Transfer Market Intrigue Goes Nuclear with Tormans/Lefevere Cyclocross Team Dramarama
Hermans and company will likely not be part of new Tormans / Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl cyclocross project, and folks, some folks are not happy
We here at the Bulletin are pretty unabashed by bringing references from other sports into our coverage of cyclocross. Sure, some of the references leave even us scratching our heads from time to time, but IDK, they are still a fun way to bring the larger story of sport into our niche nook of the world.
While Bulletin readers have made compelling arguments in the subscriber-only Slack channel as to why maybe it’s a good thing the cyclocross season goes to the end of February, another aspect from American sport—specifically the NBA—that I would love to see make its way into ‘cross is the bonkers free agency period that happens each summer following the regular season. For many teams, this brief period of rumors, trades, and signings is probably more exciting than the season itself.
Cycling typically does things differently, with riders and teams negotiating deals that often do not become public until they are announced. There are no Decisions, no innuendo about who might be forming a new superteam, no rumours about players who want out of superteams, just transfers occurring and riders moving on with their new teams.
This week, however, the cyclocross transfer market gave us a little shot of excitement. It was a rare moment where team news kept pace or even outpaced the racing in terms of the interest it created.
It only seems appropriate to soak it in and appreciate the dramarama going on outside the barriers.
Check out our recent subscriber-only story on Mr. February, Laurens Sweeck and our profile of Tom Pidcock’s Worlds-winning Pinarello Crossista F
Tormans Turmoil
For the past few years, the Tormans CX team has been the off-road offshoot of the Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert WorldTour team. It was because of this partnership, for example, that Quinten Hermans was able to race in the Giro d’Italia this season. The team’s current members include Hermans, Corne van Kessel, Junior World Champion Zoe Backstedt, U23 World Champion Joran Wyseure, and Emiel Verstrynge.
Project financier Jan Tormans decided to break with the I-W-G (I’m tired of typing it out, tbh) team for 2023 and seek out a new partnership for his ‘cross team. He has reportedly found a new partner in Patrick Lefevere and his Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team. The new ‘cross team is reportedly set to include both a Women’s team and a development program—the former of being of note after Lefevere’s comments last fall that he felt like running a women’s team is a form of charity.
All seems well, right? The Tormans Twins and company can move to a new team, and riders with WorldTour talent can still pursue their road dreams.
To borrow a college football reference, not so fast, my friend.
The four male Tormans riders are represented by Dutch agent Hans van Kasteren. Van Kasteren reportedly told Tormans and Lefevere that the three Belgians and one Dutch rider are a package deal—four or none at all.
He then proceeded to shop their talents around and has reportedly found a willing taker in the Alpecin-Fenix team that counts Mathieu van der Poel, Ceylin Alvarado, and U23 World Champion Puck Pieterse among its riders.
The two transfers that appear to be done deals are Wyseure and Verstrynge. Both were U23 riders this year, and the way the contract structure works, they are signed through the end of the cyclocross season. They can transfer to Alpecin-Fenix beginning on March 1 as professionals.
Things for Hermans and Van Kessel might get a little awkward sauce. Both riders are signed through the end of the calendar year and thus have to race with the Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert team this summer and the Tormans CX team this fall. According to Belgian reporting, Van Kasteren has said they have multiple offers available, but most folks think their likely destination is Alpecin-Fenix.
Needless to say, Lefevere and Tormans are not happy campers.
“Mr. Van Kasteren has torpedoed the project without having a UCI license,” Lefevere said. “Until last week, Van Kasteren wanted to sell the 4 Tormans cyclocross riders together. It was that or nothing. I had never spoken to some of those riders and I'm never going to let anyone sign if I haven't seen them before.” (All quotes in this story are translated from Dutch)
Tormans was a wee bit blunter. “Van Kasteren pretends to be a real estate agent, even though he doesn't even have the right license. Actually, this smells a bit like human trafficking. His attitude is below average. He has disrupted my entire team. What he does is starting to resemble football practices.”
Team manager Bart Wellens and his brother Geert have also joined the party. Bart posted an Instagram story of him with Verstrynge and a knife sticking out of his back.
Brother Geert also brought the heat, tweeting out: “What I already knew 20 years ago has finally become a bit more clear. He can destroy families and marriages like the best, now the sport is complete and the circle is complete. Firm career. On to the future: a boomerang always comes back.”
The beef-via-media continued today, with Van Kasteren firing back at Tormans. “The accusation of human trafficking is very far-reaching. Human trafficking, which implies that you also earn money from it. Well, so far I have earned zero euros to Emiel (Verstrynge), with whom I have been working together for two years, and Joran (Wyseure). Jan Tormans pretends it's his project, but I brought him to the cross as a sponsor. Who set up Tormans CX? I am the architect.”
In a follow-up story in Sporza, Verstrynge countered that it was his choice to make the move. “The choice to leave Tormans is a choice of self-interest. I asked myself: 'How can I go into the future in the best possible way?' And the answer was: with another team.”
There are still many questions surrounding this situation. Foremost may be, what is the future of Zoe Backstedt? And how will she approach being in a program run by Lefevere, who has made derogatory comments toward women’s cycling?
And who will make up the rest of the team? The contracts of Toon Aerts and Laurens Sweeck expire at the end of 2022, but according to an interview with Tormans from Nico Dick, Sven has made it clear Aerts is going to be a Lion again.
For some reason, IDK why, it seems unlikely the Sauce Bauce has expressed similar sentimonies about Mr. February.
We will keep tracking this story and any other off-the-course drama that develops in the ‘cross world. You can sign up for an annual subscription and get all of our coverage of the offseason hot stove intrigue as well as the entirety of next cyclocross season.
Legit confused...why is someone mad that a sports agent is shopping/taking his riders to another team at the end of their contracts?