Remco Evenepoel has signed a new contract with Deceuninck-QuickStep that will see him stay at the Belgian WorldTour outfit for the next five years.
His deal is the longest in pro cycling at present and follows Egan Bernal signing a five-year deal with Ineos Grenadiers two years ago that will see him remain at the team until 2023.
Evenepoel's current contract was due to expire at the end of this year but team boss Patrick Lefevere has wasted no time in extending him for as long as possible.
Most of the riders on Deceuninck-QuickStep are out of contract at the end of this year and a large number of new deals are expected in the weeks ahead.
Evenepoel, who turned 21 years in January, is currently on his way back from injury after his broken pelvis suffered at Il Lombardia last August.
Advertisement
He moved straight to WorldTour level after his junior
years and began winning races immediately, with 14 pro victories already on his
palmares despite the fact he has ridden just one full season since 2018.
Related News
“I feel really honoured to put pen to paper for the next
five years. As Patrick told me, this is the longest agreement he has ever
signed with a rider,” Evenepoel said.
“I’m really proud and happy to stay in this wonderful
team, where I have already enjoyed a lot of success, and hopefully we can reach
our big dreams. I love it here.”
Lefevere said he was delighted with the new contract, adding it was an "important step" for the future of his team. He claimed recently Bora-hansgrohe offered to buy his team just to secure Evenepoel, though the German team denied that.
“Everybody knows what Remco is capable of and how talented
he is,” Lefevere said. “As he said, he’s happy, and one of my most important
roles is to keep him happy and to put the right people around him.
“Because I know from experience, and I think I have some
after a small 40 years in the sport, that happy people perform better than
unhappy people.
“We’re glad Remco continues with the Wolfpack, and as he
said, we hope we’ll enjoy many more great moments together.”
Topics
