The biggest secret in cycling in recent months is about to be revealed. Since mid-July, Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step have been in discussions about forming a single team through a merger of the two professional cycling powerhouses, set to take place by 2024.
Multiple sources have reportedly confirmed this information. Richard Plugge will become the CEO of the team, while Merijn Zeeman will serve as the head coach. Patrick Lefevere will become a member of the team’s Board of Directors. According to experts, it’s only a matter of time before this spectacular and surprising merger is finalized.
Jumbo-Visma entered into negotiations with INEOS Grenadiers
When it became clear during the last Tour de France that British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe was in negotiations to take over Patrick Lefevere’s team (various media outlets reported this information), the management of Jumbo-Visma had the idea to talk to Czech billionaire Zdenek Bakala, the owner of Soudal Quick-Step.
Following a meeting in Geneva with Bakala, a foundation was quickly laid to finalize this significant and surprising merger in cycling. The idea of a single team through a merger was also immediately embraced by the key sponsors of both teams, Soudal and Visma, starting as early as 2024.
The team will be registered as Visma-Soudal or Soudal-Visma
Thanks to this merger, the new team will be registered with the UCI as Visma-Soudal or Soudal-Visma and will be able to work with a competitive budget from 2024 to continue competing at the top of the world. The team aims to register itself as a Benelux team (an economic and customs union consisting of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) in the peloton. While sports management will be in the hands of Plugge and Zeeman, Lefevere will lead the Board of Directors.
“Remco Evenepoel, Primoz Roglic, Jonas Vingegaard, and Wout van Aert on the same team?
The Jumbo-Visma currently employs 27 cyclists, and Soudal Quick-Step will have 23 cyclists for 2024. Most likely, this merger paves the way for Remco Evenepoel to leave the Belgian team. The World Time Trial Champion is already in negotiations with the British INEOS Grenadiers team. However, internally, both parties have expressed a desire to continue with Evenepoel on the new team.”