Soudal - Quick Step Thread

[HelloDolly]

Yes unless you have one of the top riders at present
MPVP, Pogacar, Vingegaard, WVA, Roglic and Evenepol you are struggling for wins

You can get lucky and turn up to a race where one of these guys is not at
They can get ill or crash out

But other than that you have no answer at present

Look at INEOS , they invested in talent and have home grown youngsters but they couldnt get their hands on one of the top guys and it shows

Only hope is you find a younster that can compete in a few years or/and the top guys tire

I wouldnt write off Allaphillipe or Bernal yet . Ganna can get better on cobbles, or else you buy a sprinter ... but who ?

 

[Mayomaniac]

Changes and hoped for strengthening will undoubtedly happen, but Pat will want wins and wins straight away next season. Where are these riders? I'm not seeng them at the moment.
Yes Kung, Pederson and Ganna would deliver top placings, but based on this cobbles season not wins.

Pedersen might be the most realistic one to actually get. Küng is happy at FDJ and probably gets payed well and don't get me started on the amount of money Ineos and Pinarello are throwing at Ganna. Lowball Lefevre won't get in a bidding war for him.

They didn't really replace the stars on their aging classics squad and some guys didn't deliver. Apart from the season opening weekend and the pre-season 2 years ago (when he was suddenly world class) Ballerini hasn't improved at Quickstep, he's the same rider he was at Astana. Steimle also never did anything. I also had some expectations for Steimle, a sprinter who is a capable tter, but he never improved that much.
Now, what can they do with the guys that they have? Maybe Schmid can do something in the hilly cobbled classics and with Ala's for being a bit of a questionmark Bagioli is a legit option for the shorter hilly classics like BP and FW (I haven't seen anything from him that suggests that he can be up there in +250km one day races).

 

[Rackham]

Maybe we talked next to each other. My point was that Remco is a favorite for the classics and GT he starts. (whether he wins them or not). So he is a good bet to invest in. No rider can guarantee a victory in any of the classics or GT, but having a favorite should be enough to go for.

Of course some teams want to bet on multiple horses for different races, and in that i agree with you. Maybe if JV pulls the plug, things might change with top riders being divided over multiple teams instead of grouped in a single team.

But even if we look at the last races, besides the 6 big names, the others were not even in the same playing field.
If VDP/WVA/Roglic/pog/Vingegaard/Remco pulled to the front, all the other riders dropped like stones. So its not easy to have 2 riders in that group (JV has 3..). And i think not only soudal struggles with this.

I think we're on the same page here, except I emphasize the point it's not just about having one of those top six riders in the world. Look at Jumbo: Laporte, Dylan van Baarle & Benoot weren't just added to the team to support Van Aert in the classics (as he's one of the six big names) but to actually win stuff themselves as well.

In fact a little rumor circulating a couple of weeks ago told of Quick-Step's apparent interest in signing Laporte for next season (because his contract runs out this year). So Quick-Step going forward will likely do what Jumbo have done: back their biggest name with support (Evenepoel) but also add names on top who can win themselves.

 

[Red Rick]

Pedersen might be the most realistic one to actually get. Küng is happy at FDJ and probably gets payed well and don't get me started on the amount of money Ineos and Pinarello are throwing at Ganna. Lowball Lefevre won't get in a bidding war for him.

They didn't really replace the stars on their aging classics squad and some guys didn't deliver. Apart from the season opening weekend and the pre-season 2 years ago (when he was suddenly world class) Ballerini hasn't improved at Quickstep, he's the same rider he was at Astana. Steimle also never did anything. I also had some expectations for Steimle, a sprinter who is a capable tter, but he never improved that much.
Now, what can they do with the guys that they have? Maybe Schmid can do something in the hilly cobbled classics and with Ala's for being a bit of a questionmark Bagioli is a legit option for the shorter hilly classics like BP and FW (I haven't seen anything from him that suggests that he can be up there in +250km one day races).

Pedersen is signed through 2025? Afaik the best available rider is actually Laporte

I also don't know why any dark horse cobbled rider would want to go to Soudal-Quickstep. You don't go there for the money, and you don't go there for the team overperformance, and you definitely don't go there for the cuddly boss either.

The cycling hierarchy is a bit weird in that it's extremely top heavy, and I'm pretty unsure about the cost-effectiveness of splashing on getting the 2nd tier of contenders for these races, unless you're more aiming for Omloop and GW than for de Ronde.

If I were SQS, I would try to convince Evenepoel to race De Ronde, and if he doesn't want to, I'd just accept the decline of the cobbled team and strengthen my team around Evenepoel.

 

[Newcomer]

Signing Laporte will not solve their problem, if the goal is to compete against the big three. I think realistically they should hope for a bounce back year for Asgreen and expand Remco's classics program a bit. I fear that Alaphilippe might not return to his previous level again but let's first see how he does in the Ardennes classics.

 

[tobydawq]

Signing Laporte will not solve their problem, if the goal is to compete against the big three. I think realistically they should hope for a bounce back year for Asgreen and expand Remco's classics program a bit. I fear that Alaphilippe might not return to his previous level again but let's first see how he does in the Ardennes classics.

A resurgent Asgreen and Laporte would be a great duo.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

In fact a little rumor circulating a couple of weeks ago told of Quick-Step's apparent interest in signing Laporte for next season (because his contract runs out this year). So Quick-Step going forward will likely do what Jumbo have done: back their biggest name with support (Evenepoel) but also add names on top who can win themselves.

Laporte would be a great signing for QS overall, but i don't think it is the rider they would look for to strengthen their team around Evenepoel.

 

[Riek s]

Signing Laporte will not solve their problem, if the goal is to compete against the big three. I think realistically they should hope for a bounce back year for Asgreen and expand Remco's classics program a bit. I fear that Alaphilippe might not return to his previous level again but let's first see how he does in the Ardennes classics.

The biggest problem with Remco classics program is his GT program. riding Italy its hard to focus on the classics. Even his LBL will not be at his peak.

If he does the tour or the Vuelta again he could focus on the classics. So i assume its on the table for next year. Probably going for a similar classic setup as Pog. (MSR/RVV/AGR/LBL).

But depending on his experience in the tour, he might shift more towards italy/vuelta instead and that might influence how he handles classics.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

If I were SQS, I would try to convince Evenepoel to race De Ronde, and if he doesn't want to, I'd just accept the decline of the cobbled team and strengthen my team around Evenepoel.

It's a Flemish team with a lot of Flemish sponsors, so from a sponsor POV the most important races are the cobbled classics and the Tour. Don't think they're particularly happy with the classics team continuing to underperform, especially with Evenepoel continuing to avoid the Tour (and the cobbles) at the same time. With the attempt to turn Alaphilippe into a cobbles rider having failed, there must therefore be pressure to reinforce that side of the squad after back to back dismal campaigns.

Do agree that they can't be expecting to win Ronde any time soon, but if they can close the gap to Jumbo a bit, that should help their winning chances in the Omloops and Dwarses of this world, and also should mean they're more visible and impactful in Ronde (and Roubaix).

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

It's a Flemish team with a lot of Flemish sponsors, so from a sponsor POV the most important races are the cobbled classics and the Tour. Don't think they're particularly happy with Evenepoel the classics team continuing to underperform, especially with Evenepoel continuing to avoid the Tour (and the cobbles) at the same time. With the attempt to turn Alaphilippe into a cobbles rider having failed, there must therefore be pressure to reinforce that side of the squad after back to back dismal campaigns.

Evenepoel was previously never expected to ride Ronde van Vlaanderen. The new Flemish headsponsor came to the team to help convert it to a GT team. Evenepoel is 23, not 33. Evenepoel was expected to ride the Tour in 2023 according to the initial planning from 2019. So while he is a year behind on that schedule, he was out a season with a nasty injury and he has in the meanwhile won the Vuelta. So i don't think anyone in the team or the sponsors is feeling he is "continuing to avoid" the Tour or the cobbled classics.

I'm sure nobody is happy with the performances of the cobbled squad, but it should not be related to Evenepoel's career which can hardly be called disappointing.

Both Asgreen and Alaphilippe (while it's true i and everyone else expected more) have known plenty of bad luck through illness and crashes.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Evenepoel was previously never expected to ride Ronde van Vlaanderen. The new Flemish headsponsor came to the team to help convert it to a GT team. Evenepoel is 23, not 33. Evenepoel was expected to ride the Tour in 2023 according to the initial planning from 2019. So while he is a year behind on that schedule, he was out a season with a nasty injury and he has in the meanwhile won the Vuelta. So i don't think anyone in the team or the sponsors is feeling he is "continuing to avoid" the Tour or the cobbled classics.

I'm sure nobody is happy with the performances of the cobbled squad, but it should not be related to Evenepoel's career which can hardly be called disappointing.

Both Asgreen and Alaphilippe (while it's true i and everyone else expected more) have known plenty of bad luck through illness and crashes.

Not sure how you're reading my post as blaming Evenepoel/claiming his career is disappointing from the perspective of a sponsor or indeed anyone else. Obviously he is not the main reason why QS are - evidently - looking to reinforce their classics squad.

All I'm saying is that, if sponsor interests decided his program, he would be aiming for the Tour every single year from this year onwards, preferably in combination with trying his hand at the cobbles. Clearly, his actual program doesn't mean he's a commercial failure. Moreover, there are very good reasons against him doing the cobbled classics in particular (fwiw I think that his actual program for this season is close to optimal, with the Tour route being as bad for him as it is), and of course his absence in them wouldn't be worth discussing if the actual specialists on the team were performing properly.

With that not being the case, plan A has failed two years in a row, and Evenepoel (rightly!) not being the plan B is what forces plan C - spending heavily on reinforcing the cobbles team, potentially at the expense of improving the support for Evenepoel. And maybe plan C should also involve taking a look at the underlying structure and infrastructure of the team, because most of the main riders not named Evenepoel underperforming probably isn't solely the fault of said riders and/or due to bad luck...

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Not sure how you're reading my post as blaming Evenepoel/claiming his career is disappointing from the perspective of a sponsor or indeed anyone else.

Well, you edited your post, which included a somewhat strange part of a sentence that said they blame Evenepoel. I admit it was clear something was messed up in that sentence (probably you edited something but didn't re-read it before posting). But the use of the phrase "avoiding the TDF" seemed a bit like you assumed it was being held against him for not doing the TDF.

Agreed that most other riders have been disappointing.

 

[peterfin]

SQS winning the team classification of Itzulia Basque Country is something new to me. While the classics team is weak, the team to support Evenepoel in the mountains is not that bad.

 

[Bolder]

Having the WCRR, LBL and Vuelta winner on your team makes up for a lot of spring disappointment. Unfortunately it's the same rider.

Seriously, though, outside of Merlier and Remco, I struggle to find riders to be excited about right now - maybe Schmid and Van Wilder?

 

[F e r o x]

Vernon?

 

[Gratemans]

Just something I noticed regarding Alaphilippes results: this year so far has almost been a carbon-copy of what he rode in '21 pre-hilly classics. Back then he went on to take 6th at AGR, 1st at Flèche Wallone and 2nd at LBL.
I hear a lot of people saying he has been disappointing so far. I don't agree. And his favourite races are still coming up.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Having the WCRR, LBL and Vuelta winner on your team makes up for a lot of spring disappointment. Unfortunately it's the same rider.

Seriously, though, outside of Merlier and Remco, I struggle to find riders to be excited about right now - maybe Schmid and Van Wilder?

Yeah, i still hope Bagioli can make true on his potential. Vansevenant is a funny rider, all heart, can do well in certain races but is ultimately a limited talent.

 

[hfer07]

The "Classics focused team" became the "non-existing team" in the cobbles.......
at this point they better win 2 out of 3 Ardennes classics to save the season....

 

[AlfaLum]

They should get rid of the two sprinting captains philosophy now that Evenepoel has emerged as a rider the deserves a full support roster for at least one GT a year. So Jakobsen should be on the way out, and I would include a part of his sprinting roster as well. Just go with Merlier + van Lerberghe there.

Evenepoel should get another super domestique that can get some freedom in other races. That way the new Super Domestique and Van Wilder can share domestique duties across races until the Tour and also enjoy some extra (In Ilan's case) captaincy roles before the Tour next year, which would be well deserved. Maybe a guy like Sivakov or Foss could be contracted for that role, as they havs even less freedom at their current teams voor the moment. Another guy could be Matteo Jorgenson, but he would obviously need and deserve more freedom and should then probably just do the Tour + Dauphine/Suisse with Remco. Jorgenson would also bring extra options to the table for the cobbles.

For the Classics I would put most eggs in the basket of Asgreen still. Due to his buildup this was never going to be his year, but I think he is still one of the best options available outside of Van der Poel, van Aert & Pogacar. Laporte would be a great addition to the squad in my opinion, but I think it is very unlikely that he can be contracted. If so a dual captaincy with Asgreen + Laporte and an introduction of Schmid to the cobbled races could turn.

Other than that I think the biggest downfall for Lefevre's team at the moment is the failure of attracting the biggest top talents in cycling in recent years. Evenepoel is the exception, but even with van Wilder they failed to attract him as a neo-pro. Jumbo is the team that has the stongest presence there with super talents already singing for them in the upcoming years. But also teams like UAE, Ineos and even FDJ seem to have surpassed Soudal-Quick Step in this area.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Yeah, i still hope Bagioli can make true on his potential. Vansevenant is a funny rider, all heart, can do well in certain races but is ultimately a limited talent.

At this stage I back Bagioli in races like BP, FW, the Canadian Classics (got 3rd in Montreal last year) and Emilia and as a potential stagehunter in gts. I'm still a bit unsure about him in +250km one day races.
Schmid might surprise people on the cobbles, but atm their main assets besides Remco seem to be Merlier and Van Wilder.

 

[SafeBet]

Bagioli has completely stalled after a promising neo pro season.
He is still the same rider he was back then. Struggles when single climbing effort goes beyond 15 minutes, very inconsistent from day to day, explosive but with issues with double digit gradients, quick in reduced bunch sprints but seldom the quickest. He's prone to illness and crashes too.
I thought QS would be the best environment for his growth but at this point I'm kinda sceptical.

 

[AlfaLum]

At this stage I back Bagioli in races like BP, FW, the Canadian Classics (got 3rd in Montreal last year) and Emilia and as a potential stagehunter in gts. I'm still a bit unsure about him in +250km one day races.
Schmid might surprise people on the cobbles, but atm their main assets besides Remco seem to be Merlier and Van Wilder.

Why is van Wilder more a main asset than Schmid at the moment? I would actually rate them quite similar right now. Maybe van Wilder has a bigger potential, but that's also unsure because Schmid seems to be the type of rider who progresses very linear year after year. The only problem with Schmid for me as that he seems to go more in the direction in short stage races + hilly one day races rather than the cobbles + hilly races that I would rather see him do.

 

[Salvarani]

Bagioli has completely stalled after a promising neo pro season.
He is still the same rider he was back then. Struggles when single climbing effort goes beyond 15 minutes, very inconsistent from day to day, explosive but with issues with double digit gradients, quick in reduced bunch sprints but seldom the quickest. He's prone to illness and crashes too.
I thought QS would be the best environment for his growth but at this point I'm kinda sceptical.

I think the crashes and injuries are a big reason to why he has "stalled". He has never really been able to build some momentum/progress. His breakthrough has been a bit delayed but at 24 it is too early to give up on him. He has shown enough potential that he could be a very good one-day racer for the hillier ones and a stage-hunter in the GTs.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Why is van Wilder more a main asset than Schmid at the moment? I would actually rate them quite similar right now. Maybe van Wilder has a bigger potential, but that's also unsure because Schmid seems to be the type of rider who progresses very linear year after year. The only problem with Schmid for me as that he seems to go more in the direction in short stage races + hilly one day races rather than the cobbles + hilly races that I would rather see him do.

Schmid is much better, he has actually won races (Giro stage, baloise tour Belgium , Coppi e Bartali tour) and can steer his bike round corners much better than van Welder . But van Welder has some Belgian lobbyist in here who are constantly arguing that he is the next great talent of quickstep and should be a leader.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Why is van Wilder more a main asset than Schmid at the moment? I would actually rate them quite similar right now. Maybe van Wilder has a bigger potential, but that's also unsure because Schmid seems to be the type of rider who progresses very linear year after year. The only problem with Schmid for me as that he seems to go more in the direction in short stage races + hilly one day races rather than the cobbles + hilly races that I would rather see him do.

I was talking about guys where I'm confident that the team will actually use them the right way.
I totally agree with you on Schmid and see him as the potential future of their team, but they seem to use him mainly as a replacement for Honore and therefore mainly as a guy for shorter stage races and hilly one day races.