Take2 weeks ago
Juan Sebastián Molano is leaving UAE Team Emirates-XRG for Lotto-Intermarché on a two-year deal, trading the deepest roster in the peloton for sole sprint leadership. Eight years inside that structure never earned him a Tour de France start — a gap the 31-year-old now intends to close, with a debut targeted for 2027.
This isn't a fall from form; it's an exit from a hierarchy that never had room for him at the top. Molano replaces Arnaud De Lie, who moves to Tudor, as Lotto-Intermarché's designated sprinter, a role UAE's multi-layered lineup never fully gave him despite his wins. «Here, I will be a 100% sprinter again, and I'm really looking forward to that» — a line that only makes sense from someone who spent eight seasons not being one.
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