Soudal - Quick-Step is one of the teams that's heading to the Tour de France with high ambitions and they are spearheaded by two great leaders: Remco Evenepoel and Tim Merlier, who each have got a few support men heading into the Grand Boucle.
“The race can be divided in two parts. A hectic first half, without a proper mountain stage, but with a flat individual time trial where gaps can be made, and plenty of opportunities for the sprinters and the puncheurs. Tim and Remco will have a couple of chances, but important will be that everybody makes it through those ten stages safely," team DS Tom Steels said in a press release issued by the team.
"The many mountain stages and the uphill time trial that come in the second part will make for an incredibly hard race, but also the last stage in Paris should play a role in the general classification. We have a strong and experienced team, capable of some nice things this summer, and so we start with a lot of confidence”
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Evenepoel comes off a fourth place at the Criterium du Dauphiné and will be looking to match or improve last year's podium result this time around in Paris. Evenepoel is the rider that on paper would be the closest to Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard when it comes to overall classification credentials into the Tour, and will have the support of Valentin Paret-Peintre, Ilan van Wilder and Mattia Cattaneo in the mountains.
Max Schachmann will be a valuable support man in the hilly terrain if the team requires that of him, however the German should have a lot of freedom to chase stage wins mostly on the hilly days through breakaways in the second half of the race.
On the other side of the team is Tim Merlier, the European Champion is a great contender to win the first stage and take on the yellow jersey, and overall is a great contender for all bunch sprints and potentially the points classification. He is joined by his leadout man Bert van Lerberghe whilst Pascal Eenkhoorn will both be supporting the Belgian and Evenepoel with positioning throughout the race.
Soudal - Quick-Step for Tour de France:
Remco Evenepoel
Tim Merlier
Mattia Cattaneo
Pascal Eenkhoorn
Max Schachmann
Ilan van Wilder
Valentin Paret-Peintre
Bert van Lerberghe
Remco Evenepoel
Tim Merlier
Mattia Cattaneo
Pascal Eenkhoorn
Max Schachmann
Ilan van Wilder
Valentin Paret-Peintre
Bert van Lerberghe
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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