Multiple cyclocross World Champion Wout van Aert will ride for Aqua Blue Sport as of 2019 following the acquisition of his current team, Sniper Cycling (Verandas Willems-Crelan), by the Irish ProContinental team.
This move will see Van Aert represent Aqua Blue Sport in both road and cyclocross from next season with current Sniper Cycling general manager Nick Nuyens also joining the team management.
This quashes the rumours that Van Aert was on the move to LottoNl-Jumbo or Bahrain-Merida. The Belgian had caught the interest of almost every WorldTour team following a breakthrough Spring Classics campaign including ninth at the Tour of Flanders.
However, he is now confirmed to be staying put.
The Irish team confirmed its purchase today in a press release stating that the addition of the Belgian based team and its assets happened 'in a move designed to broaden the reach of its online cycling marketplace'.
Aqua Blue Sport is an online multi-retailer e-commerce marketplace that funds the teams through its profit and personal investment from team owner Rick Delaney.
The team hope the purchase of the Verandas Willems-Crelan outfit will help the brand's expansion into the cyclocross market.
For team owner Delaney, this is a move that he announced with obvious excitement, especially the securing of Van Aert, one of cycling's hottest properties.
'This is a golden opportunity to expand our project internationally, and increase our audience for the ecommerce project', said Delaney.
'Wout will be a huge addition to the Aqua Blue Sport squad and we are currently in negotiations with a number of other high-profile riders for the 2019 season. We will hopefully announce these signings shortly.
The team owner went on to explain the move. 'I am delighted with this project’s success to date, on and off the road, and the opportunity to acquire Sniper Cycling was a no-brainer for us.
'Having Sniper Cycling personnel involved with us is a huge bonus as it brings years of experience and expertise to Aqua Blue Sport.'
This purchase has come out of the blue. There had been talk of Aqua Blue Sport increasing its budget, with even Richie Porte linked with a move at one time, but not of the acquisition of a fellow team.
These rumours were a direct effect of being left out of all three Grand Tours and at least three of the five Monuments this season, something that Delaney felt particularly aggrieved by.
This shows the Irishman's intent in growing the team but in a slightly different way than expected.
What can be expected is that now, with a rider like Van Aert on the books, Aqua Blue Sport will be afforded invites to more of the top races, especially the Spring Classics.