"It hurts when you lose someone like that" - Soudal - Quick-Step scout who signed Alaphilippe and Magnier reveals the rider who got away
Cycling
Soudal – Quick-Step’s top scout Johan Molly has built a
reputation for discovering some of the brightest talents in cycling, having
played a crucial role in securing Julian Alaphilippe and Paul Magnier for the
team. However, in a recent episode of De Koffiestop, he opened up about one
that got away: Antoine Salamin, a 17-year-old Swiss rider now part of Visma’s
development setup.
Molly has seen firsthand how the landscape of talent
scouting has shifted, with young riders being approached by management agencies
at an increasingly early age, much like in football. The battle to sign the
best young cyclists has never been more competitive, and Molly admits that agents
and financial promises have made his job much harder.
"There have never been so many scouts from management
agencies on the races. There are boys of 16 who already have a manager. They
then drive them crazy by saying that they can already earn 200,000 euros
through them as a junior. And I have to compete with that as a scout," he
explained to Sporza at the back end of 2024.
The competition for Salamin was particularly intense. Molly
was first tipped off about the young Swiss talent by Laurent Dufaux, the former
Dauphiné winner who now manages a Swiss development team where Salamin’s brother
also rides. Dufaux’s description of the youngster immediately caught Molly’s
attention.
"Last year I had a special case. I was tipped off by
Laurent Dufaux from Switzerland," Molly recalled. "He sent me: 'We
have the new Fabian Cancellara.' I got the phone number and called his dad.
After that, it was like: can we have another chat with a team manager next
week? Another video call."
From that moment, what should have been a straightforward
recruitment process became an exhaustive pursuit, filled with multiple rounds
of discussions.
"I was on five video calls and hadn't spoken to the
rider himself. Then they asked if they could send an email with a few
questions. Questions like: how are you going to run the junior team? What are
you going to do with the budget, and how big is the budget? It was like an exam
for me."
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Despite the bureaucratic hurdles, Molly eventually met
Salamin in person.
"Dad and son drove over the border from France in the
camper for an hour and a half. He started talking about a contract, but I
couldn't give it to him. There were seven other WorldTour teams that wanted
him."
At that point, the reality of modern talent scouting became
clear. Even for a team like Soudal – Quick-Step, which has developed some of
the biggest stars in cycling and right now has Remco Evenepoel leading the team,
there are no guarantees when it comes to securing young talents.
Molly’s pursuit of Salamin came to an abrupt and frustrating
end when he was forced to detour on his way back from Switzerland.
"When I was leaving Switzerland, a team manager from
the Baby Giro called to say that the Mont Blanc tunnel was closed. I was a few
kilometers away, but had to make a complete detour."
By the time the situation settled, Salamin had already
committed to Visma.
"The result was that two weeks later, I received a
message that he would not be joining us, but that he would be going to Visma.
That kind of thing hurts. In the Chrono des Nations, I saw him as a
sixteen-year-old boy riding an average of 46 kilometres per hour on a regular
bike. It hurts when you lose someone like that."
Molly’s disappointment is understandable. Salamin is clearly
a rider of immense potential, and seeing him develop under a rival team’s setup
is a tough pill to swallow. However, this is the nature of modern talent
scouting, a world where young riders are increasingly aware of their value, and
where teams must fight harder than ever to secure the next big star.
For Soudal – Quick-Step, missing out on one talented
prospect does not spell disaster, but it does highlight how cutthroat the
battle for emerging talent has become. With agents, big contracts, and
competing interests shaping the future of young cyclists, teams can no longer
rely solely on their history and reputation, they must continuously adapt to
the evolving landscape of rider recruitment.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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