The future Grand Tour man? Jarno Widar would rather take on Pogacar and the rest somewhere else

Widar has been crowned U23 Rider of the Year in Belgium two years in a row, which shows the potential that is seen in the climber at home. Since he moved in 2024 from his club team Crabbé Toitures–CC Chevigny Junior to Lotto’s development set-up, expectations have been high.

In the junior ranks, Widar was able to beat almost everyone — and he carried that momentum straight into the biggest U23 races once he joined Lotto. In 2024 he won major stage races such as the Alpes Isère Tour, Giro Next Gen and the Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta. In 2025 he added, among other results, Liège–Bastogne–Liège (U23), the Ronde de l’Isard, and the U23 European road title to his palmarès.

At Lotto–Intermarché, they felt Widar had done all he could in the U23 category. Over the past few seasons, the team also had reason to worry about losing their top talent, with plenty of interest from elsewhere. But Widar stayed loyal to the Belgian project — and with the merger with Intermarché, he now gets a stronger structure around him.

In 2026, Widar will start with the Figueira Classic, before building through the Volta ao Algarve, Trofeo Laigueglia, Strade Bianche, GP Miguel Indurain and the Tour of the Basque Country, then shifting his focus to the climbing-heavy classics in April. He will finish his spring with Eschborn–Frankfurt. In the summer, Widar has two altitude camps planned, along with the Tour de Suisse and the Clásica San Sebastián. After the Vuelta a Burgos, the next big step follows: his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España.

During a winter media moment, where IDLProCycling.com was present, Widar spoke modestly about his ambitions across that programme. “We’ll see, but everything is going smoothly at the moment,” he said. “I’m not expecting too much yet — I’ll just do my best and try to get through the season safely. That seems the most important thing, especially as a first-year pro.”

Team manager Kurt Van de Wouwer indicated that Widar already has plenty of ambition, but that comment seemed to catch the rider slightly off guard. “Of course the team has expectations of me, but they won’t say them out loud yet,” Widar responded. “You’re paid as a rider, so expectations are always there. But the goals in my head are pointless, aren’t they?”

It says plenty that, in his first year as a pro, Widar is immediately scheduled for a largely WorldTour programme. “If I had wanted to ride 1.1 races, I would have been better off staying U23,” he said. And when it comes to his long-term profile, Widar was notably direct about the idea that he is “the next Grand Tour GC man”. “Is that the big goal? No,” he insisted. “Everyone expects that — at least, if I read the newspapers — but I like the Walloon classics much more.”

“The Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège are races I love,” Widar continued. “The Mur de Huy is only 40 kilometres from my house, so I hope I can excel there one day. But I have no idea if I’ll ever be able to. I also don’t really understand how the stories about me as a stage-race rider started. The stage races I’ve done so far were at most a week or ten days long.”

“The results in the U23 category aren’t worth anything anymore,” Widar concluded. “I’m starting a completely new chapter of my career. With the pros, I’m back to zero.” That is also why he is not claiming a leader’s role. “With the U23s, the roles were clear — I could direct guys. With the pros it will be different. Because of the merger, the team has improved and the atmosphere is good. Everything is going smoothly and I’ve got a good feeling about the team.”

Even so, Widar already appears to have a bigger voice than he might admit. Together with Lennert Van Eetvelt, he has been pushing hard internally to drive performance improvements. The team’s switch to Orbea bikes is one example. “I’m coming from a Specialized S-Works, but the Orbea is at least as good — maybe even better.”

“Lennert and I are a good team — we really try to help each other,” Widar said. It could become a dangerous duo, because so far Widar is still riding a wave of excitement. “This is a dream coming true — racing in the WorldTour. Whatever comes next is a bonus. Nothing has to happen anymore. A childhood dream coming true — not many people can say that.”

Bram van der Ploeg ( X: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])