After taking DSM to court, Van Wilder successfully joins Deceuninck-QuickStep

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After taking DSM to court, Van Wilder successfully joins Deceuninck-QuickStep

Ilan Van Wilder, who until recently was seeking legal recourse in an attempt to get out of his deal with DSM, has reached an agreement with the squad releasing him from his contract – and he is now headed to Deceuninck-QuickStep.

The Belgian WorldTour squad said on Thursday that it has signed the 21-year-old Belgian, a promising youngster whose under-23 results include a third-place overall finish at the Tour de l’Avenir, to a two-year deal.

The news comes a little over four months after reports suggested that a rift had emerged between Van Wilder and DSM emerged, with rider and team discussing a possible split. With Van Wilder still under contract as of October, however, Wielerflits reported that he was taking DSM to court in an attempt to get out of his contract.

On Thursday morning, Wielerflits reported that the case had been suspended, and then a few hours later, DSM and Deceuninck-QuickStep announced that Van Wilder would be leaving the former team and headed to the latter.

“It was a no go that a rider could attempt to force his way out of a contract by making public statements or involving a court, and we would have refused to facilitate a transfer in that way,” said Team DSM CEO Iwan Spekenbrink in a statement published by both teams. “We were open to the possibilities of a transfer in a proper way and on the right basis. It is good to see that Ilan and his agent allowed the two teams to work out a transfer in the correct manner. We wish Ilan and Deceuninck–Quick-Step all the best.”

Van Wilder’s departure makes him the latest in a long line of pros to have left the DSM team early. Marcel Kittel, Tom Dumoulin, and Michael Matthews are just a few of the big names who have departed from the squad before the initial end dates of their contracts.

“We are happy to sign with Ilan, a rider who we are confident can progress within our ranks and bring something to the team,” said Deceuninck-QuickStep manager Patrick Lefevere. “We believe Ilan will be of added value to our GC ambitions and are pleased that after some good conversations with Team DSM, we were able to bring him on board.”

By: Dane Cash
Title: After taking DSM to court, Van Wilder successfully joins Deceuninck-QuickStep
Sourced From: cyclingtips.com/2021/11/van-wilder-released-from-dsm-contract-and-headed-to-deceuninck-quickstep/
Published Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2021 20:48:07 +0000

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