After directeur sportif Allan Davis’ departure from the team following inappropriate social media messages, Lotto-Dstny have hired two new directors in Dirk Demol and Tony Gallopin.
Veteran Belgian director Demol, who has worked for Discovery, QuickStep, Astana, Trek and Katusha, makes the move from Israel-Premier Tech, while Gallopin is set to return to the team he raced for between 2014 and 2017 when he retires at the end of the season.
“With Tony we bring in someone who knows the team and who comes straight out of the pro peloton,” said Lotto-Dstny CEO Stéphane Heulot.
“It is important for our team of sports directors to keep in touch with the riders and with what is going on in the peloton. Tony also gets the chance to learn the job by doing and to grow as a sports director.”
35-year-old Gallopin is set to call time on his career, which began in 2010, this winter. He has spent time at Cofidis, RadioShack, Lotto, and AG2R before racing for Lidl-Trek for the past two seasons. The Frenchman will retire with stage wins at the Tour de France and Vuelta a España on his palmarès.
Demol, 63, brings a wealth of experience to the Belgian team, where he raced all the way back in 1989-1992. He’ll be replaced at Israel-Premier Tech by Belgian racer Sep Vanmarcke, who retired from cycling with immediate effect in July after cardiac scans revealed scar tissue on his heart.
“Dirk has known the game for years and reads the race like no other,” said Heulot. “He can rely on years of experience and brings us a lot of expertise.”
The pair, who join the team on two-year deals, fill the gap left by former sprinter Davis, who saw his contract terminated earlier this month. Lotto-Dstny took the decision following an internal investigation after finding that Davis had been sending unwanted messages to women on Twitter.
“Without going into details, it has been decided to stop the collaboration with Allan,” Heulot said at the time. “Lotto-Dstny has its own values and standards which we apply in our daily work and in the team.
“We have a line that we do not deviate from, and we require our employees to adhere to it. We prioritise the well-being and integrity of our team, and a further collaboration was therefore impossible.”
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