2023-09-25 07:42:00
A hat-trick for the Jumbo-Visma, this time at the Euro, is no longer surprising for cycling fans. The rumor of a merger between the Dutch team and Soudal-Quick Step, on the other hand, is a real bomb.
It was by launching this rumor that the Dutch media Wielerflits turned the world of the little queen upside down this Sunday evening. To the point that our colleagues from Sporza questioned Patrick Lefevere at Lotto Park, while the Wolfpack boss had just attended Anderlecht-Bruges. “Yes, I was able to enjoy the match, I didn’t have my phone with me,” said the general manager of the Belgian team.
“Do what you want with the information from WielerFlits, I have no comment to make, sorry,” he then said. The Roularien had a little more enthusiasm to deny the Ineos rumor a few weeks ago. Does he get tired of being questioned every week regarding the future of his team or does he want to say as little as possible on this enormous issue? For his part, Patrick Evenepoel (also present in Anderlecht-Bruges) said he was “shocked” by this rumor and claims to know nothing, just like Remco.
European champion, Frenchman Laporte had a thought for his teammate Nathan Van Hooydonck
“A merger likely from 2024”
The speech is clearer on the side of WielerFlits, which firmly believes in its information and which is still as affirmative this Monday morning, already planning for the future: “The merger between Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-Quick Step , probably as early as 2024, means that cycling will lose a top team. On the other hand, this merger will create a team capable of competing with the Middle East’s strike force in the years to come.”
The Dutch media, which also released an entire podcast this Sunday evening dedicated to this information, affirms that it was the rapprochements between Ineos-Grenadiers and Soudal-Quick Step which gave the idea to Jumbo-Visma to enter into negotiations with Zdenek Bakala, the Czech businessman who owns 80% of Soudal-Quick Step.
The idea would therefore be to ensure that we continue to dominate world cycling in the face of the rise of teams like UAE Emirates, Bahrain Victorious, Jayco AlUla and now Movistar, who all have partners in the Middle East and therefore budgets. revised upwards.
On paper, this merger might be beneficial to both teams since Richard Plugge, boss of Jumbo-Visma, is looking for a new main sponsor while Patrick Lefevere, at the age of 68, has long been considering taking a step back.
It remains to be seen what would become of the riders left behind, since the two teams have a total of 50 riders under contract for 2024 while the UCI regulations limit the number of contracts to 30. Not to mention the cohabitation between Roglic, Vingegaard, van Aert, Evenepoel, Alaphilippe and the other stars of these two teams…
1695633197
#Merger #SoudalQuick #Step #JumboVisma #Lefevere #comment #WielerFlits #persists #signs
