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Lotto Dstny set to part ways with Ridley, swap to Orbea

Lotto Dstny will part with Ridley after 12 years together, moving to Orbea from 2024 onwards

The UCI pro team that is home to Victor Campenaerts, Caleb Ewan and Thomas De Gendt will make the switch to Orbea for 2024 after being selected ahead of BMC, Wilier, Felt and KTM

Lotto-DSTNY set to part ways with Ridley

There have been rumours for some time now that the 12-year partnership between Belgian ProTeam 

 was heading towards a close, with plenty of brands including 

 that the rumour was true, and that Lotto Dstny will move to Basque manufacturer Orbea for 2024, breaking the Ridley contract that currently runs to the end of 2025.

After riders reportedly tested out possible options for the team to ride next season, it has seemingly been decided that 

 will be coming onboard as the team's bike sponsor going forward.

When making a call on which team to ride for, a team's bike brand partner is becoming a more and more important factor for riders, with aerodynamics, fit and feel all under consideration. 

, was hesitant on re-signing with the team until a decision on bike sponsor had been made.

Orbea have a rich history with professional cycling. Heralding from the Basque Country, they were the natural choice for Basque team 

 from 1994 through to 2013. This partnership was successful, including winning an Olympic gold medal with Samuel Sanchez in the road race at Beijing 2008.

Since 2013, Orbea has had some time on the world stage with both Cofidis (2015-2016) and with 

 (2018-2019), but arguably this partnership with Lotto Dstny is the biggest for the brand since the Euskaltel years.

The issue that the team is facing by making the switch is that the current contract between Lotto and Ridley is set to run from 2022 to 2025. The team is certain that the change will happen ready for the 2024 season, but it doesn’t make things as straightforward as they typically would be.

Lotto Dstny CEO Stéphane Heulot had the following to say to 

: "Our collaboration with Ridley will indeed end at the end of this year. We are switching to a new bicycle brand. Not so much because we are not satisfied with the quality of the Ridley bike. We have had 12 great years with numerous victories. We choose another brand because we want to improve ourselves financially. That is necessary to be able to keep our current core."

The current contract was formed off the back of an existing contract from the coronavirus pandemic that kept the financial contributions of Ridley low, with the economic uncertainty of the time cited as a reason, but in return the team could sell on the bikes themselves. This is likely the main reason for the team to seek new sponsorship, and a manufacturer who can make more significant financial contributions to the team's budget. 

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Name	Age	UCI Career Wins	UCI Points
Joan Bou	27	0	317
Carlos Canal	22	0	205
Xabier Berasategi	24	0	167
Txomin Juaristi	28	1	140
Luis Angel Mate	40	5	110

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Lotto Dstny set to part ways with Ridley, swap to Orbea

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