2024 Season Review | Soudal – Quick-Step: Remco Evenepoel's impresses on Tour de France debut, Tim Merlier proves he's still a top sprinter, as team waves goodbye to Alaphilippe

Over the past month, we have started to take a look back and reflect on how each World Tour team performed throughout the 2024 season. We’ve had some positive reviews, and certainly a fair share of negative reviews, and it’s safe to say there was a huge range of results for the teams in 2024. Today, we’re looking at Soudal – Quick-Step, the team lead by one of the most talented riders of his generation: Remco Evenepoel. Fans of the team had been looking forward to 2024 for some time, as it was finally the year Remco Evenepoel would make his debut at the Tour de France. But could the Belgian superstar live up to the hype?

Soudal – Quick-Step, a Belgian based team, is owned by Zdeněk Bakala and managed by the charismatic Patrick Lefevere, who has overseen the team's operations since its inception. Known for their rich heritage in cycling, the team has consistently been a forced to be reckoned with in both stage races and classics. Star riders over the years like Remco Evenepoel, Julian Alaphilippe, Fabio Jakobsen, and even Mark Cavendish have brought home major victories for the team, including Grand Tour triumphs and World Championship titles. With a reputation for nurturing talent and delivering big results, Soudal – Quick-Step remains one of the best teams in the business.

Soudal – Quick-Step had another stellar year in 2024, finishing third in the UCI rankings, matching their position in 2023. The team amassed an impressive 18,154 points, narrowing the gap to second-placed Team Visma | Lease a Bike, who scored 20,429 points. This achievement is particularly impressive given Soudal – Quick-Step’s comparatively modest budget compared to the money behind the heavyweights like UAE Team Emirates, the INEOS Grenadiers, and Visma.

Winning 34 races throughout the year, the team was particularly impressive throughout the summer’s grand tours. As we take a look back at their 2024 performances, let’s explore what worked well and how they could push their success even further in 2025, and close down on the top 2 in the UCI rankings.

Now, bare with us, the classics season was nothing particularly special for the team, who do not invest heavily in their classics squad. The team's first victory of the season came through Paul Magnier at Trofeo Ses Salines-Felantix, setting a positive tone in the early stages of the season. At the AlUla Tour, Tim Merlier was on fire and sprinted to victory on stages 3 and 4. Evenepoel also picked up his first win of the year at the Figueria Champions Classic, offering a glimpse of what fans could expect from the Belgian prodigy in 2024.

The classics squad was lead by the likes of Julian Alaphilippe, Kasper Asgreen and Tim Merlier. Merlier, in particular, reaffirmed his status as one of the best sprinters in the peloton, dominating the UAE Tour with three stage wins before turning his attention to the classics. His standout performances included victories at Scheldeprijs and Danilith Nokere Koerse, as well as a second-place finish at Classic Brugge-De Panne, adding 150 points to the team’s tally. Undoubtedly, Merlier was the rider of the classics season for Soudal – Quick-Step, but what could his teammates come up with?

Unfortunately, the team’s classics campaign lacked big results in the spring monuments. This was compounded by Evenepoel’s crash at the Itzulia Basque Country, which left him unable to defend his Liege-Bastogne-Liege title, a race he had won spectacularly in both 2022 and 2023. Despite Merlier’s heroics, the absence of any notable classics victories in the classics left fans wanting more.

But could Evenepoel recover in time for the summer’s main event?

Soudal – Quick-Step enjoyed an excellent Grand Tour season, starting with Tim Merlier’s standout showing at the Giro d’Italia. Merlier claimed victories on stages 3, 18, and 21, and we are desperate to see him return to the Tour de France next year, as he is without doubt one of the very best sprinters on the planet. Julian Alaphilippe also returned to winning ways with a superb ride on stage 12, while Jan Hirt’s consistency earned him 170 points with an eighth-place finish in the general classification. So, the team were certainly off to a strong start at the Giro.

The team’s main focus, however, was the Tour de France, marking Remco Evenepoel’s much-anticipated debut at cycling’s main event. After a difficult spring, including a crash at the Itzulia Basque Country and a mixed performance at the Critérium du Dauphiné, Evenepoel doubters were louder than ever heading into the Tour. He finished just seventh at the Dauphine, and looked like he was in a race against time to be fully fit for the Tour. With his long awaited showdown with Pogacar, Vingegaard and Roglic just weeks away, his performance at the Dauphine was far from encouraging.

But that doesn’t matter, because his performance at the Tour was the best of his Grand Tour career.

Evenepoel won the stage 7-time trial and consistently rode his own pace on the climbs, never cracking under pressure. Evenepoel’s ability to stay composed during critical moments was particularly impressive, especially in a Tour de France field stacked with some of the best climbers of all time. His maturity shone through as he chose to ride within his limits rather than overextending on challenging stages, and he showed a lot of development compared to the Vuelta at the end of 2023. Remember, at the Vuelta last year he cracked badly on the Tourmalet, and he appeared emotional and agitated through the race.

There was none of that this time, and his maturity paid off as he secured third overall in the general classification, earning 340 points and claiming the young riders classification. His emotional reaction at the finish highlighted the immense pressure he carried as the face of Belgian cycling, and he had certainly made them proud.

Mikel Landa backed up Evenepoel’s success not only as his domestique but also with a fifth-place finish, securing 280 points and proving what a super signing he was last winter. Landa was crucial in supporting his young Belgian teammate in the high mountains, and was good enough to ride his own GC race as well.

Evenepoel’s incredible summer didn’t stop at the Tour. Following his outstanding debut, he stayed in France to compete in the Paris Olympics, where he etched his name into history. His stunning double gold-medal victory in both the time trial and the road race marked him as the first man to achieve this feat, cementing his status as one of the greatest talents of his generation.

The Vuelta a España rounded out the team’s Grand Tour season. While Landa showed early promise, threatening to secure a podium finish, one challenging stage dashed his hopes of a step on the podium in his home race. Despite this setback, his eighth-place finish added another 170 points to the team’s tally, capping off a great grand tour season for the team. Hats off to Remco Evenepoel, he proved his doubters wrong in 2024.

The transfer season has already brought some big changes for Soudal – Quick-Step. In a surprising move, Julian Alaphilippe will leave the team, marking the end of a special era for the veteran rider with the Belgian outfit. Looking ahead to 2025, the team has secured the services of British champion Ethan Hayter, who will join forces with Remco Evenepoel, as will Aurélien Paret-Peintre. Back on the departure front, Kasper Asgreen is also set to leave after confirming a contract with EF Education-EasyPost.

The team has also invested in youth, recruiting two promising Italian riders: Gianmarco Garofoli and Andrea Raccagni Noviero. With these changes, Soudal – Quick-Step will hope they can start chipping away at the big boys UAE Team Emirates and Visma in the UCI rankings.

Soudal – Quick-Step deserve a big round of applause for the year they’ve produced in 2024. Considering they don’t have the financial resources of their rivals, they consistently punch above their weight so impressively. And make no mistake about it, in Remco Evenepoel they have a very special rider. Let’s not forget Tim Merlier, and Mikel Landa who were also superb throughout the year.

Evenepoel is only getting better, but he will need some more support and better signings for the team if he is to challenge Pogacar and Vingegaard at the Tour next year. That’s what he wants, that’s what the team wants, and that’s what all fans definitely want.