Last Tuesday (29), through social networks and official websites, Lotto-Dstny announced that it would end the 12-year partnership with the Ridley Bikes brand before the end of the contract that would be at the end of the 2025 season. The team is expected to sign with Orbea next year.
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According to information released by the news portal Het Laatste Nieuws, one of the reasons for the closure would be the brand’s inability to quickly produce a new bike that would be able to perform better in time trial competitions. Although the company produced a bike for specific matches, many competitors complained that not all sizes were available.
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In addition, there are claims that the financial part had an influence on the decision since the last director of Lotto-Dstny made contractual definitions that are currently unfavorable to the team. Sought after by the advisory, the team reported little information about the accident that occurred with Tijl De Decker.
“Lotto-Dstny confirms that the team will no longer race Ridley Bike in 2024. Given the recent passing of Tijl De Decker and the impact this has had on the team, we do not want to do any interviews about this at this time. However, the team would like to emphasize the good cooperation it has enjoyed with Ridley over all these years”, the team said in the statement.
The current CEO of Lotto-Dstny, Stéphane Heulot, in a publication commented on the breach of contract: “Our collaboration with Ridley will end at the end of this year. We are switching to a new bike brand. Not so much because we are not satisfied with the quality of the Ridley bike. We had 12 great years with countless victories. We chose another brand because we want to improve financially. This is necessary to maintain our current plan”.
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