Soudal - Quick Step season preview: Transfers, goals & TOUR forecast for Soudal - Quick Step
Andreas Kublik
· 12.02.2023
Soudal - Quick Step: New boss?
For years, the Belgian racing team dominated the scene, collecting dozens of victories throughout the season, including many in major classics such as Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. But with new top sponsor Soudal, the team is about to undergo a radical change: alongside former world champion Julian Alaphilippe, shooting star Remco Evenepoel is making claims that could change the team from a classics ensemble to a circuit escort.
How 2022 went
"The team had a tough time in the spring," said Patrick Lefevere looking back at the team presentation in early January at the Plopsaland amusement park. The team boss describes himself as a difficult character when it comes to ambition and success. The 68-year-old has been at the helm of his team for two decades now - and it has always been extremely successful in the spring races. Achieving success with team unity and skilful tactics has long been the team's trademark.
But this year, redemption, i.e. a great success, only came at the last minute. Remco Evenepoel won the last spring classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The balance sheet was saved. Before that, his team-mate Julian Alaphilippe had had a real orgy of crashes. He fell off his bike at Strade Bianche and the Vuelta. The two-time world champion was hit particularly hard at Liège-Bastogne-Liège when he flew off the road at high speed. It took him weeks to heal his broken bones and get fit again.
Soudal - Quick Step: Evenepoel takes over Alaphilippe's role
The great cycling entertainer then failed to convince the team management that a start in the Tour would make sense. As the defending champion, he also had no chance at the World Championships in Australia. The ex-footballer continued his steep rise in cycling: after Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the 23-year-old Belgian also won the Tour of Spain (it was the first victory in a three-week tour for the team) and succeeded Alaphilippe as road world champion.
Based on his performances, Fabio Jakobsen can be considered the fastest sprinter at the moment - although the number of victories last year did not reflect this. 47 season victories for the team were strong despite bad luck in the world peloton, even if the team is behind in the world rankings. Intermarche-Wanty dropped to sixth place. However, in the three-year ranking, according to which the UCI awards the World Tour licences for the coming years, team boss Patrick Lefevere's organisation finished second behind Jumbo-Visma.
Transfers at Soudal - Quick Step
In view of the hysteria surrounding Remco Evenepoel in Belgium, it seems extremely modest how the rather frugal team boss Patrick Lefevere has strengthened the team. Only the Czech Jan Hirt among the new additions should be helpful for the young Belgian's Grand Tour ambitions.
He was joined by sprinter and current Belgian champion Tim Merlier and all-rounder Casper Pedersen, who should strengthen Jakobsen's sprint train at Soudal - Quick Step. The contract with Mark Cavendish (now riding for AstanaThe Isle of Man man has won four Tour stage wins and the green jersey at the Tour de France - and could set a new record for Tour stage wins with just one more stage win, making him better than Eddy Merckx.
The Dane Mikkel Frölich Honore saw the EF Education better prospects for the future and cancelled his contract. Ex-cross world champion and classics specialist Zdenek Stybar moved to Jayco continue. Track specialist Iljo Keisse ended his career. Overall, the team remains well organised.
Additions and departures at a glance
New additions for the 2023 season
- Casper Pedersen (Team DSM)
- Jan Hirt (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert)
- Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Departures
- Iljo Keisse (end of career)
- Stijn Steels (end of career)
- Zdenek Stybar (Team Jayco-AlUla)
- Mikkel Frölich Honore (EF Education EasyPost)
- Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan Team)
The goals for 2023
Victories, victories, victories - that is the primary goal. At the presentation of the team for 2023, the sponsors of Soudal - Quick Step emphasised that they are committed to perhaps the best, and certainly the most successful racing team in terms of victories. And of course they expect the collaboration to remain as successful. However, 23-year-old Remco Evenepoel is expected to postpone his debut at the Tour de France and confirm his reputation as a future Tour winner in 2023 - albeit at the Giro d'Italia, where Evenepoel is considered the favourite at the start of the season.
Remarkable: Lefevere counted his long-time captain, the cycling public's favourite Julian Alaphilippe, out for lack of success in 2022 and in return strengthened Evenepoel's position as the boss's new favourite. However, this role changes frequently for the often ranting Belgian team manager - a strange way of motivating employees, especially in view of the serious accident involving his top performer.
In any case, Alaphilippe should return to winning ways and justify his high salary at Soudal - Quick Step. "The cobbled classics are my first big goal," he said at the start of the year. His highlights in the spring will be Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders. It is conceivable that he will skip the Ardennes Classics. Together with sprinter Jakobsen, he should be successful at the Tour de France in July. Jakobsen himself says that the Cipressa climb is too difficult for him to succeed at Milan-San Remo. However, he would like to win one of the five expected bunch sprints at the 2023 Tour and rather modestly counts himself among the top three sprinters in the world. Evenepoel is set to lead the team shortly before the start of the Giro in Liège. The world champion wants to ride fewer races in the coming season and prepare himself several times in altitude training camps.
TOUR forecast for Soudal - Quick Step
Remco Evenepoel will - if nothing intervenes - have a good chance of winning his second Grand Tour at the Giro. Because the race in Italy has more time trial kilometres than the Tour de France, the route will suit him. Alaphilippe will work doggedly to silence his team boss - and in doing so will give the fans a lot of fun and probably be among the front runners in Flanders.
Jakobsen becomes a serial winner in the sprints. And Patrick Lefevere will have to find a lot of money to be able to satisfy the demands of his young star Evenepoel for a strong climbing bodyguard at Soudal - Quick Step in the future - modelled on the competitors of Jumbo-Visma, UAE Team Emirates and Ineos Grenadiers.
Andreas Kublik
Editor
