wanty failed to submit a WorldTour licence application by the UCI’s October 15 deadline, meaning its riders are now technically free to sign elsewhere. The UCI confirmed that only Lotto registered for 2026 WorldTour status, making it the official entity behind the merged team. That has left Intermarché–Wanty riders in contractual limbo.
The most high-profile of them is Biniam Girmay, who remains in Eritrea while his management negotiates with both the new Lotto–Intermarché setup and a rebranded Cycling Academy team – the successor to Israel–Premier Tech. Sources in Belgium suggest there is now only a slim chance Girmay will stay, with his management exploring an exit after talks with Jean-François Bourlart, Intermarché–Wanty’s CEO and the man set to lead the merged team.
The chaos extends beyond rider contracts. Intermarché’s sponsorship deal has not yet been formally signed off, raising doubts about whether the supermarket chain will even remain involved in 2026. Without that confirmation, key suppliers are also in limbo. Lotto’s long-time clothing partner Vermarc could be replaced by Verge, Intermarché–Wanty’s current kit supplier, while helmet and eyewear sponsors Ekoi and Uvex are vying for the same slots.
According to Belgian media, staff cuts have already begun. Lotto’s restructuring earlier this autumn led to ten dismissals, many involving long-serving personnel, while Intermarché–Wanty is expected to make further reductions to eliminate overlapping roles. Some employees reportedly only learned of their status this week, a day before the Charleroi camp began.
Financial and administrative issues continue to hang over the team. Intermarché–Wanty reportedly has debts of around €2.5 million, which the new structure is expected to absorb. The UCI has given the team until 1 November to finalise its registration and meet all financial guarantees, a deadline that leaves little time to resolve the remaining uncertainty.
Despite the confusion, the project’s management insists that a strong roster will emerge. De Lie is set to share leadership duties with Girmay if he stays, while Lennert Van Eetvelt and 19-year-old talent Jarno Widar are expected to front the stage race squad. Performance manager Aike Visbeek and directeur sportif Kurt Van De Wouwer are both confirmed in senior technical roles.
But with the new team still without a confirmed name, sponsor package or full 30-rider roster, and riders openly questioning whether they still have jobs, the Charleroi camp has become a microcosm of a merger that so far seems defined by uncertainty.
As Het Laatste Nieuws summed up, “chaos reigns.” With the UCI’s registration deadline less than two weeks away, the new Lotto–Intermarché team is running out of time to turn its ambitious merger into a functioning reality.