If the rumoured Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-Quickstep merger involves fruition, it might assist facilitate the switch of Remco Evenepoel to a different group corresponding to Ineos Grenadiers, relying on the settlement. However that’s the least of the “catastrophic penalties on the economic system {of professional} biking”, as Philippe Gilbert acknowledged on social media.
The retired Belgian is undoubtedly not the one one feeling nervous over the concept.
GCN experiences that Soudal-QuickStep boss Patrick Lefevere despatched a letter to the group making an attempt to calm their nerves, telling them: “Opposite to experiences nevertheless, there aren’t any concrete tasks and plans at this second.”
However how did the highest group on this planet and the fourth-ranked group get right into a state of affairs the place they’re even discussing a merger, and what does it say concerning the “economic system of professional biking”?
Jumbo-Visma introduced in June that the grocery retailer chain Jumbo would stop its sponsorship and, one week later, misplaced one other grocery chain Gorillas, leaving a €5 million deficit of their price range.
The gaping gap involves a group with quite a few profitable contracts together with two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard (by way of 2027), triple Vuelta a España winner and 2023 Giro d’Italia champion Primož Roglič (by way of 2025), and Classics star Wout van Aert (by way of 2026). The identical group had simply accomplished a historic Grand Tour triple with Sepp Kuss (contracted by way of 2024) profitable the Vuelta.
Soudal-QuickStep, in the meantime, have a smaller price range however an equally high-profile rider in Evenepoel and have needed to fend off rumours that the time trial world champion is being courted by rival groups regardless of him being underneath contract by way of 2026.
A union like this would depart quite a lot of riders from one group or the opposite on the open market as a result of contracts are tied to the paying agent and there might be just one agent and one license, as ex-director sportif Johan Bruyneel identified on social media.
“Any rider who’s underneath contract on the group who would forfeit or promote their WorldTour license and does not wish to be a part of this merger might be free to go to a different group.”
Groups can be obligated to discover a strategy to compensate employees and riders who’re presently underneath contract. “The groups must discover a resolution (at a minimal pay the remaining half of their contract and discover them one other group who would get a rider for free of charge), or else the UCI won’t give the inexperienced gentle for this merger,” Bruyneel writes.
If Visma turn out to be the paying agent, then Evenepoel can be free to go wherever he pleases as a result of the UCI states {that a} rider is free to alter groups if there’s a new paying agent, as Bruyneel acknowledged.
Evenepoel has already been approached by Ineos, in line with a number of experiences, whereas Lefevere has needed to play down rumours he was promoting the group for €16.5 million.
If Soudal turn out to be the paying agent, then not solely would there be conflicts over Grand Tour management, as Visma have already got internally, the mixed price range must be giant sufficient to pay three or 4 contenders in addition to groups robust sufficient to assist three Grand Tour pushes in a season.
Jumbo-Visma have already got such a group and by most counts, 22 riders underneath contract for 2024 or past, and have introduced the signing of Matteo Jorgenson, Ben Tullett and three neo-pros for 27 riders (minus Michel Hessman if his doping case ends in a suspension).
Soudal-Quickstep have lately introduced a number of departures, the most recent being lead-out man Michael Mørkøv, however nonetheless have 15 riders underneath contract along with the arrivals of Mikel Landa, Luke Lamperti and 6 different neo-pros for at the least 23 riders underneath contract.
The inevitable departures due to the 30-rider cap means the market can be flooded with high quality riders looking for new groups, hurting the prospects of riders from different squads who’re in search of new contracts.
Professional biking has absorbed different WorldTour mergers (or acquisitions that weren’t precisely mergers like Cannondale and Slipstream) however by no means two groups of this magnitude and the creation of Visma-Soudal would not simply ripple by way of the peloton – it will shake the religion of sponsors within the sport’s future.
