"A team like INEOS never stood a chance" - Belgian expert explains why Red Bull - BORA was Remco Evenepoel's only transfer destination

After months and months of seemingly endless transfer speculation, official news of Remco Evenepoel's departure from Soudal - Quick-Step has now arrived, with Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe announcing the signing of the double Olympic champion on a long-term deal. As experts and analyst now pick apart the move, the question has been raised, why Red Bull - BORA and why now?

In the end, it wasn’t a question of if Evenepoel would leave Soudal - Quick-Step, but when. Despite being under contract through 2026, the writing had been on the wall for some time — from cryptic answers during Tour de France rest days to his long-rumoured discomfort with the team’s GC project. But as Belgian commentator Christophe Vandegoor explains in conversation with Sporza, despite numerous teams being interested, it was never going to be a bidding war. “A team like INEOS never stood a chance,” he said bluntly, pointing to one decisive factor: Specialized.

Evenepoel has been closely tied to the American bike brand for years, acting as a de facto ambassador in much the same way Mathieu van der Poel does for Canyon. A change in team was negotiable. A change in bike? Much less so. “He’s their figurehead,” said Vandegoor. “Specialized weren’t going to let him end up on Pinarello. That ruled out INEOS from the outset, and likely others too.”

At Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, Evenepoel has found a unique blend of continuity and progression. He keeps his trusted equipment, but steps into a structure that — at least on paper — offers greater GC support, deeper resources, and the high-performance culture of a Red Bull-backed operation with F1-level ambition.

Despite the headlines and the likely sizeable buyout, Vandegoor is adamant that money wasn’t the key driver behind the move. “I’ve never heard anyone say Remco was chasing a bigger paycheque. This was a sporting decision,” he noted.

There’s evidence to back that up. Evenepoel isn’t arriving in Germany alone. Much of his trusted inner circle — including sports director Klaas Lodewyck, soigneur David Geeroms, and mechanic Dario Kloeck — is expected to follow him. The parallels to Peter Sagan’s clan-like transfer from BORA to TotalEnergies are striking, but not without caveats.

“It’s not unusual for a rider of Remco’s stature to bring his people,” Vandegoor said. “They’re confidants. Geeroms, for example, was once his babysitter. That kind of trust is priceless. But I also think it's healthy that he’ll now be in a team where people might challenge him more often. Top riders need that.”

On paper, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe isn’t a “galáctico” superteam, but its growing ambitions align perfectly with Evenepoel’s career trajectory. Both parties want the same thing: to win the Tour de France.

But questions remain — not least how Evenepoel fits into a squad that already includes GC stalwarts like Primoz Roglic and emerging talents like Florian Lipowitz. Vandegoor believes the internal hierarchy may not be as clear-cut as it seems. “Yes, Remco is the big star now. But Lipowitz is German, talented, and had a breakthrough Tour. Roglic still wants one more big result. That’ll make for an interesting drawing board this winter.”

As for his now-former team, Soudal–Quick-Step, there’s no panic — at least not publicly. In fact, the team had already been shifting its recruitment strategy toward Classics riders, though Vandegoor warns against reading too much into that. “The idea that they were abandoning GC for the Classics doesn’t hold up,” he said. “They renewed with climbers like Mikel Landa, Ilan Van Wilder, and Louis Vervaeke. The GC project isn’t dead — if anything, this move might give younger riders like Van Wilder more room to lead.”

The bigger question is how sponsors will react. Soudal joined Quick-Step with the ambition of backing a Tour-winning team built around a Belgian superstar. Now, that Belgian star is gone. And with Specialized potentially following Evenepoel out the door, the team’s equipment situation is equally uncertain. “Soudal left Lotto because they wanted to win with Remco. What now? Do they stay? Does Specialized?” Vandegoor asks. “The rumours are all over the place.”

For Evenepoel, though, the air already feels lighter. After six years at Quick-Step — where he was both golden child and lightning rod — the change of scenery may prove refreshing. “The soap opera is over,” Vandegoor said. “Everyone can move on — including Remco. A new team, new surroundings, maybe even internal competition. That might be exactly what he needs now.”