Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-QuickStep are recently in discussions about forming a possible merger of the 2 WorldTour groups once 2024, in step with an unique record in Wielerflits on Sunday.
The record means that Jumbo-Visma’s managing director Richard Plugge would grow to be the CEO of the brand new programme, Jumbo-Visma’s head sports activities director Merijn Zeeman would grow to be the brand new group’s head trainer, and Soudal-QuickStep’s CEO Patrick Lefevere would grow to be a member of the brand new group’s Supervisory Board.
A merger or one group taking up the opposite may see Remco Evenepoel, Primož Roglič , Wout van Aert, and Jonas Vingegaard grow to be teammates, growing a brand new ‘tremendous group’ within the WorldTour. Alternatively any deal can be advanced, with quite a lot of riders and group of workers let move and one of the most group’s control corporate and so WorldTour licence offered to a bold ProTeam or closed down completely.
Cyclingnews has reached out to Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-QuickStep. A consultant of Jumbo-Visma advised Cyclingnews: “We by no means touch upon rumours.”
The Wielerflits record means that discussions in regards to the possible merger of Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-QuickStep can have begun as early because the summer time right through the Excursion de France and that the control at Jumbo-Visma approached Soudal-QuickStep proprietor Zdenek Bakala, which resulted in the 2 events assembly for additional discussions in Geneva.
The record additionally states that the speculation of a possible merger used to be supported through identify sponsors Soudal and Visma. If the merger of the 2 groups is showed, the brand new group would most probably be registered with the UCI as both Visma-Soudal or Soudal-Visma.
Dutch grocery store chain Jumbo showed in June that it’s set to finish its co-title sponsorship of Jumbo-Visma after the 2024 season, if now not previous, and group supervisor Richard Plugge has been running to discover a main global sponsor to switch Jumbo.
The group used to be connected to Saudi Arabian Neom construction undertaking, alternatively, Plugge denied that he had any direct touch with other people from Neom and the stories have due to this fact described as ‘pretend information’ through one well-informmed supply to Cyclingnews.
It’s unclear how a possible merger would have an effect on the sponsors and group of workers, and the riders of each and every group which can be below multi-year contracts. Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-QuickStep recently have a roster of 29 riders each and every.
Different questions stay in regards to the two groups’ respective girls’s programmes. Jumbo-Visma’s girls’s group is recently led through Marianne Vos.
AG Insurance coverage-Soudal-QuickStep has grow to be a three-tier girls’s programme that comes with an under-19 group, an under-23 group and a Continental group that has carried out for a Ladies’s WorldTeam licence in 2024.
A consultant of Jumbo-Visma advised Cyclingnews, “I don’t be expecting a lot goes to occur with our girls’s group. For the remaining, we by no means touch upon rumours.”
The group additionally advised GCN, “There have been many [rumours]… Jumbo-Visma with Neom, Ineos with Evenepoel. And now this… A number of choices are open and time will inform (quickly).”
With all of the rumours occurring referring to a possible merger between Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Fast-Step, I took a take a look at the present blended squad standing. (Knowledge: @FirstCycling) %.twitter.com/PeXnPAWHgISeptember 24, 2023