"Maybe it's good for both parties"; Evenepoel comments for first time as he leaves Soudal Quick-Step

Evenepoel will therefore be racing for the first time since July. “Everything is fine with me,” he told Sporza. “Everything has gone pretty well recently. After the Tour, I took a break to reset, and then I started training hard for the World Championships and European Championships. I'm happy with how I feel today.”

“I didn't really suffer mentally. Of course, it was painful to leave the Tour, especially since it had been my main goal for the year. But in the end, I was able to put that behind me quickly. I got really sick afterwards. After that, everything went pretty smoothly as I wanted it to, and I'm here now to work on the final details.”

The goal for the Tour of Britain is clear. "I want to train as much and as hard as possible in the race, and I'm here to get the best results possible and try to win. Ultimately, we have a very strong team with someone who can compete in the sprint. Ilan (Van Wilder, ed.) and I are preparing for the World Championships, and we're also going to test ourselves as well as possible. I'm going to try to go all out here and push my limits to get better."

Before the start of the six-day British race, the two-time Olympic champion discussed his transfer to Ralph Denk's team. But for the coming months, he will still be a rider for Soudal Quick-Step. “I'm not going to make it worse than it is. We discussed everything thoroughly with the three parties. We came to a good agreement. I'm going to try to finish the season well. We're not going to part ways on bad terms or with arguments.”

“I've had some wonderful years here. I've built up some great memories. Those are moments I will certainly cherish. It's normal that opinions are divided; I was prepared for that. It's just the way life and the world of sport are. Maybe a change and something new is good for both parties.”

What the coming years will look like is still a bit of a guess, but Evenepoel has, of course, gained some clarity here and there. ‘It's clear that Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe is really moving towards the Grand Tours, and here the focus is shifting back to the classics. We've talked openly about this, and everyone has their own vision of the future and their own opinions. I'm just going to try to win as many races as possible.’

Evenepoel would love to take a bunch of trusted people with him to the German team. “In the modern racing world, a lot of team leaders have their fixed group around them. And then you want to go on the road with people you can trust, and ultimately, in my case, it’s the same thing. There’s going to be a change, but I’m taking a few guys with me who know me through and through. That’s going to make it all a bit easier.”