Update: It’s official. Beobank-Corendon confirms Tom Meeusen has signed with the team through 2019. The official start date (Jan 1 2018, or March 1, 2017) is unclear at the moment.
😍👏🏼👍🏼 @TomMeeusen en @beobank–@corendon slaan de handen in elkaar tot eind 2019: https://t.co/slwvr1iVl5 #transfer #cyclocross pic.twitter.com/mITQmjjFQH
— Beobank-Corendon (@BeobankCorendon) February 19, 2017
The rumors around Tom Meeusen keep swirling. Just a few days ago we reported that the Telenet Fidea rider was linked to Marlux-Napoleon Games, with Danny de Bie trying to lure the Belgian over to the team of Kevin Pauwels and Klaas Vantornout, who just re-signed.
Now Nieuwsblad reports that it’s likely that Meeusen will join forces with Mathieu van der Poel at Beobank-Corendon starting on January 1, 2018, unless he’s released by Sven Nys from his contract earlier.
Meeusen has denied he’s talking to other teams, saying, “I have not talked to anyone. I wait until after my conversation with Sven Nys at the end of this month.”
Meanwhile, Nys himself has acknowledged that Meeusen is on the hunt for a new contract, although did not quite admit he will let Meeusen leave, according to Sport-Planet. “He is out of contract and looking for a new agreement for the next few years,” said Nys. “It is logical that he talks to others.”
As to the reasons for the potential split between Meeusen and Nys’ Telenet Fidea Lions team, Nieuwsblad cites a difference in style, stating Meeusen is a rider who follows his “gut feeling” whereas Nys is someone who values “structure and discipline.”
Meeusen also has been overshadowed this past season by Toon Aerts, new arrival Lars van der Haar and Corné van Kessel. Van Kessel, who was also with an expiring contract, was recently re-signed, while Meeusen only received an interview appointment later this month.
Starting with his broken bike at the 2017 Worlds, Meeusen has had a rough 2017 so far but has a few suitors.