Soudal-QuickStep CEO Jurgen Foré has revealed that the workforce averted any want for a drawn-out authorized course of with Remco Evenepoel by receiving “a good quantity” for him to interrupt his contract a yr early and join Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.
Evenepoel was resulting from stay with Soudal-QuickStep till the tip of 2026, however after a four-year saga, he made it clear in latest months that his intention was to go away the Belgian squad and search new employment.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe shall be his new workforce from subsequent season on, however for that transfer to happen, a mutual settlement between the three events needed to be reached. With each squads asserting Evenepoel’s departure and arrival on August 5, all of the hypothesis ended, they usually can now transfer ahead.
“His contract state of affairs was mentioned throughout the World Championships final yr and likewise on the finish of the yr,” mentioned Foré to Het Nieuwsblad. “After that, it went quiet for some time, and we centered on Remco’s rehabilitation and his return to racing.
“Our intention was to take a seat down collectively after the Tour and see what the longer term held. However in the long run, it did not occur.
“Firstly of June, we acquired phrase from Remco that he noticed his future with one other workforce beginning in 2027. After which the query arose whether or not he may play for an additional workforce in 2026. Might that occur both amicably or by means of tough means?
“We consulted with our sponsors and workforce possession. As a result of it wasn’t the primary time, issues began to get powerful for the workforce, and we felt there was no manner ahead. On the finish of final week, we determined it was higher to do it this fashion.”
The newest race content material, interviews, options, opinions and knowledgeable shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
An settlement being reached means Soudal-QuickStep would have acquired severance pay for the deal, the precise variety of which is unknown, although it’s reportedly €2 million, and was sufficient for Foré and Soudal-QuickStep’s administration to proceed with none authorized complications.
“We’re not going to debate sums, however it’s a good quantity. Though sponsors like Soudal would favor to see a contract honoured, we determined we did not wish to go to court docket,” mentioned the CEO to Sporza.
“It has been a recreation of musical chairs for months and years. Maybe it is a good factor that there is readability.
“Neither we nor our sponsors needed to combat it out in court docket. We wish to transfer ahead with our workforce. If somebody not needs to be a part of it, then sooner or later you must settle for that and look forward.”
Foré took over from long-standing QuickStep boss Patrick Lefevere as CEO at the beginning of this season, having already joined as COO in 2024. However there was little remark from Evenepoel’s former employer when the information broke on Tuesday; as an alternative, only a submit on X.
“Since I stepped down as CEO of Soudal Fast-Step, I’m not concerned in transfers or any workforce issues. Settlement-wise, I’m additionally not allowed to speak about transfers – not even about Remco,” mentioned Lefevere.
“Please don’t name me. That is the one communication I’ll make.”
Evenepoel’s father, Patrick Evenepoel, who has lengthy represented his son, thanked the previous long-standing CEO in a brief reply: “Thkx for all Boss! We all know, what we all know…”
Foré is now trying to transfer on from the switch saga, which has introduced countless questions from the media and hypothesis over the way forward for their star rider. The workforce’s strikes within the switch market recommend they’re transferring again in direction of their Classics-focussed roots – signing Jasper Stuyven, for instance – however Foré did not rule out future GC ambitions.
“I wish to flip the web page now and have faith within the workforce. We have been round for 23 years and have written many chapters. This is only one of them,” he mentioned.
“For subsequent yr, we have primarily strengthened the core of the workforce with versatile riders. This yr, the outcomes have been already significantly better, however it nonetheless harm that we could not actually make our mark within the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
“However that does not diminish our ambition to win levels in Grand Excursions, and we have now additionally constructed up the information to intention for GC positions. In 2026, there weren’t many climbers available on the market, however in 2027, there shall be. We’ll see what steps we are able to soak up that course.”
