“We’re now entering an era without Remco”; Quick-Step CEO Foré was unpleasantly surprised by Evenepoel’s departure

Evenepoel turned professional with Deceuninck-Quick-Step in 2019 and quickly became the team’s standout leader. Foré had hoped the double Olympic champion would continue as the squad’s figurehead, but that did not come to pass. “Remco made the choice to leave, and we respected that under certain conditions,” he told Het Laatste Nieuws. “There isn’t much more to say about it.”

With Evenepoel gone, the Belgian outfit’s focus will now be squarely on riders like Paul Magnier and Tim Merlier, as well as the group of attackers who previously would have ridden in support of Evenepoel’s ambitions. “We’re now entering an era without Remco,” Foré said. “The riders currently in our team want to be here. They believe they can contribute something, and we believe we can help make them better.”

Soudal-QuickStep has brought in eight new riders, but those signings weren’t made with a new race plan in mind. “Most of the transfers we made were in the assumption that Remco would stay with us,” Foré explained. “Once it became clear he would be leaving, we added Filippo Zana and Alberto Dainese.”

Alongside climber Zana and sprinter Dainese, the team has signed Jasper Stuyven (from Lidl-Trek), Dylan van Baarle (Visma | Lease a Bike), Steff Cras (TotalEnergies), Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty), Fabio Van den Bossche (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Jonathan Vervenne (Soudal Quick-Step Devo). That significant influx of talent pleased Foré.

“It means our squad still has appeal in the market,” he said. “I spoke with about fifty riders who were interested. With Jasper Stuyven, that was the day after Gent-Wevelgem, at my home. A three-hour conversation. Really fascinating.”

There’s no hiding the fact that Soudal-QuickStep’s status in the WorldTour has shifted. Between 2016 and 2021, the team consistently topped the UCI world rankings. Now, other squads have overtaken them, and this year XDS Astana, Lidl-Trek, Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates-XRG all amassed more points.

“It’s mainly due to the financial development of the sport,” Foré candidly assessed. “With UAE, Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe, Lidl-Trek and Decathlon-CMA CGM, there are currently four teams that outspend the others. Behind them is a peloton of about six teams, where I see us.”