Soudal Quick-Step won't throw GC ambitions in the bin after Evenepoel's departure: 'Want to win on all terrains'

Soudal Quick-Step enjoyed another highly successful season, with a long list of victories and podium finishes in the biggest races on the calendar. But after the departure of Remco Evenepoel, the Belgian formation will have to adjust its tactical approach. What can we expect from the Wolfpack in 2026 now that their superstar has left? CEO Jurgen Foré explains.

Thanks to major sprint victories by Tim Merlier, an outstanding autumn campaign from Paul Magnier, and of course Remco Evenepoel producing some remarkable performances, Soudal Quick-Step had plenty to celebrate. At the same time, it was a season with clear ups and downs. Evenepoel missed a large part of the spring due to his winter injury, and the Tour de France ultimately turned into a disappointment for him.

Still, Foré is keen not to label the year as a failure. “It has been an interesting year, sometimes even overwhelming,” he says on the team’s YouTube channel. “We had to make difficult decisions and bounce back from quite a few setbacks. But we achieved some great sporting successes and experienced many moments of joy.”

Those moments of joy were certainly not in short supply. “We won 54 races, which makes us one of the most successful WorldTour teams of 2025,” the Belgian explains. “And if you include second and third places, we finished on the podium in 37 percent of our races. On top of that, we won with nine different riders, which shows the depth of our squad.”

For Foré, the highlight of the season was the Tour de France stage victory of Valentin Paret-Peintre, who defeated Ben Healy on Mont Ventoux. “Winning at such an iconic place, with a real team performance by having three riders in the breakaway… and then taking the victory with a young French rider; it brought a lot of emotions throughout the entire team.”

By that point, Evenepoel had already abandoned the race. He had not enjoyed an ideal build-up and later it emerged that he had been riding with a fractured rib. He eventually chose to leave Soudal Quick-Step and will ride for Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe in 2026. Foré knows that his team now has to evolve, opting for an approach that is old but proven.

We will continue to focus on winning stages in the Grand Tours. That is very important for our sponsors,” Foré explains. "But by racing aggressively, we also want to create opportunities in the general classifications. With the squad we have and our versatile riders, we want to win on all terrains - whether that’s sprinting, climbing, attacking, or time trialling.”

There will, however, be a stronger emphasis on the Classics. “It’s not nostalgia when we say we are going back to our roots, because winning and performing in the Grand Tours remains very important,” says Foré. “But with such a versatile squad, you also have riders who can win one-day races. Not only the races close to home, such as the cobbled Classics or the Ardennes, but the second part of the season is also very interesting.”

Next season, Soudal Quick-Step will race with eight riders under the age of 24. “Developing young talent from our own development team remains one of our core objectives,” Foré concludes. “Right now, we have a very nice mix: super-young riders taking their first steps in professional cycling, others who are a bit more mature, and also very experienced athletes who can guide the younger ones.”