No deal! Evenepoel's transfer talks collapse, staying with Soudal Quick-Step

It had been circulating in the cycling world for months, and it had also become somewhat of a taboo subject for Evenepoel himself. During the Tour of Britain, the Belgian remained tight-lipped, and team manager Patrick Lefevere often spoke mysteriously about the future of his golden boy. On Thursday, just a few days before Evenepoel will attempt to win his second world road race title, it is now being described in Belgium as a closed book.

"The rumor that had been buzzing through the peloton for months burst like a bubble last week, several sources tell us," reports the Belgian news outlet. "The flirtation between Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Remco Evenepoel has come to an end. The even more concrete negotiations with another unnamed team, which was a candidate to take Evenepoel, have also fallen through.

As a result, the Belgian will 'simply' start his seventh year with Lefevere's team next calendar year, where he is under contract until 2026. Evenepoel had an exceptional season this year, including a gold medal in both the Olympic time trial and road race. The only 24-year-old talent also finished third in the Tour de France and successfully defended his World Time Trial Championship title last Sunday.

This may give the Belgian champion some peace ahead of Sunday’s road race World Championships. There, alongside other favorites Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, he will attempt to win his second world road race title. In preparation for that, the Belgian rider completed a long training session towards Sankt Moritz on Thursday. Along with Laurens de Plus, Sven Vanthourenhout, and Victor Campenaerts, he completed a long and tough training session, which Vocsnor also captured in his vlog on Instagram.