Patrick Lefevere says Amazon arrival raises questions over Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step merger

Soudal Quick-Step CEO says the next few days will be key for the merger, as Jumbo-Visma talk with Remco Evenepoel

08:50, Saturday 30th September 2023

Daniel Benson

Editor in Chief

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Patrick Lefevere may be coming into his final months in charge of the Soudal Quick-Step team

Patrick Lefevere has stated that the arrival of Amazon as a backer for Jumbo-Visma ‘could be a gamechanger’ in the proposed talks surrounding a merger between his team and Jumbo-Visma.

Writing in his weekly column for Het Nieuwsblad, the Belgian team boss confirmed for the first time that both WorldTour teams had signed a letter of intent on a merger for the 2024 season but that Amazon’s recent arrival as sponsor for Jumbo-Visma had raised questions over the alignment of teams.

“Apparently things have accelerated on the Dutch side. But I have no idea in what capacity Amazon will come on board. Maybe it's about content creation, internal productions, I don't know,” Lefevere said.

“The fact is: with three parties – Soudal, Quick-Step and Visma – everyone can find their place 'proportionately'. With Amazon as a fourth party, this is no longer possible. As far as I know, there was no mention of their arrival last week. So yes, this could be a game changer.”

On Thursday, Wielerflits reported that the proposed ‘superteam’ had secured the backing of two high-profile sponsors, Amazon and Soudal Quick-Step's current bike manufacturer, Specialized. Amazon has already worked with Jumbo-Visma on producing the Jumbo-Visma docu-series but the Dutch media reported that $15 million per year would now be invested in the team.

According to Lefevere, the next three days will decide on whether the possible merger has any life, with his major shareholder Zdenek Bakala returning home immediately in order to seek clarification.

“After the letter of intent, it all dragged on for too long. But this cannot continue for three more days. Zdenek Bakala is currently flying to Europe. There should be much more clarity by Monday.”

It’s also unclear what a possible merger of the teams could mean for the dozens of staff and riders that overlap on both teams. Jumbo and Soudal Quick-Step both have over 25 riders contracted for next year, meaning that several athletes could be looking for a job if the deal comes off. A frustrating aspect for those riders who could be affected is that they cannot initiate talks with rival teams, as per UCI rules, until they are told they no longer have places for 2024.

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According to Lefevere, no such mapping of rosters has taken place and Remco Evenepoel, who has a contract with Lefevere’s current structure until the end of 2026 has been courted by the Jumbo bosses.

“That is an exercise we have not yet done. It has not yet been determined what the structure of the merger team could look like. That is also cutting-edge legal technology. There have been meetings with so many lawyers and counsellors. But I can guarantee you: my staff, I don't take that lightly. It is of course also the intention that Remco Evenepoel remains on board. I asked the people of Jumbo-Visma to talk to him, which has now happened.”

What’s certainly clear is that Lefevere is looking for a way out at some point. His team was previously linked with a buyout and then a merger with Ineos Grenadiers and the Belgian has made no secret of his desire to seek additional funding but with one eye on his eventual departure from cycling.

Last week it was reported that if a merger took place he would take a position on the board, rather than running the team’s day-to-day operation.

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“If [Richard] Plugge becomes CEO, it will be up to him to solve the pressing problems. Not up to me anymore. Limiting myself to a role on the Supervisory Board is the role I prefer. I will be 69 years old in January. That age plays a role and I can say that I have had it a little bit in the meantime.”