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Wikipedia / Soudal Quick-Step

Soudal–Quick-Step () is a Belgian UCI WorldTeam cycling team led by team manager Jurgen Foré. The directeurs sportifs are Davide Bramati, Iljo Keisse, Klaas Lodewyck, Wilfried Peeters, Tom Steels, Geert Van Bondt, Dries Devenyns and Kevin Hulsmans.

The team is nicknamed 'The Wolfpack' and has used the term in its branding since 2017.

History

The team was created as Quick-Step–Davitamon in 2003 from staff and riders of Domo–Farm Frites and Mapei–Quick-Step when the latter disbanded after nine years in the sport. Paolo Bettini won the UCI Road World Cup in 2003 and 2004 as well as the 2004 Summer Olympics road title in 2004.

In the 2005 UCI ProTour season, renamed Quick-Step–Innergetic, the team won a large number of classics: Tom Boonen won Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix, Filippo Pozzato the HEW Cyclassics, and Paolo Bettini the Züri-Metzgete and the Giro di Lombardia. In late 2005 Tom Boonen won the 2005 UCI Road World Championships in Madrid, where Michael Rogers won the time-trial.

In 2006 Boonen retained the Tour of Flanders and held the yellow jersey in the 2006 Tour de France during stage 3–6, and Filippo Pozzato won 2006 Milan–San Remo. Paolo Bettini won the world championship in Salzburg and retained his Giro di Lombardia crown. In 2007 Tom Boonen won the points classification in the Tour de France, taking two stage wins. Bettini defended his world championship in Stuttgart.

In 2008 Gert Steegmans took the final stage of the 2008 Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées. Paolo Bettini retired after the world championship in Varese. In both 2008 and 2009 Stijn Devolder took the Tour of Flanders and Tom Boonen, Paris–Roubaix. After two seasons of disappointment, a resurgent Omega Pharma–Quick-Step and Tom Boonen took four major Spring classics victories, including the four cobblestone courses E3 Harelbeke, Gent–Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders, Paris–Roubaix.

In October 2012, the team fired their veteran rider Levi Leipheimer after he admitted to doping in a sworn affidavit to USADA. This was despite the team statement that "commended" Leipheimer for his "open cooperation" in the USADA investigation that exposed Lance Armstrong's long-term cheating in cycling via doping. The team's action was described by USADA head Travis Tygart as "The classic Omertà move, right? Actions speak louder than words. On the one hand, they say they congratulate him on coming forward, [but] their action terminating him for being truthful speaks a lot louder than their words."

CyclingNews reported in the same article that the team's claim to have only recently learned of Leipheimer's past doping was according to Tygart "absolutely not true... Leipheimer and a USADA attorney told the team months ago of the investigation, and of Leipheimer's role". Cyclingnews noted that Omega Pharma general manager Patrick Lefevere "had admitted in 2007 to having used doping products, including amphetamines, during his own career". Lefevere is still CEO of Etixx as of September 2015.

On 17 July 2014, the team announced that Iljo Keisse had been given a two-year contract extension. Tony Martin confirmed via his Twitter account that he had signed a two-year contract extension. On 19 August the team announced that Pieter Serry had signed a two-year contract extension, on 27 August the team announced the signing of Maxime Bouet on a two-year deal and on 1 September the team announced the signing of David de la Cruz on a two-year contract. In 2014 Michał Kwiatkowski won a rainbow jersey in 2014 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race in Ponferrada, Spain.

In February 2015, the team announced it had signed 2015 UCI World Omnium champion, Fernando Gaviria, and fellow Colombian, Rodrigo Contreras, on two-year deals set to commence at the start of the 2016 season. In August 2015, the team signed Davide Martinelli for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. As of April 2021, the team has won more than 800 races, making it one of the most successful squads in history.

With the win in 7th stage of 2024 Tour de France, the team won stages in 12 Tour de France in a row, the longest active streak and second only to TI Raleigh with 17 (1976-1992).

Sponsorship and ownership

The team is operated by the company Decolef Lux, based in Luxembourg with branches in France and Belgium. A majority shareholder of the company is a Czech businessman Zdeněk Bakala. Title sponsors throughout its history have been Quick-Step Flooring, a division of Mohawk Industries, who had previously been co-sponsors of the Mapei team from 1999 to 2003.

Belgian pharmaceutical company Omega Pharma had two spells as title co-sponsors (2003–07 and 2012–16), using either the company name or one of its products. Either side of its first involvement with this team, Omega were sponsors of their Belgian rivals.

Deceuninck, a manufacturer of PVC-systems windows, became the primary sponsors from 2019, with Quick-Step Floors remaining as secondary sponsor. At the Tour of Flanders in 2020 and 2021, the team carried the name of a Deceuninck product line, Elegant, rather than that of the company. Deceuninck ended their sponsorship of the team following the 2021 season, while Quick-Step Floors extended their sponsorship until 2027. In 2023 Belgian chemical company Soudal joined as a title sponsor.

Team roster

Major wins

National, continental and world champions

  1. 2003

  2. World Time Trial Michael Rogers

  3. Italian Road Race Paolo Bettini

  4. Hungarian Time Trial László Bodrogi

  5. 2004

  6. Hungarian Time Trial László Bodrogi

  7. Olympic Road Race, Paolo Bettini

  8. World Time Trial Michael Rogers

  9. 2005

  10. World Road Race Tom Boonen

  11. World Time Trial Michael Rogers

  12. 2006

  13. World Road Race Paolo Bettini

  14. Italian Road Race Paolo Bettini

  15. 2007

  16. World Road Race Paolo Bettini

  17. Italian Road Race Giovanni Visconti

  18. 2008

  19. Belgian Time Trial Stijn Devolder

  20. 2009

  21. Belarus Time Trial Branislau Samoilau

  22. Belgian Road Race Tom Boonen

  23. 2010

  24. Belgian Road Race Stijn Devolder

  25. Belgian Time Trial Stijn Devolder

  26. Belarus Time Trial Branislau Samoilau

  27. 2011

  28. French Road Race Sylvain Chavanel

  29. Curaçao Road Race Marc de Maar

  30. Curaçao Time Trial Marc de Maar

  31. 2012

  32. Czech Cyclocross Zdeněk Štybar

  33. Belgian Road Race Tom Boonen

  34. Irish Road Race Matt Brammeier

  35. Netherlands Road Race Niki Terpstra

  36. Polish Road Race Michał Gołaś

  37. French Time Trial Sylvain Chavanel

  38. German Time Trial Tony Martin

  39. Slovak Time Trial Peter Velits

  40. Italian Time Trial Dario Cataldo

  41. Belgian Time Trial Kristof Vandewalle

  42. World Team Time Trial

  43. World Time Trial Tony Martin

  44. 2013

  45. Czech Cyclocross Zdeněk Štybar

  46. French Time Trial Sylvain Chavanel

  47. German Time Trial Tony Martin

  48. Slovak Time Trial Peter Velits

  49. Polish Road Race Michał Kwiatkowski

  50. British Road Race Mark Cavendish

  51. Belgian Time Trial Kristof Vandewalle

  52. World Team Time Trial

  53. World Time Trial Tony Martin

  54. 2014

  55. World Cyclocross Zdeněk Štybar

  56. Polish Time Trial Michał Kwiatkowski

  57. German Time Trial Tony Martin

  58. Czech Road Race Zdeněk Štybar

  59. World Road Race Michał Kwiatkowski

  60. 2015

  61. Colombian Time Trial Rigoberto Urán

  62. German Time Trial Tony Martin

  63. Czech Road Race Petr Vakoč

  64. Netherlands Road Race Niki Terpstra

  65. 2016

  66. World Track (Omnium) Fernando Gaviria

  67. German Time Trial Tony Martin

  68. Luxembourg Time Trial Bob Jungels

  69. Luxembourg Road Race Bob Jungels

  70. World Team Time Trial

  71. World Time Trial Tony Martin

  72. 2017

  73. New Zealand Time Trial Jack Bauer

  74. Belgian Time Trial Yves Lampaert

  75. Czech Road Race Zdeněk Štybar

  76. Luxembourg Road Race Bob Jungels

  77. 2018

  78. Belgian Road Race Yves Lampaert

  79. Luxembourg Time Trial Bob Jungels

  80. Italian Road Race Elia Viviani

  81. Danish Road Race Michael Mørkøv

  82. Luxembourg Road Race Bob Jungels

  83. World Team Time Trial

  84. 2019

  85. Argentine Road Race Maximiliano Richeze

  86. Danish Time Trial Kasper Asgreen

  87. Luxembourg Time Trial Bob Jungels

  88. Luxembourg Road Race Bob Jungels

  89. Netherlands Road Race Fabio Jakobsen

  90. Danish Road Race Michael Mørkøv

  91. European Time Trial Remco Evenepoel

  92. European Road Race Elia Viviani

  93. European Track Championships (Madison) Michael Mørkøv

  94. 2020

  95. New Zealand Road Race Shane Archbold

  96. World Track Championships (Madison) Michael Mørkøv

  97. Luxembourg Time Trial Bob Jungels

  98. French Time Trial Rémi Cavagna

  99. Danish Time Trial Kasper Asgreen

  100. Danish Road Race Kasper Asgreen

  101. World Road Race Julian Alaphilippe

  102. 2021

  103. Belgian Time Trial Yves Lampaert

  104. Danish Time Trial Kasper Asgreen

  105. Czech Republic Time Trial, Josef Černý

  106. Portuguese Time Trial João Almeida

  107. French Road Race Rémi Cavagna

  108. World Road Race Julian Alaphilippe

  109. World Track Championships (Madison) Michael Mørkøv

  110. 2022

  111. Belgian Time Trial Remco Evenepoel

  112. French Road Race Florian Sénéchal

  113. British Road Race Mark Cavendish

  114. European Road Race Fabio Jakobsen

  115. World Road Race Remco Evenepoel

  116. 2023

  117. French Time Trial Rémi Cavagna

  118. Danish Time Trial Kasper Asgreen

  119. Belgian Road Race Remco Evenepoel

  120. World Time Trial Remco Evenepoel

  121. 2024

  122. Olympic Road Race Remco Evenepoel

  123. Olympic Road Time Trial Remco Evenepoel

  124. European Road Race Tim Merlier

  125. World Time Trial Remco Evenepoel

References