Last Wednesday (05), in an interview with the newspaper As, the director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, shared how he felt about the possibility of the old merger between two powerful teams, Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step. The businessman stated that the plan could harm competition.
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“What worried me a little were the rumors about the merger of Jumbo and Soudal, with Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel on the same team. But instead, there will be four great champions, Tadej Pogocar, Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel, in four different teams, which could build an excellent Tour de France”, said Christian Prudhomme.
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The director confirmed that, now, after the speculations have ended, the Tour de France has a great chance of becoming a great spectacle, as has happened on other occasions in other races. Furthermore, he recognized that next year’s competition will be more difficult, with a different start and end than the previous ones.
Previously, rumors began to emerge that a possible merger between two teams would occur, shortly after the information was confirmed by the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) was notified of the possible change, following several discussions with teams and future sponsors.
According to reports, Jumbo-Visma CEO Richard Plugge reportedly contacted and met UCI President David Lappartient to elaborate on the super team’s plans. However, after repercussions among athletes, internal members and the team, the plans were canceled.