Jarno Widar, the 20-year-old Belgian widely regarded as his country's next great road talent, has signed a contract extension with Lotto-Intermarché that will keep him at the WorldTour squad until at least the end of 2028.
The deal ties down one of the most decorated young riders in the professional peloton. Widar dominated the under-23 ranks over the past two seasons, winning the Giro d'Italia Next Gen, the European Championships and the prestigious Giro della Valle d'Aosta twice. Promoted to the WorldTour with Lotto-Intermarché this season, he has now committed his long-term future to the team that developed him from the junior ranks.
“This is the best place for me to continue growing, not only as a rider but also as a person,” Widar said. “I feel really good at Lotto-Intermarché.”
The extension arrives as the Belgian team moves to secure its most valuable assets. Arnaud De Lie and Lennert Van Eetvelt have both been linked with moves away at the end of the season, and Lotto-Intermarché were determined to pin down their finest young talent before the transfer window opened. Widar is one of several elite prospects on the roster alongside sprinters Steffen de Schuyteneer and Felix Ørn Kristoff and Italian climber Simone Gualdi.
Sports manager Kurt Van de Wouwer made clear the team's faith in the young Belgian. “Over the past seasons, Jarno Widar has shown and proven that he possesses exceptional potential. We have become a home where he can continue to grow at his own pace, but above all a place where we can provide him – and tomorrow’s talents – with the very best environment.”
Widar has already shown he can compete at WorldTour level since stepping up, taking fourth on the final stage of the Tour de Suisse in June and sixth at the GP Gippingen the week before. His season was disrupted early by a crash at the Faun-Ardèche Classic in February, which cost him a lengthy spell on the sidelines, but he has rebuilt steadily through the summer.
He is scheduled to race the Vuelta a Burgos next week before making his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España later this month.
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