Remco Evenepoel‘s skilled profession has at all times been on a quick monitor and so it’s no shock that he was finally tempted by the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe‘s riches and alternatives so he can experience for a team with proven Tour de France credentials, ambitions and a finances to fund all of it.
Evenepoel has but to show he can actually problem Tadej Pogačar (UAE Group Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) however he needs to present himself the very best likelihood within the subsequent few years and place himself for the post-Pogačar Tour, which may start as quickly as 2029.
Evenepoel has at all times been tempted by Ralph Denk’s presents and at all times appeared to need extra. Now he has his likelihood, even when he had to purchase his means out of his closing yr with Soudal-QuickStep.
Lefevere will get there first
Evenepoel give up a teenage profession in skilled soccer for skilled biking and was a double junior World Champion in Innsbruck in 2018. It was solely pure that he instantly turned skilled and Patrick Lefevere acquired his signature earlier than some other WorldTour workforce, together with Ineos Grenadiers.
“I’ll watch over your son as if he had been my very own,” Lefevere advised Evenepoel’s dad and mom.
Evenepoel made his professional debut on the Vuelta a San Juan Internacional in Argentina in 2019 and gained the Belgium Tour on residence roads a number of months later. A brand new star was born in Belgian biking.
But in 2021 Lefevere struggled to seek out adequate sponsorship for his workforce, sparking Denk’s first try and signal Evenepoel.
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Lefevere performed out his defence within the media, as he so typically favored to do, revealing Denk provided Evenepoel a five-year deal and that he even tried to purchase the Belgian workforce. Lefevere responded by flying to see Evenepoel and supply his personal five-year deal. Evenepoel was nonetheless solely 21 on the time and recovering from Il Lombardia accidents. He opted to signal the deal.
“A real wolf by no means leaves the pack,” Evenepoel wrote on Twitter, now X. “Hopefully, we will notice our massive desires collectively right here.”
Lefevere secured funding from Soudal, QuickStep and Specialised and commenced to remodel his workforce from a Classics squad to Grand Tour contenders to gasoline Evenepoel’s Grand Tour hopes. The skilled workforce supervisor had stored the most important expertise and star of the game he had ever managed however it might trigger him years of complications and finally result in him retiring in 2025.
2022 started nicely, Evenepoel gained the Vuelta a España and everybody within the workforce was comfortable, as the game emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Evenepoel started to give attention to his profession aim of successful all three Grand Excursions and rapidly realised he wanted a workforce to again his desires. That is the place the primary stress arose.
Evenepoel opted to be represented by his father Patrick relatively than a longtime rider agent. Patrick is a former professional rider however has little authorized and enterprise expertise. He quickly started to specific his son’s frustrations through the Flemish media, creating the primary cracks of their Evenepoel-Soudal-QuickStep relationship.
The Evenepoel’s needed extra Grand Tour riders within the workforce however Soudal and QuickStep may and wouldn’t present extra funding as WorldTour prices and sponsorship exploded.
In September 2023 a merger with Jumbo-Visma instantly appeared doable, with the Dutch workforce eager to cannibalise their Belgian rivals to signal Evenepoel. Ineos Grenadiers additionally confirmed their curiosity, tempting Evenepoel much more.
The merger deal finally fell aside, with Evenepoel staying on Specialised bikes and promising loyalty to Soudal-QuickStep on the steps of the workforce bus after Il Lombardia. Denk needed to discover a compromise answer and signed Primož Rogličc from Jumbo-Visma. He didn’t shrink back from tempting the Slovenian away with a giant contract supply and vital get out charge.
“The workforce continues, so I’ll keep,” Evenepoel mentioned, placing an finish to the switch and merger hypothesis.
“There have been a number of tough moments, however subsequent yr we’ll go for it,” he mentioned, with the Tour de France the main aim.
“We’re going to attempt to construct and carry out within the races when we’ve got to. I’ve no motive to be dissatisfied right here. We’re going to get essentially the most out of it.”
Tour de France ambitions
As Evenepoel started 2024, formidable to indicate himself on the Tour, with Mikel Landa as a brand new teammate and Grand Tour wingman, Denk’s ambitions and want to signal Evenepoel additionally modified.
He was mysteriously absent from the workforce’s Mallorca camp and media day in January as a result of he was in California sealing a deal to promote a majority stake of his workforce to Pink Bull.
The Power drink was revealed earlier than the Tour de France and Denk instantly wanted to raise his workforce’s ambitions even larger. Evenepoel’s third place, time trial stage win and charisma as a star of the game was sufficient to persuade him to chase the Belgian another time.
With Pink Bull on board, cash was now not a problem and Evenepoel’s contract was nearer its conclusion. Underneath Belgian legislation, he would solely should pay a yr’s wage to terminate the deal a yr early. The ultimate deal is reported to have price Denk a €2 million charge plus an annual wage of €5 million.
Soudal-QuickStep tried to cease any deal even in 2024, but it surely was solely a matter of time.
Evenepoel confirmed he would keep at Soudal-QuickStep for 2024 whereas on the Highway World Championships in Zurich however he was not comfortable. His relationship with Lefevere and the workforce had already damaged down and even the arrival of Jorgen Foré as the brand new workforce supervisor may do little to restrict the harm.
Foré tried to regular the ship however combating off Denk and Pink Bull was an virtually unattainable job. The German workforce supervisor labored quietly and confidently, positive he may lastly persuade Evenepoel away from Soudal-QuickStep. Any talks with Evenepoel and his father had been held secretly, with little rising even within the well-informed and headline hungry Flemish media.
A deal finished quietly
Evenepoel spent the primary 4 months of 2025 recovering from his coaching crash and shoulder damage. It additionally gave him time to resolve and plot his future away from Soudal-QuickStep.
Foré fought publicly to the very finish, even denying discuss of a deal through the Tour de France, however he correctly started to make use of the funds from the Evenepoel switch to rebuild Soudal-QuickStep as a Classics workforce.
Jasper Stuyven is the primary of seven anticipated signings. Additionally they have sprinter Tim Merlier, Mikel Landa and Mont Ventoux stage winner Valentin Paret-Peintre. Nobody can ever fill Evenepoel’s sneakers however maybe there’s life even with out Evenepoel.
“After taking a while to seek the advice of with our sponsors and companions, the workforce’s possession and administration have determined that it’s in the perfect curiosity of everybody to agree that Remco can transfer on the finish of the present 2025 season.,” Soudal-Quickstep mentioned of their assertion on Tuesday, solemnly asserting Evenepoel’s departure.
“We strongly imagine within the workforce spirit that earned us the title of the Wolfpack and we’ll proceed to attempt to be a collective that’s stronger than anyone particular person. We want to place on file our because of our sponsors and companions which have supported us all through this course of and can proceed to take action sooner or later.”
Denk was much more upbeat in Pink Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s announcement.
“Remco stands for ambition. He doesn’t simply need to experience – he needs to form biking,” Denk mentioned.
“He brings not solely distinctive athletic expertise, but additionally a exceptional mindset. His willpower, professionalism, and relentless drive to succeed are really inspiring.”
Extremely Lefevere fell silent, hiding behind an Instagram put up saying he was not allowed to remark.
He maybe has loads to say however nothing can cease Evenepoel’s transfer to Pink Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.
Evenepoel introduced his switch by merely reposting Pink Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s announcement. The road on the mock-up of Pink Bull’s the Pink Bulletin journal was easy however direct: “Discuss is over. A brand new period begins”.
4 years of switch discuss and temptation had been over. Evenepoel will experience for Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in 2026 and past.
Cyclingnews will cowl all the 2026 biking transfers from across the males’s and girls’s pelotons with information, evaluation, and an up to date switch index, to be sure you do not miss a factor this transfer season.
