
Olympic cycling champ Evenepoel moves to rival outfit
The 25-year-old Belgian rider informed Soudal Quick-Step that he would not extend his contract, which was due to expire at the end of 2026. The team has agreed to release him early.
"After taking some time to consult with our sponsors and partners, the team's ownership and management have decided that it is in the best interest of everyone to agree that Remco can move at the end of the current 2025 season," Soudal Quick-Step said on Tuesday.
Evenepoel signed with Soudal Quick-Step at a young age after the squad's former manager Patrick Lefevere spotted his immense potential. Under Lefevere's supervision, Evenepoel won prestigious races, including the 2022 Vuelta a Espana two stages of the Tour de France and two titles at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
He finished third at the 2024 Tour de France but withdrew from this year's edition. Widely considered the best time trialist in the world, Evenepoel remains focused on winning more Grand Tours.
Evenepoel's move will strengthen Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe, where he will team up with Primoz Roglic and Florian Lipowitz, who finished third in last month's Tour de France.
In Paris, Evenepoel become the first rider to sweep the road race and time trial at the Summer Games.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Perth Now
13 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Paris 'sting' driving Australian triathlete to stardom
Matt Hauser has taken what the Paris Olympics showed him and run with it - all the way to a triathlon world title and the top of the men's rankings. As the 27-year-old continues to fulfil his potential, he's giving Australian triathlon what it's lacked for several years - a genuine Olympic star. Hauser has made an outstanding start to the LA Games cycle, winning two of the first four rounds in this year's world championship series and finishing no lower than second. The two-time Olympian also anchored Australia at the mixed relay world titles last month, overcoming a 20-second deficit as Hauser and Paris teammates Sophie Linn and Luke Willian combined with Emma Jeffcoat to win the event for the first time since 2017. The individual and mixed relay events will be run again at the LA Games. No Australian has won the men's triathlon world title since Pete Robertson in 2005, with the series format introduced in 2009. Olympic medallist Emma Moffatt won the women's world championship series in 2009 and '10. The October 19 championship series final will be held in Wollongong, giving Hauser even more motivation for a big season. Hauser finished seventh at Paris, the best Australian result in the Olympic men's race for two decades. But for a stumble in the bike-run transition, he may well have finished closer to the podium. "The thing I learned about Paris the most is that I can really make a difference in the sport. I can be a part of the next move," Hauser told AAP. "The building block towards LA is making sure that I'm one of the key figures in men's triathlon." Hauser said Paris was solid, but not nearly what he wanted. "It definitely stung a little bit. I knew I was capable - on a perfect day, I definitely could have medalled," he said. "I will take that, and I will definitely take that forward to the next few years leading into LA. "This year is just a matter of bouncing straight back into it and not having little hiccups and setbacks, like the little fall in transition." Hauser said having this year's final in Australia was another big motivation to make the best possible start to the LA Olympic cycle. "It's been the driving force for my results over the last six months. Having that carrot dangling in front of me has allowed me to not let Paris get me down too much, to get straight back on the horse," he said. "It's going to be tough ... I'm ultimately going to have to win Wollongong to secure the world title. "Although I've had an amazing season so far, I really just want to keep pushing forward." Winning the mixed relay world title has been a major morale boost for the national program, which now features Moffatt as a key official. She finished third at the Beijing Olympics behind compatriot Emma Snowsill, who won the gold medal and also is lending her expertise to the national squad. "It was a massive deal ... it's nice to be back," Hauser said of the mixed relay win. "We're slowly starting to find our way back to our groove, back to the top. It's an exciting prospect, given Brisbane is only seven years away - and that's still well and truly within my sights." Hauser is back on the Gold Coast for a training block before returning to Europe for two more world championship series rounds, and then Wollongong. He and partner Georgia Humphries have a 10-month old Vizsla pup Maple - "a perfect combination of crazy and cuddly" - and Hauser's well-curated collection of vinyl records. "I'm loving Black Sabbath at the moment - RIP Ozzy Osbourne," Hauser said.

Sydney Morning Herald
5 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
How a Facebook ad could take Mattias to Paralympics
Mattias Lock is in line to become a Paralympian – thanks to a Facebook ad. In 2016, Lock spent his days combining his passion with work. A scuba-diving instructor, he was refilling an oxygen canister when it exploded and blasted fragments of steel into his body, shattering bones in his leg and leaving him an amputee. Last year, the 36-year-old found himself drifting through life. 'I would describe it as I was floating along,' he said. 'I was just a bit of a husk. I didn't really have much going on, and it felt very gloomy at times.' Spending a lot of time at home, Lock found himself watching the 2024 Paralympic Games. Soon after, he started seeing ads on Facebook and Instagram for the Australian Institute of Sport's Olympic and Paralympic tryout days. 'I probably would have been just bumming around, you know, doing laundry or something and going, 'Why not? Let's just click on this link and see what it's all about',' he said. Lock registered for two tryouts, but decided he would not sign up for anything if he didn't actually have a chance to make a Paralympic team. 'I didn't want to half-ass it,' he said. 'I didn't want to just pick up a new hobby or a new sport, I wasn't there for that. I needed something to commit my mind, to commit my body, to commit my life to that can give me some sort of big payoff in terms of satisfaction, in terms of joy, in achievement through adversity.'

The Age
5 hours ago
- The Age
How a Facebook ad could take Mattias to Paralympics
Mattias Lock is in line to become a Paralympian – thanks to a Facebook ad. In 2016, Lock spent his days combining his passion with work. A scuba-diving instructor, he was refilling an oxygen canister when it exploded and blasted fragments of steel into his body, shattering bones in his leg and leaving him an amputee. Last year, the 36-year-old found himself drifting through life. 'I would describe it as I was floating along,' he said. 'I was just a bit of a husk. I didn't really have much going on, and it felt very gloomy at times.' Spending a lot of time at home, Lock found himself watching the 2024 Paralympic Games. Soon after, he started seeing ads on Facebook and Instagram for the Australian Institute of Sport's Olympic and Paralympic tryout days. 'I probably would have been just bumming around, you know, doing laundry or something and going, 'Why not? Let's just click on this link and see what it's all about',' he said. Lock registered for two tryouts, but decided he would not sign up for anything if he didn't actually have a chance to make a Paralympic team. 'I didn't want to half-ass it,' he said. 'I didn't want to just pick up a new hobby or a new sport, I wasn't there for that. I needed something to commit my mind, to commit my body, to commit my life to that can give me some sort of big payoff in terms of satisfaction, in terms of joy, in achievement through adversity.'