CPA boss shares shocking details about Lotto–Intermarché merger in open letter: "It was heartbreaking for me personally"

Hansen shares his findings on the big and small things in the sport “because the CPA wants cycling to be seen as a top-level global sport, a sport that attracts sponsors who want to invest in the future”. “The World Championships were the best one-day event I have ever experienced as a fan, and they showed exactly the direction our sport should be taking.”

Less good news came from Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty, according to Hansen, who wants to merge in 2026 under the name Lotto-Intermarché. This means that another team will disappear from the WorldTour, after Arkéa-B&B Hotels, among others, already announced that it will cease operations after 2025. The future of TotalEnergies as the new sponsor of INEOS Grenadiers is unclear.

Hansen calls the disappearance of various teams “a new major problem.” “At the CPA, we are really not happy about this. Everyone knows that there are 44 contracts between the two merging teams, but only 30 places are available. Riders who still don't know in October whether they will have a job next season — that's exactly what we don't want.”

“I had a meeting with the UCI and both teams together, and I asked for a clear list of the 30 riders who can stay, as well as the 14 who cannot,” said Hansen, who intends to help the riders without a team with their future. “The riders were entitled to clarity about their situation, and they should have known this months ago.”

“What really struck me was how many riders were uncertain about their future. It was even more painful to have to tell some of them that they don't have a contract for next year.” The fact that the CPA had to break such news is a painful reality. “The CPA shouldn't have to break this kind of news, and certainly not in October. It was heartbreaking for me personally.”

That needs to improve in the future, but Hansen also writes: "At the same time, I want to thank both teams for their cooperation in finding a solution so that there will be a team next year. The situation for teams is becoming increasingly difficult — four teams were on the verge of collapse this season — so it's positive that two teams were able to merge and allow one team to continue."