Soudal Quick-Step is putting everything on a renewed core for the 2026 season, especially targeting the Flemish classics. For this, CEO Jurgen Foré had to thoroughly refresh the rider lineup with no fewer than eight new signings. The team needed to compensate for the departure of their golden boy Remco Evenepoel, and at first glance, they seem to have done this quite well. WielerFlits analyzes the situation using our own Cyclingflash data and the words of new team directors Sep Vanmarcke and Eliot Lietaer.
The elephant in the room is, of course, the much-discussed outgoing transfer of double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel to the German Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. The key figure around whom, first Patrick Lefevere and later Jurgen Foré, built their team in recent years is suddenly gone. This inevitably demands a radical change of course, which—especially given the rather late announcement of the transfer—is not easy to absorb.
A talent of that caliber is not replaceable one-on-one. National coach Serge Pauwels reminded us last week that the last 16 monuments were won by just four riders: Jasper Philipsen, Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, and Remco Evenepoel. The latter three are also the three most recent road world champions. In other words, teams without any of these riders in their roster no longer compete for wins in the biggest one-day races.
Quick gains in the Flemish classics
CEO Jurgen Foré recognized this and is taking a radically different approach: the Flemish classics! With Jasper Stuyven and Dylan van Baarle, he brings in two new leaders who have previously proven their worth in strong squads. Stuyven did so at Lidl-Trek alongside Mads Pedersen, Van Baarle at INEOS Grenadiers and Visma | Lease a Bike alongside Wout van Aert, Matteo Jorgenson, and others. Before the Van der Poel-Pogacar-Evenepoel era, they were among the last riders to win a monument.
But that is also the sticking point with these two 33-year-olds. Are they past their prime? Van Baarle is performing well in a support role, as this Vuelta has once again shown, but his last successful spring campaign dates back to 2022 due to bad luck, illnesses, and crashes—think of the painful hip fracture in spring 2024. He is no longer among the top 500 riders in the Cyclingflash 365 Ranking. Fortunately, it is different with Stuyven, ranked number 70. He still regularly earns podium spots in the biggest races, but a win in a top classic seems far off.
How does the team see this internally? "Some people might say these two are not getting any younger. But they forget that these are men who still perform in their own way, and I believe they will continue to do so in the coming years," explains new team director Sep Vanmarcke. "I think Jurgen’s move is very smart because with these signings you can quickly put the team back on the map in the classics. They’re returning a bit to the team’s roots."
According to Vanmarcke, thinking in terms of depth is exactly what matters here. "Under the shoulders of those men, someone like Paul Magnier, a great talent, can also develop. If a few riders from the team make it to the finale, the experienced forces can support Paul’s sprint. And conversely, if Paul is no longer there, Dylan and Jasper have already performed enough to seal the result themselves."
Because that should be the ultimate goal: to become a 'Wolfpack' again. "They were always very strong at that before, but due to a change in tactics among the top riders, it has become less straightforward in recent years. The favorites start so early that there is hardly any tactical racing. But everything will come back a bit. Even big talents like Van der Poel and Pogacar will one day be less dominant. If you continue this team for a few more years and more strong riders join, we can quickly return to the level of the past. Beating Pogacar will not happen yet, but with many riders in the finale, you can make a difference."
You can also see this reflected in the other signings. Fabio Van den Bossche rode strongly this past spring in support of Mathieu van der Poel and can become a key force in the Flemish classics. Edward Planckaert, too, rode the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix for Alpecin-Deceuninck. Both riders are also capable in a lead-out train. Planckaert demonstrated this recently in the Vuelta a España with several strong lead-outs for Jasper Philipsen.
Can Jasper Stuyven (right) make us forget Remco Evenepoel (left)? – photo: Cor Vos
At Soudal Quick-Step, they can continue to fulfill that dual role for the number one on the Cyclingflash 365 Sprint ranking, Tim Merlier. A world-class rider who is now the team's absolute point scorer with many wins at the highest level. After the European champion, there is room for a second sprinter: Alberto Dainese is currently 35th on the 365 Sprint Ranking, but the Italian Tudor rider will get plenty of opportunities with this team. He will also be used in the flatter classics.
From those five signings, Jurgen Foré’s clear strategy emerges, supported by our Cyclingflash data. On the other hand, only Jordi Warlop and Luke Lamperti are leaving from the classics squad, which means the team grows in the Hill and Sprint sectors compared to 2025. In terms of general classification and mountain performances, they have to suffer significant losses. This is mainly due to the departure of Evenepoel, fifth in the Cyclingflash GC Ranking, but also his climbing domestiques Mattia Cattaneo, James Knox, Pieter Serry, and Josef Cerny. Frenchman Antoine Huby is also leaving.
Damage limited in the mountains
And yet, the loss in terms of general classification is actually quite moderate. Although Evenepoel leaves with 1985 points, the team only loses 'just' 431 points. That is because the team shrewdly reinforced this area as well. Many 'older' domestiques are being replaced by riders who can achieve stage wins in both big and smaller tours and can compete for GC in one-week stage races. Steff Cras (TotalEnergies) and Filippo Zana (Jayco AlUla) were signed with that in mind.
"It makes sense; it’s really not just the classics that are important for the team," explains brand-new team director Eliot Lietaer. "This core is certainly being strengthened the most, so I understand why it looks that way. But the team wants to keep scoring in the Grand Tours and, whenever possible, also aim for a top 10 in a one-week classification. With Remco, their big GC star is gone, but they are not going to completely abandon that work from recent years. They want to compete on all fronts. And there are more opportunities now."
Ilan Van Wilder has extended his contract, as has Louis Vervaeke. Valentin Paret-Peintre, already a stage winner in this year’s Tour de France, and Junior Lecerf also have potential. All are riders who have often worked in support of Evenepoel but can also score themselves on good days in one-week stage races.
By riding more for themselves, their points tally will certainly increase. Without heavy reinforcements, the team can likely limit the damage in this segment. Although, for the meantime, this may be at a slightly lower level. Under the guidance of Mikel Landa, the young talents have room to grow, as all of them still have potential to improve because of their age.
The eighth and final new signing is Belgian U23 time trial champion Jonathan Vervenne from their own development team. Compared to Decathlon AG2R, Lotto, or Visma | Lease a Bike, Soudal Quick-Step still lags somewhat behind in promoting talents from their Devo Team. "We see that this aspect is becoming increasingly important," says Lietaer, who will be responsible for this segment. "You have to get involved early and start scouting riders at the junior level. We’re putting extra focus on that to score later with them in the WorldTour."
Conclusion
After the departure of Remco Evenepoel, Soudal Quick-Step has made signings with a focus on quick success, especially within the classics core. This is probably the most radical transfer period for the team in the last ten years, but it was necessary. "We are still a leading team in cycling, maybe less so than ten years ago, but the ambition remains to be in the top 5 of the WorldTour," says Lietaer.
With the buyout fee and Evenepoel’s salary savings, a lot of money became available, which the team has mainly invested in experienced and older riders who are expected to put the team back on the map. The team has clearly grown in the classics and sprint departments, while the damage in the mountains is limited. Yet, the biggest gain may well lie in the freedom given to the many young talents the team already had. Under experienced wings, they can grow into the top riders of the future.
| Rank | Rider | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tim Merlier | 2180 |
| 2 |  Olav Kooij | 2162 |
| 3 |  Jonathan Milan | 2107 |
| 4 |  Paul Magnier | 2107 |
| 5 | Jasper Philipsen | 2047 |
Paret-Peintre has already won on Mont Ventoux; will more opportunities follow? – photo: Cor Vos
| Rider | Ratings |
|---|---|
1203 1201 - 1077 1042 | |
1728 1591 893 1564 1621 | |
1266 1295 - 1100 1536 | |
1500 1568 - 1329 1313 | |
2036 1759 1398 1863 1935 | |
1780 1636 1254 1645 1130 | |
1246 1446 - 1086 940 | |
1503 1472 1087 1329 1634 | |
1235 1546 1210 1065 783 | |
1627 1456 - 1503 1176 | |
1313 1498 1086 1128 1338 | |
1301 1527 1725 1118 1190 | |
1976 1679 967 1861 1113 | |
1847 1586 1196 1728 1181 | |
1323 1711 2107 1117 1051 | |
1203 1477 2180 1021 1115 | |
1732 1577 1019 1609 1028 | |
1251 1461 851 1066 1305 | |
1076 1514 1414 880 943 | |
1385 1448 1188 1226 1210 | |
1710 1643 1052 1536 1590 | |
1374 1418 821 1243 832 | |
1306 1362 - 1168 974 | |
1348 1529 1162 1185 956 | |
1209 1379 - 1044 1145 | |
1869 1699 823 1710 1511 | |
915 1167 - 774 751 | |
1678 1657 909 1519 1241 | |
1614 1520 1032 1480 1105 | |
1059 1358 1345 904 724 |
| Rider | Ratings |
|---|---|
1203 1201 - 1077 1042 | |
1819 1675 1038 1669 1339 | |
1211 1540 1822 1019 1103 | |
1500 1568 - 1329 1313 | |
1780 1636 1254 1645 1130 | |
1246 1446 - 1086 940 | |
1503 1472 1087 1329 1634 | |
1313 1498 1086 1128 1338 | |
1976 1679 967 1861 1113 | |
1847 1586 1196 1728 1181 | |
1323 1711 2107 1117 1051 | |
1203 1477 2180 1021 1115 | |
1732 1577 1019 1609 1028 | |
1251 1461 851 1066 1305 | |
1076 1514 1414 880 943 | |
1385 1448 1188 1226 1210 | |
1326 1490 1283 1162 1043 | |
1710 1643 1052 1536 1590 | |
1561 1687 1439 1377 1298 | |
1306 1362 - 1168 974 | |
1496 1453 - 1340 1411 | |
1388 1531 1180 1224 1061 | |
1348 1529 1162 1185 956 | |
1209 1379 - 1044 1145 | |
1869 1699 823 1710 1511 | |
915 1167 - 774 751 | |
1678 1657 909 1519 1241 | |
1614 1520 1032 1480 1105 | |
487 1250 708 - - | |
1692 1647 986 1540 1187 |
