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Meet Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert, the new WorldTour team

Twelve-year-old Belgian outfit replaces CCC

Photo by: Sirotti

There are several WorldTour squads with new names this year: Sunweb is now DSM, Mitchelton-Scott has become Team BikeExchange and NTT now identifies at Qhubeka-Assos. But only one team is entirely new to the highest level of professional road cycling. Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert acquired CCC’s license when the latter team folded, and jumps up from the ProTeam ranks this year to become the third Belgian outfit in the WorldTour. Who is Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert?

Like Astana-Premier Tech, AG2R-Citroen and EF Education-Nippo, Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert has a title sponsor change for 2021. Last year, the team was Circus-Wanty-Gobert. Accordingly, it has new duds for the season.

IWG has been a regular wildcard selection for WorldTour events for years, with Enrico Gasparotto memorably winning the 2016 Amstel Gold Race. From 2017 to 2019, the team raced the Tour de France. In 2020, it was invited to 12 WorldTour races.

The team enjoyed four victories in 2020, with Xandro Meurisse–now at Alpecin-Fenix–claiming the biggest triumph at the 2.1-rated Vuelta a Murcia.

As far as 2020 WorldTour races, Andrea Pasquelon came third in a stage of Paris-nice, Danny Van Poppel was fourth in a couple of stages of the BinckBank Tour and Aimé De Gendt placed fourth in the Bretagne Classic. All three are back for 2021.

Joining Pasquelon, Van Poppel (there are actually two–Danny and brother Boy) and De Gendt are eight new faces, including three ex-CCC fellows. Rare Estonian rider Rein Taaramäe, once 11th in the Tour de France, is one of four ProTeam riders to join Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert.

For many, Louis Meintjes will be the most recognizable rider on the squad. Meintjes transfers over after a frustrating second spell with NTT. From 2015 to 2017, the South African was with three different WorldTour teams and scored a Grand Tour top-10 in each season. However, since 2018 he hasn’t finished higher than 36th in four Grand Tours.

After a frustrating second spell with NTT, Meintjes hopes to get back on track with new squad.

Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert riders won’t have to wait too much longer to get racing their Cube bikes, as the team is slated to race the 1.1-rated Grand Prix Cycliste la Marseillaise on January 31 and the 2.1 Etoile de Bessèges-Tour du Gard from February 3 to 7.