While the 2025 Soudal-QuickStep team presentation in Calpe, Spain, marked the farewell of team manager Patrick Lefevere, this year’s presentation marked the end of the Remco Evenepoel era and the start of a new chapter for the Belgian squad.
Evenepoel’s victories were included in a highlights video reel shown at the start of the team presentation, but team manager Jurgen Foré avoided mentioning Evenepoel’s name as he highlighted the team’s 54 victories in 2025.
Foré refuted any negative effects from the four-time world champion’s departure to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe on the team. Instead, he preferred to describe 2026 as the start of a new chapter for the team. It is a fourth major transition in the team’s long history, which includes the Mapei chapter in the 1990s, the Tom Boonen years, and then the transition to supporting Evenepoel in the Grand Tours for the last five seasons.
“It’s always better to develop talent than buy it,” Foré said, perhaps in a subtle dig at Red Bull for spending a large amount to sign Evenepoel.
The contract extensions of Magnier and Soudal suggest that the team’s future is secure and focused on a new long-term strategy.
Evenepoel reportedly paid €6 million to break his contract a year early and move…
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