Lotto-Intermarché merger could provide 'the best of both worlds', says De Lie
Arnaud De Lie has surged back to winning ways in the past month, including at the WorldTour one-day Bretagne Classic, and this week's GP Wallonie and Super 8 Classic on home soil. But behind the scenes, he and his teammates are waiting to hear any news on the potential merger between Lotto, currently a ProTeam, and WorldTeam Intermarché-Wanty, for which talks have been ongoing since early summer.
"It's hard to say anything about it, but if we get the best of both worlds from the two teams coming together, then that's something super good,” De Lie told WielerFlits. “But we'll see. I'm a cyclist, I only ride my bike.”
Reports during the Tour indicated that "an agreement in principle" had been reached for the teams to merge, with Lotto the 'paying agent', which, put very simply, means that while Lotto's rider contracts will hold, all those at Intermarché-Wanty may have a late-season scramble for a new team on their hands.
Whatever happens, Lotto is destined for the WorldTour in 2026. And should the merger happen, space will also be made for the 19th-ranked team at the end of 2025, a position that's being fought over tooth and nail by Cofidis and Uno-X Mobility.
