Soudal Quick-Step: Pack gets new pecking order, with Evenepoel as the absolute leader of the Wolfpack chaos

In our year-end series where all WorldTour teams are put through their paces one more time, we are gradually reaching the top three. For this episode we are focusing on Soudal Quick-step, the team that has repeatedly found itself in the eye of the storm over the past year. IDLProCycling.com takes another look at the ins and outs of The Wolfpack;

One-day races 2023: Soudal Quick-Step

The spring season of Soudal Quick-Step seemed to be heading for disappointment for a while, but team boss Patrick Lefevere remained calm by stating that the final assessment would be made after Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He was proven right again: the race was brilliantly won by team leader Remco Evenepoel, giving Soudal Quick-Step's spring season a golden lining at the last moment.

For the rest, riders like Kasper Asgreen, Florian Sénéchal, Julian Alaphilippe, and Yves Lampaert struggled to compete with the likes of Van der Poel/Pogacar, but to be fair: who could actually stand up to them? No one, so even Lefevere's usually strong classics team was no exception. Tim Merlier did win two impressive races, Nokere Koerse and the GP Fourmies.

In the autumn, the team was consistently on point. Evenepoel won the Clasica San Sebastian and the World Time Trial Championship in succession during the summer, while Ilan Van Wilder and Andrea Bagioli added color to the Italian autumn with victories in Tre Valli Varesine and Andrea Bagioli. The latter also gave his team a beautiful farewell gift with a second place in the Tour of Lombardy.

(Grand) tours 2023: Soudal Quick-Step

Winning the Giro was Evenepoel's big goal at the start of 2023. The Belgian seemed well on his way with two time trial victories, but then dropped out due to contracting covid. In the autumn, he focused on the Vuelta, but a bad day proved to be the culprit. Remarkably, the Belgian recovered and eventually went home with three stages and the mountain jersey.

Additionally, the Belgian won the UAE Tour, finished second in the Tour of Catalonia, and third in the Tour of Switzerland. Van Wilder also achieved an impressive victory in the Deutschland Tour, while Lampaert finished a strong third in the same week in the Renewi Tour.

In the Tour de France, sprinter Fabio Jakobsen had to leave the race early, but thanks to Kasper Asgreen's strong performance in the final week, the team ultimately secured a stage victory. Throughout the season, the team achieved numerous stage wins, bringing their total season wins to 55.

2023 Final grade for Soudal Quick-Step

Soudal Quick-Step achieved 55 victories, won a Monument, a World Championship and stages in all the Grand Tours. With this, the team once again met the standards, although these are partly based on major classic victories in the Flemish spring and Grand Tour overall classifications by Evenepoel. Our (former) editorial members rated the team with a 6.8 as their final score.

2023/2024 Transfers: Soudal Quick-Step

Soudal Quick-Step underwent a true metamorphosis during this transfer window. Many key figures who contributed to the team's success in the past seasons left the squad. Fabio Jakobsen as the absolute leader, but also valuable pawns like Tim Declercq, Florian Sénéchal, Michael Morkov, Dries Devenyns, and Rémi Cavagna, who had become integral parts of the team.

Additionally, the departure of still talented riders such as Andrea Bagioli, Mauro Schmid, Davide Ballerini, Ethan Vernon and Stan Van Tricht marks a significant change. While the team lost considerable experience, it gained two riders with substantial WorldTour experience: Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious) and Gianni Moscon (Astana Qazaqstan Team).

Furthermore, the focus seems to be on nurturing young talent for the upcoming year. With William Junior Leclerf, Antoine Huby, and Luke Lamperti, there are top talents joining who can make an immediate impact, and the same might be true for Paul Magnier, Gil Gelders, and Warre Vangeluwhe. It will be interesting to see how this evolves!

Incoming: Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious), Gianni Moscon (Astana Qazaqstan Team), Jordi Warlop, Gil Gelders, Warre Vangeluwhe, William Junior Leclerf (training team), Paul Magnier, Luke Lamperti (Trinity), Ayco Bastiaens (Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team) and Antoine Huby (Vendée)

(Provisional) outgoing: Fabio Jakobsen (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Tim Declercq, Andrea Bagioli (Lidl-Trek), Florian Sénéchal (Arkéa Samsic), Davide Ballerini, Michael Morkov (Astana Qazaqstan Team), Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), Dries Devenyns (Retired), Rémi Cavagna (Movistar), Jannik Steimle (Q36.5), Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) and Stan Van Tricht (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Ones to watch 2024: Soudal Quick-Step

Although Soudal Quick-Step seems to have undergone a significant rejuvenation, in reality, the change is more moderate. Of the 27 riders, 17 are still over 27 years old, and with the likes of Pieter Serry, Yves Lampaert, Bert Van Lerberghe, and Louis Vervaeke, there are plenty of experienced people to ensure the continuity of the culture in the team. Additionally, the absolute team leader Remco Evenepoel can be seen as a pivotal figure, especially as he aims to make an impact in next year’s Tour de France.

From a Belgian perspective, it's interesting to watch the potential strides Mauri Vansevenant and Ilan Van Wilder can make in the shadow of Evenepoel, while the international press will keenly observe the performances of Julian Alaphilippe, Mikel Landa, and Gianni Moscon following a less impressive year. There's also curiosity around whether Kasper Asgreen can rediscover his spring 2021 form after his remarkable Tour de France.

Then there are the six newcomers, young talents entering the team. William Junior Leclerf, Antoine Huby, and Luke Lamperti are considered absolute top prospects, making it particularly interesting to see how they will showcase their abilities in 2024 under the guidance of Lefevere.

(Provisional) 2024 selection: Soudal Quick-Step

1. Julian Alaphilippe
2. Kasper Asgreen
3. Ayco Bastiaens
4. Mattia Cattaneo
5. Remco Evenepoel
6. Gil Gelders
7. Jan Hirt
8. Antoine Huby
9. James Knox
10. Yves Lampaert
11. Luke Lamperti
12. Mikel Landa
13. William Junior Leclerf
14. Paul Magnier
15. Fausto Masnada
16. Tim Merlier
17. Gianni Moscon
18. Casper Pedersen
19. Pieter Serry
20. Martin Svrcek
21. Bert Van Lerberghe
22. Ilan Van Wilder
23. Warre Vangheluwe
24. Mauri Vansevenant
25. Louis Vervaeke
26. Jordi Warlop
27. Josef Cerny