Speculation surrounding Remco Evenepoel’s future in the cycling world has been rife, with reports linking him to a potential move to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe despite being under contract with Soudal Quick-Step until the end of 2026.
The Belgian’s name has been associated with a significant transfer deal, allegedly involving a substantial salary and contract buy-out costs. However, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s team manager Ralph Denk has labelled these reports as ‘gossip’, stating he may not comment on them.
Soudal Quick-Step’s manager, Patrick Lefevere, has had his differences with Evenepoel’s father and agent, further complicating any potential deal. “Any agreement would be expensive and legally complex,” Lefevere remarked. The chatter surrounding Evenepoel has only increased since his double gold-medal win at the Paris Olympic Games.
Returning to racing at the Tour of Britain, Evenepoel faced questions about his future from the Flemish media. He responded with a straight face, “I don’t know anything about that,” and added, “So much always comes out without any truth to it. I have no idea what that would be about. I haven’t seen anything myself.” When asked directly if he would still ride for Soudal Quick-Step in 2025, he simply said, “That’s a yes.”
Meanwhile, Ralph Denk was in Madrid celebrating Primož Roglič’s Vuelta a España victory but couldn’t avoid questions about Evenepoel. There have been whispers of a swap deal involving Roglič, especially after he left Jumbo-Visma for a Tour de France leadership role last year. However, Roglič crashed out of the French Grand Tour while Evenepoel impressed with his credentials.
“I hear and read the rumours every day in Italian, English, and Belgian media but I have nothing to say about it,” Denk told Het Laatste Nieuws. “They are gossip and I may not, cannot, and will not respond to them.”
After the Tour of Britain, Evenepoel headed to Spain for a final training block before the World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland, opting out of the European Championships in Belgium to focus on his preparations. During the Tour of Britain, he tried to be aggressive but ended up working for teammates Julian Alaphilippe and Paul Magnier. “It was a matter of building up and getting back into it. I couldn’t do more than that,” Evenepoel explained. “I just have to improve everything and get better. Going to an altitude training camp is not an option; I will be training at sea level. It’s all about intensity, training behind the moped, and on my time trial bike. I just have to train hard and then build up some freshness for the time trial on September 22, then I have one week left until the road race.”
