{"id":208071,"date":"2025-10-18T04:43:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T04:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/208071\/"},"modified":"2025-10-18T04:43:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T04:43:08","slug":"a-marriage-destined-to-end-in-separation-remco-evenepoels-split-with-soudal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/208071\/","title":{"rendered":"“A marriage destined to end in separation” \u2013 Remco Evenepoel’s split with Soudal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Remco Evenepoel<\/a>\u2019s move to Red Bull\u2013BORA\u2013hansgrohe has brought one of cycling\u2019s most intriguing partnerships to an end. After years of speculation and internal tension, the Belgian has left Soudal – Quick-Step<\/a> \u2014 a decision that, according to Axel Merckx<\/a>, was always going to happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis marriage was destined to end in separation. I think both sides got out of it what they could,\u201d Merckx told La Derni\u00e8re Heure.<\/p>\n

Evenepoel\u2019s time at Quick-Step delivered huge success: a Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a victory, two World Championship time trial titles and a string of one-week stage race wins. Yet, Merckx believes the signs of an eventual split had been visible for some time. \u201cFrom certain statements and intentions, it was clear that a departure was being prepared,\u201d he said. \u201cThe team evolved \u2013 and so did Remco\u2019s ambitions.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nFor Merckx, one key moment came when the team\u2019s leadership passed from long-time boss Patrick Lefevere<\/a> to Jurgen For\u00e9 following the former’s retirement. \u201cThat was a clear signal of change,\u201d he said. \u201cThe structure became different, and the project that had been built around Remco took on a new shape. In the long run, a split was inevitable.\u201d\u201cQuick-Step simply doesn\u2019t have a tradition of riding for Grand Tours\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether Evenepoel could have achieved his ultimate goal \u2014 winning the Tour de France \u2014 with Soudal Quick-Step is something Merckx doubts. \u201cWithout Vingegaard and Pogacar, he might already have done it,\u201d he admitted. \u201cBut Quick-Step simply doesn\u2019t have a tradition of riding for Grand Tours. That\u2019s a fact \u2013 and it probably won\u2019t ever change.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Merckx, Evenepoel\u2019s switch to a team more experienced in stage racing was always the logical next step. \u201cI never believed Remco would spend his whole career at Quick-Step,\u201d he said. \u201cHis ambition to win all three Grand Tours fits better with teams like Red Bull, Visma or INEOS. That\u2019s where he\u2019ll find the benchmarks he needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evenepoel now begins a new chapter in the colours of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe<\/a>, while Soudal – Quick-Step prepares for life without the rider who brought it a Grand Tour title for the first time. And as Merckx suggested, this was no sudden rupture \u2014 just the inevitable conclusion to a relationship that had already run its course.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Remco Evenepoel\u2019s move to Red Bull\u2013BORA\u2013hansgrohe has brought one of cycling\u2019s most intriguing partnerships to an end. After…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":208072,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-208071","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208071\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/208072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}