Remco Evenepoel leaves despite an ongoing contract with Soudal Quick-Step to sign with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. This is no longer uncommon in the cycling world. Evenepoel is just the latest rider to switch teams prematurely, and more contract breakups seem to be on the horizon in the cycling world. Who's next? The rumors keep buzzing in the cycling community.
Cian Uijtdebroeks in 2024, Maxim Van Gils last winter, and now Evenepoel. An ongoing contract no longer necessarily has to be fulfilled, provided the rider and new team handle the situation reasonably with the old employer.
Team CEO Jurgen Foré himself said last week that Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe paid a 'fair amount' to Soudal Quick-Step. According to rumors, the sum approaches eight million euros. A buyout of three million euros for the Belgian team and the remaining salary of Evenepoel with the team itself, which is between four and five million euros.
After Evenepoel's departure, it’s almost as if the cycling world is just waiting for the next news of a rider leaving their current team early. Juan Ayuso, Florian Lipowitz, and Primoz Roglic—all have frequently been mentioned in various media over the past week. But whether they will actually leave is still in question.
Rumors circulating
WielerFlits reporter Raymond Kerckhoffs calls the rumors logical in the WielerFlits Podcast. “Looking at the Red Bull team, you ask yourself: does Lipowitz still need to stay? He has a contract until 2026, but the rumors that he wants to leave early were already going around during the Tour de France. I spoke to Lipowitz’s manager on the phone during the Tour, and the first thing he said was: I’m not going to comment on Evenepoel’s arrival.”
“What I take from that is that Evenepoel’s arrival definitely plays a role,” Kerckhoffs continues. “Lipowitz will now also wonder: what will my role in the team be? Should I be a domestique in the Tour, while I finished third last year? These are all questions that will now arise. I give it a fifty percent chance that they will still be on the same team next year. This transfer will certainly have a domino effect.”
Roglic linked to Movistar
By the way, Kerckhoffs doesn’t see Roglic leaving. “He’s more of an advantage for younger riders. Though I don’t know if that’s the case with Evenepoel, since those two don’t have the best relationship. Roglic can still earn a lot of money at Red Bull—it would be strange if he stopped with that team early,” he concludes.
A noteworthy detail: Roglic was heavily linked this week to a transfer to Movistar by Estadio Deportivo. The same Movistar that has also been linked to Ayuso for months—who still has a contract through 2028 with UAE Emirates XRG.
