Van Wilder signs contract extension with Soudal-Quickstep
With Remco Evenepoel rumoured to be moving on, will Van Wilder get his own leadership chances?
Soudal-Quickstep have announced a contract extension for Ilan Van Wilder, who will stay with the team until the end of the 2028 season. The announcement came on the first Tour de France rest day, where the 25-year-old is one of Remco Evenepoel’s key support riders.
Van Wilder’s contract was due to expire at the end of the season, and it has clearly taken time to nail down the details, with Daniel Benson’s Substack reporting interest from Ineos Grenadiers earlier in the season.
Van Wilder is highly regarded as a good climber and time trialist, capable of excellent results in stage races, though he has not won since 2023, having settled more into a support role. The signing is especially interesting with Evenepoel’s widely rumoured departure allegedly imminent, which could allow more leadership opportunities should his compatriot leave for pastures new.
“The many solid results he has racked up in these past four years speak volumes about the progress he’s made and the hard work he has put in during these seasons: GC winner at the Deutschland Tour, a spectacular solo victory at Tre Valli Varesine, third overall in Algarve, a top five finisher in Burgos, Luxembourg, Poland, Romandie and UAE, and top ten at Tour de la Provence, Paris-Nice, Itzulia Basque Country and Tour de Suisse,” a team press release said.
“The 25-year-old, who is currently racing the Tour de France, feels at home here and has agreed to a new three-year contract that was offered to him by the team after the many strong results he posted for himself while in our jersey and the impressive amount of work he put in for teammates."
Team boss, Jurgen Foré spoke to Benson’s Substack at the spring classics and indicated that negotiations had been ongoing for time. “That’s also early in the discussions, which are ongoing. Ilan is also a strong rider. It’s not that everyone is 21 or 22, and they’re ready. You need to give people time to grow, but Ilan has a big engine. He likes the team and has already given a lot in support of the team. With Ilan, we’ll have ongoing discussions in the coming period, but right now, we focus on racing.”
Van Wilder began his career at Team Sunweb in 2020 but apparently grew disillusioned with the team, transferring to Soudal-Quickstep just over halfway through a three-year deal with the Dutch outfit.
