The merger between Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step was canceled. However, the two mega-teams had indeed been in merger negotiations for months and were on the brink of merging.
Merijn Zeeman, sports director of Jumbo-Visma, told the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad that there were indeed discussions with Soudal Quick-Step. “But this was more exploratory. We also talked to Remco Evenepoel, but it was also quite exploratory with him. What ambitions do we have, how realistic is it, the pros and cons, will it make us better or not?”
So, this merger will not happen. However, the future of Jumbo-Visma is guaranteed for the next decade. “We want to continue making history in the next ten years,” says Zeeman. “Richard Plugge (CEO of the team) and Sander Kruis (commercial manager) have worked hard, and very good companies have joined us, allowing us to expand the team even further. Our future is absolutely guaranteed, although I cannot go into details.”
Jumbo-Visma without Primoz Roglic
“Primoz indicated that he wants a team that considers him an undisputed leader, with domestiques for him in his last years. We understand and respect that, so we cooperated in his transfer. But we will always miss such a good rider. We are eternally grateful for what he meant to us.”
