Soudal Quick-Step aims to return to Boonen and Terpstra era with Magnier, Stuyven, and Van Baarle

For Soudal Quick-Step, a new phase begins with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. After the departure of team leader Remco Evenepoel, the Belgian team chose to invest in their classics core by signing specialists like Jasper Stuyven and Dylan van Baarle. Ahead of the Opening Weekend, Wielerflits spoke with team director Iljo Keisse and the experienced riders of the 'new' Soudal Quick-Step: "We want to go back to the past a bit."

"Our team has definitely been strengthened. Especially with Jasper, Dylan, and Laurenz Rex joining," Keisse continues. "These are men with experience and strong riders for that type of race. And we already had a core, with Paul Magnier who has gained more experience and become stronger, a Tim Merlier who hopefully can come back towards the end of spring..."

"Along with Yves Lampaert, Bert Van Lerberghe, and Dries Van Gestel, we have a nice core for the classics. We're trying to reconnect with the top, which we lost a bit in recent years," Keisse states. A realization already made within the cycling world. Which direction is Soudal Quick-Step heading? There has been more focus placed on the spring races.

The arrival of Milan-San Remo winner Stuyven and Paris-Roubaix winner Van Baarle especially stood out. "It’s always a bit of a search with new riders, but with Dylan and Jasper we immediately saw the added value they could bring in a race, such as in a lead-out, during the Algarve. These are key players you need in those races," Keisse looks ahead to the classics.

The power of experience
Lampaert (34), Stuyven (33), Van Baarle (33) and Van Gestel (31) are all over 30. The choice for a spring-core with many experienced riders has been deliberate. "What we see now is that there are many young riders who are signed early, pushed through as juniors, but sometimes lack experience. Then you need men like these who can bring that experience to a team," the team director explains.

"These are two big engines added, you know," Lampaert adds in his own way. "You immediately feel that it requires more fighting to make the selection, and that’s only positive. Jasper and Dylan bring calmness to the team and have a lot of experience in positioning and teamwork."

Van Baarle also appreciates racing alongside riders who know how things work. "You’ve been through it all before. You know how the race feels, how it unfolds. We’re also trying to bring that across to Paul. But I think it especially comes down to the race itself, being able to guide each other," says the Dutchman.

'We want to go back to the past, when we had both the block and the lead rider'
The role distribution within the Wolfpack is clear in various classics, starting with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this weekend. "It’s clear that Magnier is our man and then Stuyven and Dylan. Behind that, we’ll see what happens," says Lampaert. Team director Keisse agrees. "Paul was very good in the Omloop last year and finished second. It’s a race made for him and the one he’s targeting."

"He was a bit ill and missed the Tour of Valencia because of that, but he’s now back in good shape. What do we expect? A lot, but it remains a classic where everything has to go your way. It’s hard to say. We hope Paul can compete for the win, and with his sprint, that’s possible. But everything must align on the day," Keisse remains realistic.

In recent years, Soudal Quick-Step clearly lost connection with the top in the classics. They don’t have a rider of the caliber of Tadej Pogačar or Mathieu van der Poel, but the team was also unable to keep pace with squads like Lidl-Trek and Visma | Lease a Bike, who have a broad block of classics specialists that played a significant role. Now, Soudal Quick-Step wants to head back in that direction.

"That lead star, Magnier can definitely become that in time, but he’s not there yet," Keisse believes. "He doesn’t have the status of a Pogačar or a Van der Poel. Not at all. But he has time and can work on it."

"Then you have to try to form a block against those men, and I think with our current riders we can definitely form a block. A bit like the past, when we had both the block and the lead rider," he looks back to the era of Tom Boonen and Niki Terpstra. "Now we have the block, and maybe not immediately the lead rider, but we have to try to play to our strengths."

It's up to Van Baarle and Stuyven to lead the team and provide new energy. "I hope that with our presence, we can raise the team to a higher level. So that guys like Yves, Dries, and of course Paul can also take that next step. We’re hoping for a very good spring," Van Baarle looks ahead to 2026.

And which questions does Stuyven want to answer this spring? "I’m going to keep those to myself. Everyone has their own ideas about how and what, so it’s not up to me to tell you all that," he laughs.