Remco Evenepoel has put an end to the endless transfer speculation linking him with a move away from Soudal Quick-Step at the end of the 2024 season.
Evenepoel has been regularly connected to a possible switch to the German team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, which is also sponsored by Specialized, Evenepoel's bike sponsors. However, Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reported late on Thursday that any possible move was dead in the water.
Speaking ahead of the elite men’s road race at the World Championships in Zurich, Evenepoel confirmed himself that he will stay with Quick-Step next year and brushed away suggestions that a switch was genuinely on the cards.
"I'll stay where I am, that's pretty clear," he said. "No transfers."
Evenepoel is tied to Patrick Lefevere’s team until 2026, although his constant stream of high-profile results has meant that he has constantly been linked with moves elsewhere.
Ineos Grenadiers attempted to sign Evenepoel as a junior and were said to be exploring ways to acquire the Belgian’s services in the autumn of 2022. Formal meetings to explore a possible transfer were reported to have taken place between Evenepoel, his father who acts as his agent, and team representatives. But Ineos failed in their attempts to entice the now double Olympic champion away from his current team.
The Ineos links continued in 2023 with Evenepoel being forced to brush away questions regarding his future at the Glasgow worlds last August. Red Bull coming on board at Bora-Hansgrohe earlier this year meant that the German WorldTour giants were the next team to be heavily linked with Evenepoel moving into 2025.
According to a report from Cyclingnews, Evenepoel dismissed the links on Friday and re emphasised his commitment to Soudal Quick-Step.
"I think some information was more than I knew myself, which was pretty funny to hear, but nothing changes," Evenepoel said.
"I'll stay with my [Soudal Quick-Step] teammates. We'll work and fight for the biggest goal, that is to one day win the Tour de France."
Evenepoel made his debut at the Tour de France this summer, securing third overall, a stage win and the best young rider’s classification.
Much of the discourse prior to Sunday’s worlds road race has centred on Tadej Pogačar’s attempt to become only the third man to claim cycling’s triple-crown - the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and road world title in the same season. Only Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche have claimed the hallowed prize before him.
The Slovenian dominated the recent Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, his final race before heading to Zurich, and is the outright favourite to claim the rainbow jersey, but Evenepoel is not too far behind.
Pogačar now stands on the cusp of history, although Evenepoel has his own monumental achievement within reach. He won the road world title in 2022 in Australia, but if he reclaims the rainbow jersey on Sunday he could become the first man to complete a historic Olympic and World Championships quadruple in the same season.
He has already successfully defended the time trial world title that he won in Scotland and has two Olympic medals in his collection. Another gold medal on Sunday would complete a hugely successful and historic year for the 24-year-old Belgian.
