Development Lotto Dstny continues its mission: young talent Jarno Widar commits until 2027

Lotto Dstny is particularly proud to announce that Widar will continue to defend the team's colors in 2025. The young top talent will remain part of the ambitious and prestigious development team for the upcoming season, after which he will step up to the professional peloton, where he will race for the team until at least 2027. With this improved contract, Lotto Dstny continues to highlight its mission of helping to develop young talent.

 

Jarno Widar: "At Lotto, I get all the opportunities I need to further build my career. Over the next three years, we can continue to develop a great project together, the foundation of which was already laid last season. The Giro Next Gen and Tour de l'Avenir, as well as the European and World Championships, will be key objectives for next season. Next to that, I’ll be able to experience some big races at my own pace. I feel that the team is doing everything possible in terms of performance to make this a success and I look forward to the upcoming season."

 

Stéphane Heulot, CEO of Lotto Dstny: "Jarno Widar proved this past season that he has exceptional potential. Not only did he become the first Belgian ever to win the Giro Next Gen, but he also claimed victory in the tough Alpes Isère Tour and the Giro della Valle d'Aosta. His development within the team is the result of a targeted approach and close guidance from our performance team, where talent, ambition, and science come together. He, along with our other promising riders, is proof that we must continue to promote our core philosophy – supporting young talent."

 

The fact that Lotto, in a celebratory year marking the team's 40th anniversary thanks to its main sponsor the National Lottery, can retain one of the biggest young talents in Belgian cycling is a promising sign for the future. Over the past three years, about 25 riders from the Lotto Dstny Development team have made the jump to the professional peloton. Some leave after a few years, while others stay with the team until their retirement. The development team alone delivered an impressive 35 victories last season. The pros added 25 more, and the ladies secured 6 wins. Yet there is one constant: the team provides young talent with the environment to grow, seize opportunities and flourish.

 

Kurt Van de Wouwer, Sports manager Lotto Dstny: "Lotto is more than just a team. It is not only a community, a family, it is also, and above all, a professional project. The team collaborates with the University of Ghent, develops the best equipment together with bike sponsor Orbea, invests in staff training and closely follows new technologies to implement them into the team. With success. The consistent results and ninth place in the UCI ranking prove that the team can compete at the highest level. Everything is done – with the support of our sponsors – with a clear goal in mind: to compete again at the highest level in 2026, in the World Tour."

 

Yannick Prévost, ISEA Management: "The further development of the performance team, the collaboration with his coach Oliver Delaey and the certainty that he can continue to grow step by step within this Belgian team were the deciding factors for Jarno Widar to sign for at least three more years and also become a professional rider with Lotto. During this period, he will have the time to experience the races he's aiming for and start building toward his first Grand Tour.”

 

 

Picture: PhotoNews