Beyond the racing at the Tour de France, as there always is, lies the ongoing undercurrent of the rider transfer market, and this year the biggest name in the headlines is that of Remco Evenepoel.
Recent summers have been chock-full of rumours of Evenepoel switching his Soudal-QuickStep colours for those of another team, with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and Ineos Grenadiers the top contenders for his signature.
The Belgian, currently second overall at the Tour through a week of racing, is under contract with Soudal-QuickStep until the end of 2026, but that hasn't stopped the transfer talk this summer. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe are again in the frame, with reports earlier this week suggesting negotiations are ongoing with a deal 70-80% complete.
Soudal-QuickStep CEO Jurgen Foré has insisted the Olympic champion will "definitely be riding with us for another year", while former team boss Patrick Lefevere has also weighed in on the saga.
Writing in his weekly column for Het Nieuwsblad, Lefevere, who retired at the end of last season, suggested that the fight for Evenepoel's signature could end up in the labour courts, as any early termination of his contract would mean a potential legal battle and a multi-million Euro buy-out clause.
"Perhaps all parties will reach an agreement later, perhaps we're off to a legal battle in the labour court. Or perhaps – in true Tour tradition – it's a storm in a teacup and Remco will simply stay where he is," Lefevere wrote.
"Leaving or staying? Honestly, I don't know. I only know the context: Bora manager Ralph Denk has been pushing Remco for four years. He made him an initial proposal that still stings my eyes. After that, it never stopped: Ineos, at one point even Lidl-Trek, I understand, and always Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe."
He may not know what lies ahead for Evenepoel, but Lefevere was sure that Soudal-QuickStep will be secure even if their superstar moves on.
"Maybe they're really making Remco an offer he can't refuse, but that doesn't mean Jurgen Foré and [team owner] Zdeněk Bakala should simply accept it," Lefevere wrote.
"Remco has a contract until the end of 2026, while Specialized has another year. Also important: none of our sponsorship contracts will expire if Remco were to stop riding for the team. At Soudal-QuickStep, that clause was included in the first year, but it's no longer there."
Lefevere also said that Evenepoel won't be affected by the fresh round of transfer speculation at the Tour. Following his stage 5 time trial win, he limited his losses on the Mûr-de-Bretagne and now lies 54 seconds down on Tadej Pogačar and 23 up on Jonas Vingegaard. Currently in the white jersey as best young rider, if the speculation is affecting Evenepoel, it certainly doesn't seem to be showing.
"Remco has a strong head. He missed the start of the Tour but is already back in second place in the general classification," Lefevere wrote, referring to the Belgian missing the front group during the echelon-hit stage 1.
"I understand that a few transfer hurdles after four years of speculation don't faze him anymore, but the journalists have been raving about it again these past few days."
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