Jumbo - QuickStep merger

[DNP-Old]

Thought this deserved its own thread. Jumbo and QuickStep are working to merge.

Jumbo-Visma werkt aan fusie met Soudal Quick-Step

Breaking Het is het grootste geheim in de wielersport dat zich de afgelopen maanden afspeelde. Al vanaf medio juli zijn Jumbo-Visma en Soudal Quick-Step met elkaar in gesprek om per 2024 een fusieploeg te vormen. Dat hebben meerdere bronnen aan WielerFlits bevestigd. Richard Plugge zal de CEO...

www.wielerflits.nl

 

[DNP-Old]

Immediate questions that arise: who will be the one out? Remco to INEOS after all, Roglic to INEOS, Roglic to Lidl, maybe both? There are too many riders under contract currently.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

Surely Roglic would be on the way out, right?

 

[samhocking]

So this is the new 2024 UCI WT team registration Bruyneel was thinking might have been an Ineos-Soudal merger then? Possibly explains Ineos still not announcing new signings because they have to wait for the merger to happen.

 

[Aimar16]

[x] doubt

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Vingegaard, Roglic, Evenepoel and Van Aert on the same team would be the worst thing to happen to the sport as a whole, ever. And that includes clinic issues.

 

[staubsauger]

That feeling of being shot in the kidney with a nail gun!

 

[Devil's Elbow]

[x] doubt

Wielerflits are usually very reliable when it comes to their scoops.

 

[staubsauger]

Wielerflits are usually very reliable when it comes to their scoops.

They've indeed had some incredible insight information the past 2 years!

 

[Netserk]

Is it really so difficult for Jumbo to find new sponsors? That is the main gain for them.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

the end of cycling

 

[Netserk]

Vingegaard, Roglic, Evenepoel and Van Aert on the same team would be the worst thing to happen to the sport as a whole, ever. And that includes clinic issues.

A whole lot of contracted riders would have to leave.

 

[F_Cance]

If this happens i am truly done with cycling. There is no point in watching anymore.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

A whole lot of contracted riders would have to leave.

I know, and I'm not sure how they're going to pull it off whilst abiding by UCI and national/European employment rules. But it seems beyond doubt that the merged team will be even stronger than this year's Jumbo team - and that was already arguably the most brokenly overpowered team this sport has ever seen.

 

[Rackham]

This has to be fake, surely? They'd need to jettison about 20 riders from their merged team.

And how in the name of f*ck is Evenepoel going to go to the TdF with Vingegaard? I mean Plugge said last week he'd like to work with Evenepoel but I didn't take his comment to mean literally, like next season.

 

[staubsauger]

Is it really so difficult for Jumbo to find new sponsors? That is the main gain for them.

Yes. Jumbo is at their absolute top. They've won all 3 Grand Tours this year and have been on the whole podium of the 2023 Vuelta a Espana.

From this point on, it only can get worse. No matter whether that's results wise or in view of doping scandals.

Nobody's going to invest into that powder keg, yet to detonate!

 

[Netserk]

Thought this deserved its own thread. Jumbo and QuickStep are working to merge.

Jumbo-Visma werkt aan fusie met Soudal Quick-Step

Breaking Het is het grootste geheim in de wielersport dat zich de afgelopen maanden afspeelde. Al vanaf medio juli zijn Jumbo-Visma en Soudal Quick-Step met elkaar in gesprek om per 2024 een fusieploeg te vormen. Dat hebben meerdere bronnen aan WielerFlits bevestigd. Richard Plugge zal de CEO...

www.wielerflits.nl

They have also published the story in English:

Jumbo-Visma working on merger with Soudal Quick-Step

It is the biggest secret in cycling that has unfolded in recent months. As early as mid-July, Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step have been in talks to form a merger team by 2024. Several sources confirmed this to WielerFlits. Richard Plugge will become the team’s CEO. Merijn Zeeman will become...

www.wielerflits.nl

 

[CyclistAbi]

Wouldn't it make more sense to post this in Rogla - Remco thread?

So Soudal Visma in theory could make sense. That is the withdrawal of Jumbo from sponsorship to be elegantly resolved. As for Soudal Visma keeping all the big guns. Here i am a bit sceptical.

We'll see.

 

[Samamba]

How is this possible, a team can have max 30 riders?

 

[Valv.Piti]

What the hell is that? Okay, fine as long as Roglic goes to Lidl and Remco goes to Ineos I guess, that would not be so terrible. But I refuse to believe Vinge, Rog and Remco being on the same team will do anything good for the sport at all, and I refuse to believe that's actually what gonna happen if they merge.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

This has to be fake, surely? They'd need to jettison about 20 riders from their merged team.

And how in the name of f*ck is Evenepoel going to go to the TdF with Vingegaard? I mean Plugge said last week he'd like to work with Evenepoel but I didn't take his comment to mean literally, like next season.

Remco will be an invaluable domestique for Vingo on tricky, windy stages.
Rogla will be a mountain domestique.
Wout will be a domestique for any terrain.
Pogi had better prepare for the Giro instead!

 

[Rackham]

What the hell is that? Okay, fine as long as Roglic goes to Lidl and Remco goes to Ineos I guess, that would not be so terrible. But I refuse to believe Vinge, Rog and Remco being on the same team will do anything good for the sport at all, and I refuse to believe that's actually what gonna happen if they merge.

Plugge wants Evenepoel. I don't see the point of merging with Quick Step just to see the big prized asset go elsewhere.

 

[samhocking]

Is it really so difficult for Jumbo to find new sponsors? That is the main gain for them.

Depends what doping clauses Jumbo and Visma have on the sponsorship contract for the additional 2024 year. Most contracts have get-out clauses. Assuming Hessmann gets 4 years, it might simply be Plugge is out of time and a perfect scenario that Lefevre wants his retirement payout and Soudal want to step up to a Tour-winning level?

 

[Berniece]

Roglic will be sold off, wouldn’t be surprised if he goes to TREK

 

[zlev11]

this absolutely sucks