PROFESSIONALS | 28/12/2025 | 08:15
by Francesca Monzone
Among the riders who risked ending their careers in 2025 after the merger between Intermachè and Lotto, there is also Arne Marit, who only a few weeks ago found a job alongside his friend Remco Evenepoel. The Belgian could have been one of the victims of the union between the two teams and at 26 years old he risked being left without a job. Only at the end of the season did he discover that he would not be part of the plans for the new team and the fear of being left without a job didn’t let him sleep for several weeks. «I discovered it two days before the end of the season – explained Arne Marit in Spain during the training camp with Red Bull – Bora Hansgrohe – It was a shock I didn’t expect. They told me there were already many runners with my profile. Yet I felt I had a consistent season and deserved the place.”
2025 was a year of positive results, spent largely in the service of top sprinters, such as Biniam Girmay and Gerben Thijssen. The Belgian has only 3 victories to his credit, and then a series of very respectable podiums such as fourth place this year in the Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne and third place in the Famenne Ardenne Classic. «I would like to exchange several of my podiums for a winalthough these results are still important for points.”
There was a lot of concern about his future and he only felt relieved when Zakkari Dempster, sporting director of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, contacted him: a place had just become available following the expulsion of Spaniard Oier Lazkanor, whose biological passport showed anomalies. Arne Marit didn’t hesitate for a second and an old friend welcomed him to the team, Remco Evenepoel, who sent him a message that said: Welcome to the team, man!”
Remco and Marit know each other well and have raced together in the youth categories. «Remco and I ran together. I remember his first days among the youth. We lived in the same region. We always cycled together on the Dender Plain. Then when he started going to Spain frequently we went out less, but we have always been good friends. I remember that the day before his second race, the Flemish Brabant time trial championship which I won, he sent me a message asking me if he had to watch out for anything. I gave him some advice. But he didn’t have a time trial bike. And I remember being really surprised by his result».
At that time Remco Evenepoel, who was not yet the best timekeeper in the world, ranked tenth out of twenty-eight young people competing in the Stok-Kortenaken time trial and that result certainly did not suggest the results that would come in the future. «When I saw that he had come within just forty seconds of me, over a distance of about thirty kilometres, I immediately understood that he had a real talent for cyclingbut confirmation only came later. Even among the youngsters, when he later became one of the best, we were surprised, even if it was clear that he was someone with uncommon qualities. He impressed me right away. But I think he impressed everyone pretty quickly.”
Arne Marit is happy to find Remco again at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, even if they probably won’t compete in the same races. Marit was recruited for the Flemish classics team and the sprinters group, while Remco has a completely different programme. «I will mainly work for Jordi Meeus or Danny Van Poppel and I sincerely hope I can do something good for them, in particular for Danny, a rider I really like and would like to achieve his results.”
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