Het Laatste Nieuws first reported that van Gils sent a formal termination letter to Lotto Dstny on Tuesday. Other Belgian media also reported on the incident, but Lotto Dstny seems determined to get Van Gils to respect his contract until 2026. Het Laatste Nieuws called the Van Gils movement "the Bom of de koers", that is, "the bomb on the road."
However, in a statement late Tuesday from Lotto Dstny, the team said talks were "ongoing."
"At the moment, the Lotto Dstny team is discussing with Maxim Van Gils and his management team to make a decision about their future. Ongoing consultations on potential departures are part of this process," the joint statement with A&J All Sports agency read.
"But all parties want this to proceed in the most appropriate, legal and gentle way possible. For the time being, I do not want to provide any further comments so that the discussion can continue to calm down. When there is official news, it is told.
The 24-year-old Van Giles was impressed by a series of top 5 results in the 2024 One-Day Classic, taking 3rd place in Stradevianche and La Fleshe Wallonne and 4th place in Liege-Bastogne-Liege. He also won at Ruta del Sol, Eshbourne Frankfurt and Grosser Place de Canton Aargau. Fangils was named the 2024 cyclingnews Breakthrough Rider of the year 1. The Belgian extended his contract with Lotto Dstny until spring 2026, and his salary rose to match his results at the time. However, his value has risen further, especially as the team prepares for the third final season of the fight for World Tour points and the 2026 World Tour stay He recently attended a gathering of the Lotto Dstny team, but is currently not in agreement with the team.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Astana, Movistar, Ineos Grenadiers and even UAE team Emirates were named as possible suitors. Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe has not been able to tempt Lemco even recently away from Sudar Quickstep, and now he can target his compatriots.
Van Gils worked with Italian agent Alex Carera to help Cian Uijtdebroeks rent bicycles from Bora-Hansgrohe to Visma-Lease last winter. Now it seems that Virgil is trying to force the transfer, even if he risks a legal battle and is not able to race for months.
Ryder can unilaterally terminate the contract under European Employment law, but a Belgian court can force Van Gils to pay between 1 and 1.2 million euros, and Het Laatste Nieuws estimates that he will earn in Lotto Dsnty until 2026.
Lotto Dsnty was able to sign with Van Gils to free him from the contract in exchange for a fee, but the Belgian team is keen to maintain the best young talent to fight for UCI ranking points and WorldTour's future from 2026. The UCI must also approve team changes.
Team manager Stéphane Heulot has reportedly been under pressure as 2025 saw the loss of his 2nd sponsor Dsnty and spending cut significantly in the last few months of 2024, but he has always reacted angrily when riders tried to leave the team.
Carera told Nieuwsblad that he would have further conversations with Lotto Dsnty next week, probably to reach a new deal for Van Gils or secure a contract termination. When contacted by Cyclingnews, Carera did not reply.
Team management was reported by Het Laatste Nieuws that they were "shocked" and did not want to strike a deal to allow Van Gils to terminate his contract.
The team has retired Victor Campenáz to Visma Rees, Florian Vermeer to UAE team Emirates, and Thomas de Ghent and Jacopo Guarnieri. They signed Kiwi Reuben Thompson from Groupama-FDJ and a host of riders from their development team. The 19-year-old ultra-talented Jarno Wider agreed to stay on the Lotto development team in 2025 and was able to step up to the professional team in 2026.
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