More than a year and a half before the end of the current commitment, Lotto and Soudal have already decided to prolong its sponsoring partnership till the end of 2022. The continuation of this collaboration can safely be labeled as innovative. Through the increased financial input by Soudal, both partners become equal. In concrete terms, it means this equal partnership will immediately start at the Tour de France and will be expressed in changing shirts. In the Belgian races, the team will be at the start with a Lotto Soudal shirt, in all the non-Belgian races with a Soudal Lotto shirt, and this will apply to the WorldTour team, the Ladies team and the development team. The greater part of the races takes place abroad, but with a majority of Belgian male and female riders, the for both sponsors important Belgian anchorage will remain assured.

John Lelangue, general manager Lotto Soudal: “I am of course very pleased to be able to announce - two days before the Grand Départ of de Tour de France in Brussels - that both our name sponsors have extended their engagement till the end of 2022. As is natural in a good partnership, we carried out an evaluation at all levels and we discussed our ambitions the past few months, from which a new agreement emerged.”

“Soudal has decided to increase its investment and as such bringing it to the same level as Lotto. As of today, we thus have two equal name sponsors, which will be visible on our shirts. We keep riding with Lotto Soudal on our shirts during the Belgian races, but in the non-Belgian races – as of the start of the Tour – there will be Soudal Lotto on our shirts. This is innovative and inventive. Our official name remains Lotto Soudal. In addition, the team cars, team buses, merchandising and other carriers of visibility will carry the name Soudal Lotto.”

Jannie Haek: managing director Nationale Loterij: “Lotto and Soudal, that is a profitable collaboration, which is why we decided to continue to work together. Our project represents continuity. Lotto is the most popular game in Belgium, a typical broad Belgian brand, close to the people, among which many cycling fans. Lotto is historically ‘the pacemaker of the races’. Soudal is a Belgian company with international interests and worldwide ambition. The extension of the partnership is a win for all three parties: Lotto, Soudal and the team. We want to move up a gear from today.”

Vic Swerts: founder, owner and chairman of Soudal: “We want to create additional opportunities for the future. That is why we increased our input in the team. At the time, we did not enter the cycling project for the short term. The past years, we have come to understand that the partnership is profitable and that our international objectives match with the cycling sport and with the values of the team. That is why we will continue until 2022. But at Soudal, we always aim higher. We want to reflect ambition, always do better and further commit to an advanced professionalism.”