Remco Evenepoel gets his wings! Soudal - Quick-Step leader reportedly signs long-term deal to join Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe

After months of speculation, it now appears all but certain: Remco Evenepoel will join Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe from the 2026 season onwards, in what promises to be one of the most seismic transfers in modern cycling.

While Soudal Quick-Step have continued to maintain that the Belgian remains under contract until 2026, sources close to La Gazzetta dello Sport and The Cycling Podcast confirm that a multi-year deal — running through at least 2028 — has already been signed between the reigning Olympic double champion and the German WorldTour outfit. The agreement was reportedly finalised on Monday, during the second rest day of the Tour de France, before Evenepoel’s subsequent withdrawal from the race.

Under Belgian employment law, riders can exit existing contracts by means of financial compensation — a loophole that appears poised to pave the way for Evenepoel’s departure. And while the move won’t take effect until 2026, its implications will reverberate across the pro peloton immediately.

“It’s done,” wrote respected journalist Ciro Scognamiglio. “Sources told La Gazzetta dello Sport that Remco Evenepoel and Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe reached an agreement on Monday. The multi-year contract beginning in 2026 can be considered closed, according to The Cycling Podcast.”

This is hardly a bolt from the blue. Despite Soudal Quick-Step’s gradual pivot from Classics specialists to Grand Tour contenders — a project reshaped around Evenepoel himself — the 25-year-old has never appeared fully convinced by the long-term trajectory of Patrick Lefevere’s team.

Evenepoel has been vocal in recent seasons about what he perceives as insufficient support in the high mountains — concerns that lingered even after the acquisition of Mikel Landa, who proved a key lieutenant during his podium finish at the 2024 Tour de France. And while he delivered Belgium its first Vuelta a España title in 44 years back in 2022, murmurs of dissatisfaction with team structure and race planning have persisted ever since.

His impending move to Red Bull–BORA thus feels less like a shock and more like an inevitability — especially given the German team’s growing ambition and financial muscle, supercharged by Red Bull’s arrival as a co-title sponsor. It also wouldn’t be the first time they’ve flexed their transfer market muscle at the expense of Belgian rivals, having previously lured Maxim Van Gils from Lotto.

Evenepoel arrives as arguably one of the most versatile and decorated riders of his generation. His CV already includes:

Overall victory at the 2022 Vuelta a España, with five stage wins across the 2022 and 2023 editions

Few riders of the modern era have amassed such a haul across so many terrains and formats — and Evenepoel is still only 24. His arrival at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe will give the German team the kind of bona fide GC leader they’ve long lacked, and inject fresh firepower into the already-evolving hierarchy of WorldTour superteams.

As the 2025 season unfolds, this move — rather than any single result — could ultimately stand out as the defining storyline in the ongoing shift of power within the WorldTour. Evenepoel’s transfer doesn’t just reshape the ambitions of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe; it could redraw the competitive landscape for years to come.