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Jumbo-Visma have reportedly ended takeover talks with Soudal-QuickStep, as the Dutch team now have higher hopes of securing a new long-term sponsor.
After over two weeks of speculation, Jumbo-Visma riders and staff were reportedly told on Friday that the proposed merger was suddenly off as the team were preparing for Saturday’s Il Lombardia in Italy.
The race will be Primoz Roglic's final appearance for Jumbo-Visma after eight seasons with team, having completed his move to Bora-Hansgrove on the same day.
With the teams no longer joining forces, those who risked losing their jobs at Soudal-QuickStep are likely safe while Jumbo-Visma may have missed out on adding Remco Evenepoel to their roster in 2024.
Patrick Lefevere and Czech billionaire Zdenek Bakala remain owners of Soudal-QuickStep, who will apparently exist as a WorldTour team through the end of 2025, with the cancelled merger meaning Evenepoel remains under contract with them until 2026.
"We are satisfied that everything remains the same. We still want to win the Tour de France with Remco Evenepoel," said Soudal CEO Dirk Coorevits.
"The news was going around during the director's meeting," the team's sport director Davide Bramati replied. "I haven’t read anything about it yet.
"But for sure if it's true, I think it's good news for everybody and for all of cycling."
Meanwhile, Jumbo-Visma manager Richard Plugge will be looking for a title sponsor beyond 2024, at which point the Jumbo supermarket chain is due to end its backing.
