When you look for copper and find gold... Wolfpack found their perfect replacement for Edward Planckaert!
Cycling
It's taken a brief back and forth, but now Soudal - Quick-Step truly concluded its lineup for the 2026 season. Their 30th (31st) rider for the upcoming period will be Laurenz Rex, a strong cobbles specialist who comes over from Intermarché - Wanty with a reputation of a two-time Paris-Roubaix top-10 finisher. The 25-year-old will thus join Jasper Stuyven and Dylan van Baarle in the rebirth of Wolfpack and over the next three seasons will hunt the big victory.
This season, Rex not only finished 10th at Paris-Roubaix, but also at the Gent - Wevelgem, came 8th at the Classic Brugge - De Panne and sprinted just outside the podium at the Antwerp Port Epic. In his new team, Rex should once again focus at the cobbled classics while he should put his strong legs to use while setting up sprints for Soudal - Quick-Step's many fast men such as Tim Merlier or Paul Magnier in his other races.
"I’m glad that everything came together and I will ride for this team, which I have always admired since I was very young. I remember watching Tom Boonen attack on the Taaienberg – it’s one of the best memories I have since I was a kid. He’s someone I looked up to and I’m delighted I will get to ride in the same team as he did and for which he wrote history," Rex said in a press release.
"I know some of the guys on the team, and everyone here gave me a great welcome, making me feel immediately at home. It’s a dream come true to be here and I hope to make some important steps in my career as part of the Wolfpack. I want to help the team whenever they need me, become a better rider and reach my highest level, which I hope that one day will bring me close to a victory in Paris-Roubaix," explained Laurenz at the team’s first reunion of the off-season.
Words of team CEO
Rex wasn't always Quick-Step's first coice, but after a fall-out with Edward Planckaert who opted to ultimately renew in his current team Alpecin-Deceuninck, the Belgian was in search for a replacement of the experienced Belgian all-rounder. What they found on the chaotic transfer market after the confirmation of Lotto-Intermarché merger became official in Rex is no short of just what they wanted and needed.
The team manager Jurgen Foré couldn't hide his satisfaction with this outcome: "We’re delighted to have Laurenz join the squad. He’s a strong and ambitious rider, who’s already shown a lot of maturity and experience despite his young age. We know what he can do in the lead-out and when chasing his own results, and we’re confident he’ll bring real value – both in the Classics and as part of our stage racing setup," said Foré.
Read also
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses 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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
Loading
1 Comments