2023-10-07 13:12:13
And in the end, nothing moves. The merger announced for 2024 between the Soudal-Quick Step and Jumbo-Visma cycling teams will ultimately not take place. In a letter made public this Saturday, the Dutch team explains that a marriage with Patrick Lefevere’s team is “not the best option”. A merger planned this summer, evidenced by the rapprochement of the shareholders of the two teams.
According to several Belgian media, the complexity of the file caused this project to fail. For example, the new team would have had to pay for UCI licenses before October 19. A deadline considered too tight.
These rumors had questioned a lot of people, especially in Soudal where there were fears of numerous job losses. The possible cohabitation between the Belgian leader of the Soudal Remco Evenepoel and the double winner of the Tour de France Jonas Vingegaard also raised questions.
Another source of question: what material to use when we know that Evenepoel has an exclusive contract with Specialized while Jumbo wanted to continue with Cervelo? According to the Dutch daily Algemeen Dagblad, Amazon’s investment, once mentioned to replace Jumbo as the team’s main sponsor, will not take place either.
It remains to be seen what Richard Plugge’s team will be named in the coming seasons, with the Jumbo store brand having indicated that it will no longer be the main sponsor of the team from 2024.
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