Lefevere aiming to save remains of QuickStep team in event of Jumbo-Visma merger

Soudal-QuickStep boss Patrick Lefevere is reportedly trying to ‘save’ Soudal-QuickStep by keeping the team running under its current WorldTour licence following any partial takeover or merger with Jumbo-Visma.

The plans to merge the two teams together, with the new squad set to run under sponsorship by Soudal and Visma, emerged 10 days ago and clarity on the outcome of such a move has been in short supply since.

Latest reports indicate just six riders – including Remco Evenepoel – plus title sponsor Soudal, and possibly bike supplier Specialized, could join the Dutch squad. Primož Roglič will leave and is expected to join Bora-Hansgrohe, while Jonas Vingegaard and Wout Van Aert would remain as team leaders. However Evenepoel has been linked to Ineos Grenadiers and has so far stayed tight-lipped about his own future.

Around 50 riders are under contract for 2024 with the two teams, as well as many more staff members, sparking questions and concerns about their future. This is where Lefevere could become their savour. 

A report by Het Laatste Nieuws on Wednesday indicated that Lefevere is seeking to save the riders and staff left behind by keeping a team running under the QuickStep WorldTour licence. However he need to secure the sponsorship and complete the plan before the UCI’s mid-October deadline for team registrations.

Het Laatste Nieuws reports that the project – a “remnant team” in their words, which aims to keep running for “a few more years” – is a “work in progress”, though numerous questions hang over the idea.

Excluding Evenepoel, a total of 23 riders – including double world champion Julian Alaphilippe, Classics stars Yves Lampaert and Kasper Asgreen, climbers Mikel Landa and Ilan Van Wilder, and sprinter Tim Merlier are all under contract with the team for 2024, as are numerous loyal staff members. 

Sponsors including QuickStep, Renson, Latexco, and Safety Jogger could be left out of any takeover/merger with Jumbo-Visma and so perhaps fund the team. However the team would have to prove to the UCI that it has the funding and the sporting talent to  desire a place in the WorldTour, via the UCI’s sporting and financial criteria. 

Riders and staff currently at the team have yet to be informed of Lefevere’s plan, Het Laatste Nieuws says.

Soudal-QuickStep recently cancelled next week’s team-building get-together amid the ongoing uncertainty and anger about the potential merger. Following his win at Tre Valli Varesine, Van Wilder spoke…