"There has always been a 'storm' around me and the team" - Remco Evenepoel believes merger rumours and outside pressure played a part in quiet end to the season at Il Lombardia
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel was unable to bring his 2023 season to a glorious end at Il Lombardia on Sunday, finishing ninth overall amidst much media pressure and transfer talk.
Speaking to Sporza after picking up the award for the best male Belgian cyclist for the third time in his career, Evenepoel reflected on what has been a hectic few weeks for both himself and the Soudal - Quick-Step team. "I thought I would prepare quietly for Il Lombardia for 3 weeks but that wasn't the case at all. It was certainly not optimal," Evenepoel said. "Those rumours did not just come out of nowhere – there must have been some truth to them. But it was difficult for me to say anything about it because I knew nothing about it."
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Whilst the much-discussed plans for a merger between Soudal - Quick-Step and Jumbo-Visma ultimately no longer seem to be happening, rumours of Evenepoel's future have also hit the headlines throughout the year.
"There has always been a 'storm' around me and the team. That storm never subsided. That has meant that there have often been frustrations and some clashes during this period. The entire outside world should know this when it comes to next year," he added. "It was an unpleasant period. You ride with the Soudal - Quick-Step jersey, but you don't know whether you'll still be wearing that jersey next year. But all's well that ends well."
"In 2024 everything is towards the month of July," Evenepoel concludes. "A stage win would be great. Then I want to see how long I can follow the two kings of the Tour, Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates). Then when we reach Nice, we'll see where my 'ship' makes its landfall."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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Wonderful evening yesterday. I’m very proud to win the Kristallen Fiets for the 3rd time in my career! 🙏🏻🏆💙
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