Remco Evenepoel has stated he’ll ‘usually’ keep at Soudal-QuickStep and respect his contract, however he made it clear that the Belgian crew has to enhance so he can attempt to win the 2024 Tour de France.
Evenepoel is beneath contract with Soudal-QuickStep till 2026, however stories that Ineos Grenadiers and different groups are attempting to tempt to interrupt his contract proceed to flow into. Israel-Premier Tech, Bora-Hansgrohe are additionally stated to be fascinated about signing Evenepoel if he can get out of his contract, with different groups additionally doubtlessly .
Evenepoel described the stories as “small bullshit that’s going round” earlier than the Clásica San Sebastián however then his father Patrick, who additionally acts as his agent, instructed La Dernière Heure that he “couldn’t affirm” that his son would stay with Soudal-QuickStep subsequent season. Soudal-QuickStep crew supervisor Patrick Lefevere warned Evenepoel that “if you happen to do not respect your contract, you get sued.”
Evenepoel accepted the validity of a contract in an interview with the Lanterne Rouge podcast however clearly desires Soudal-Quickstep to enhance considerably for the 2024 Tour de France.
“Usually sure, I stick with Soudal-Fast Step,” Evenepoel stated when requested about his future.
“I’ve a contract till ’26, so there’s this respectful factor. A contract is a contract, you’ll be able to’t simply say: ‘Ah, see you… bye, bye.’ It’s not the way it goes. And the biking world will not be the soccer world the place you can provide 200 million and get the participant or the rider.”
Lefevere has signed Mikel Landa as a key mountain domestique for 2024 however Evenepoel desires the crew to turn into way more Grand Tour targeted, even suggesting that Classics chief Kasper Asgreen and Julian Alaphilippe may very well be key tremendous domestiques for him on the 2024 Tour de France.
“If we will simply enhance a number of issues – science, diet, simply issues across the Grand Tour crew – I feel we will shortly be on the identical stage as UAE and Jumbo,” Evenepoel prompt.
“Now we have a number of data within the crew, particularly us the riders. We all know so much about how the others work as a result of there’s virtually no secrets and techniques any extra within the bunch.
“We had a soigneur [who joined Soudal-Quickstep] from Ineos and he gave us all of the secrets and techniques, that’s the way it goes. What’s within the feed bag, the bidons and find out how to make the rice desserts, which is an enormous distinction in comparison with final 12 months for us. All these small issues may also help us get to the highest stage.
“I consider that we actually can… We simply want to enhance the extent of the Grand Tour crew. If there’s competitors between the domestiques, the extent will go up. You simply wish to go together with the most effective guys.
“I consider in him [Alaphilippe] as an excellent domestique. He can have tremendous days and off days, like all tremendous domestique but when he’s on high stage he might be within the high ten climbers on the planet.”