'We won’t part ways on a war footing' – Evenepoel on leaving Soudal-QuickStep

While Juan Ayuso was in the process of burning all remaining bridges with UAE Team Emirates-XRG in Spain on Tuesday, Remco Evenepoel opted for a more conciliatory tone when he discussed his imminent departure from Soudal-QuickStep ahead of the opening stage of the Tour of Britain.

Last month, it was confirmed that Evenepoel would join Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in 2026 after striking an agreement to free himself from his Soudal-QuickStep contract. 

The Tour of Britain marks Evenepoel’s first race since the transfer was announced, and the Belgian insisted that he was leaving Soudal-QuickStep on good terms.

“There’s always some pressure involved, but I’m not going to make it worse than it is,” Evenepoel said, according to Sporza.

“We’ve discussed everything thoroughly with all three parties. We’ve reached a good agreement. I’m going to try to end the season well. We’re not going to part ways on a war footing or with a falling out.”

Evenepoel joined QuickStep in 2019, leaping directly from the junior ranks to the WorldTour. He quickly established himself at the top level, and his time on the team saw him land the 2022 Vuelta a España, world and Olympic titles in both the road race and time trial, and two victories at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He joins Red Bull with an eye to improving on his third place at the 2024 Tour de France.

“I’ve had some wonderful years here,” Evenepoel said. “I’ve created some fantastic memories. Those are moments I’ll definitely cherish. It’s normal for there to be divided opinions; I was prepared for that. It’s just the way life is and the sporting world. Maybe a change and something new will be good for both parties.”

Evenepoel hasn’t raced since he abandoned the Tour de France on the Col du Tourmalet on stage 14. The Tour of Britain serves as his last tune-up for the World Championships in Rwanda, where he will defend his time trial title and then line up as Tadej Pogacar’s chief rival in the road race. He is also set to ride the European Championships before signing off on his time at Soudal-QuickStep at Il Lombardia.

“I got really sick after the Tour, but since then, everything went pretty smoothly, the way I wanted, and I'm here now to work on the final details,” said Evenepoel.

“I want to train as much as possible and as hard as possible in the race, and I’m here to get the best possible results and try to win. I’m going to try to push myself as much as possible here and push my limits to get better.”