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"We didn’t want one team left in limbo" - Richard Plugge on Jumbo-Visma's failed merger with Soudal - Quick-Step
CyclingThursday, 19 October 2023 at 16:00
Although much discussed, the proposed merger between Jumbo-Visma and Soudal - Quick-Step did not materialise, with the Dutch-based team instead finding new sponsorship elsewhere and becoming Visma - Lease a Bike for 2024.
Reflected on a crazy few weeks of rumour, uncertainty and surprise, Jumbo-Visma boss Richard Plugge went into detail about just why the merging of two of cycling's most successful teams didn't take place. “That discussion didn’t work out for a number of reasons,” Plugge tells The Outer Line. “One of the reasons was that after our discussions with the UCI, we found that there wasn’t a good solution for both teams; we didn’t want one team left in limbo.”
The news of supermarket chain Jumbo pulling back their sponsorship wasn't a great surprise to Plugge and although it took some time to find a replacement deal that was right, he never worried. "We’ve known for quite a while that Jumbo would be scaling back after 2024, and fortunately we’ve had the time and opportunity to talk with various parties about coming in to replace them," he explains.
The likes of business giants, Amazon and Apple were both linked but eventually, Lease a Bike stepped in to fill the hole. The company were already seen on Jumbo-Visma jersey's but will now be promoted to title sponsor going into 2024.
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