This year Bart Wellens' best performance in a cyclo-cross race is 8th. His team manager Hans van Kasteren has a remarkably harsh message to his rider. "There is no longer any role for him," he says.

Bart Wellens has been unable to play a significant role for a while. His last victory dates back to 2013 when he beat Sven Nys in a sprint in Maldegem. His best result in a cross race this season is his eighth place in Gavere.

Hans van Kasteren, manager of Wellens' employer Telenet-Fidea, thinks the 36-year-old former world champion would honour himself by putting an end to his career. 

"There is no longer any role for him. If I were him, I would stop and take up a position in the team," van Kasteren says in Het Laatste Nieuws. "There are others riders of his generation who can no longer keep up: Bart Aernouts, Bina, Simunek... Bart must of course make his own decision. His contract runs for another one and a half year.

Bart Wellens doesn't seem to be too impressed by van Kasteren's words: "To be clear: I do not stop. I'll stay here along with those who really believe in me. However, I have had another disappointment," Wellens wrote on Twitter.