ProTeam Belgian U23 champion Jarne Van de Paar will turn pro at Lotto Dstny

The 21-year-old signed a three-year contract and will still ride for the Development Team in 2023.
General 09 September 2022

With Jarne Van de Paar (21) yet another talented rider steps up from the Lotto Soudal Development Team to the own WorldTour Team. The current Belgian U23 champion has signed a three-year contract and will remain in the Development Team in 2023. In 2024 and 2025 he will be a part of the WorldTour Team.

Recently Jarne Van de Paar seized the Belgian tricolor jersey in Sint-Lievens-Houtem. It was the highlight of his four years as an U23 rider, a period he has spent entirely in the Lotto Soudal Development Team and during which he also got the support of the Lotto Cycling Talent Project, supported by Lotto. “I am very happy to be able to stay with this team even longer”, says Jarne Van de Paar. “I am at home here, and I know everyone very well. If you spend four years at the Development Team, you get to know a lot of riders you will later meet again at the pros: Florian Vermeersch, Arnaud De Lie, Maxim Van Gils, Harry Sweeny, Brent Van Moer, Sébastien Grignard and of course Lennert Van Eetvelt and Liam Slock. I am looking forward to working with them again.”

Kurt Van de Wouwer, team manager of the Lotto Soudal Development Team, describes Jarne Van de Paar as a sprinter who should be able to do well in the Flemish semi-Classics in the future. “Not all past four years have been easy for him. There were the covid years, of course, and he has had his personal setbacks as well. This year he was out with a knee injury for a long time. But every year he secured a couple of wins. He has shown that he has potential as a sprinter. The Belgian championship was a great victory for him and the team, but we had already told him before that we were confident about him taking the next step to the pros.


Jarne Van de Paar takes the Belgian tricolour jersey in Sint-Lievens-Houtem

In 2023 the Development Team of Lotto Dstny will step up to UCI continental level. This means riders of the Development Team are able to ride with the WorldTour Team in ProSeries or .1 races. “We have made the decision to keep Jarne Van de Paar in the Development Team for an extra year, so the transition is more gradual”, explains CEO John Lelangue. “We will have him ride in the WorldTour Team on a regular basis in 2023 already, but it is important for him to compete for victory at a lower level as well. Next to that, he can be a mentor within the Development Team for the younger U23 riders. Both for Jarne Van de Paar as for the other U23’s the transition to the pros will be more gradual this way.”

From 2024 on, Jarne Van de Paar will be a part of the WorldTour Team fulltime. “I am very thankful for the possibility to plan such a specific trajectory for my future”, says he. “It shows the confidence the team has in me. I am going to do everything I can to repay the trust. Both my team and I know that there is margin for improvement. Together we will do everything to fulfill this potential.”

Images: Pollefliet pictures & Brecht Steenhouwer.

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