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Soudal Quick-Step and AG Insurance-Soudal will switch from Specialized to Merida bikes next season, ending a partnership that began in 2007. The agreement is set to run through 2030, and the men’s team will also race under the name Soudal Safety Jogger.
Soudal Quick-Step and sister team AG Insurance-Soudal will replace Specialized bikes with Merida equipment next season, ending a relationship that dates to 2007. The deal is set to run through 2030; the men’s WorldTour team will also race under the name Soudal Safety Jogger from next year.
The teams are expected to use Merida’s Reacto road bike and Time-Warp time-trial bike. Their announced equipment package includes Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets, wheelsets and pedals, Continental tyres, Prologo saddles, Sidi shoes and Lazer helmets. The announcement describes the arrangement as a multi-year partnership through 2030.
The change closes a long association between Specialized and the men’s team, which began when the squad was known as Quickstep-Innergetic. The report says the partnership continued apart from two seasons when the team used Eddy Merckx bikes. During the Specialized years, the team achieved major results in the Classics and Grand Tour sprint stages, as well as world championships and a Grand Tour win.
Merida returns to the WorldTour as a bike supplier after a year away from the top level, according to Cycling Weekly. Bahrain Victorious was the brand’s most recent WorldTour team, before the change announced by Soudal. Remco Evenepoel, who won a Grand Tour with the team, now rides Specialized for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, the report notes.
A New Technical Partner for Both Teams
The switch changes a prominent equipment partnership for two teams competing at the highest level of road cycling. For Soudal Quick-Step, the change comes after nearly two decades with Specialized; for AG Insurance-Soudal, it means adopting the same new supplier as its sister men’s team. The bikes and other equipment form part of the teams’ race setup, so the move will be watched as riders and staff begin using the new package in competition.
Team CEO Jurgen Foré said equipment choices can affect rider performance and that the project involved reviewing the full technical package. That is the team’s stated rationale, not evidence that the new equipment will produce particular race results. The announcement provides no comparative performance figures or measured gains from the testing.
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From Specialized to Merida
Specialized first partnered with the team for the 2007 season, when it was called Quickstep-Innergetic. The relationship covered several different periods of team success, including Classics wins associated with Tom Boonen and sprint victories by Mark Cavendish, Marcel Kittel and Tim Merlier. The report also cites world championship wins and Evenepoel’s Grand Tour victory among the achievements during the broader partnership era.
The new arrangement follows what the team described as more than a year of work on technical partners. In its release, Soudal said head of technical and development Nicolas Coosemans and performance coach Koen Pelgrim were involved in research and evaluation. The release said products were tested in controlled settings, including wind tunnels, and in real-world road conditions. The source does not specify when each stage of the evaluation took place or publish test results.
“We have been working on this project for more than one year, because decisions around technical partners have a direct impact on the performance of our riders.”
— Jurgen Foré, team CEO
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Performance Gains Remain Unpublished
The announcement does not provide comparative test results, quantified aerodynamic or performance gains, or details showing how Merida’s bikes performed against the Specialized equipment. The teams’ claims about testing and potential improvements should not be read as proof of a race-performance advantage. It is also not clear whether the stated equipment package will be identical for every rider or how it may be adjusted to individual needs.
The source says the deal runs through 2030 but does not provide financial terms. It also does not give a precise calendar date for the switch beyond saying it will happen next season. Details of how the former partnership with Specialized will conclude are not included in the report.
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Teams Prepare for the Switch
The teams are due to begin using Merida bikes next season, with the men’s squad taking the Soudal Safety Jogger name at the same time. Riders and technical staff will need to work with the new bikes and component package ahead of racing, although the announcement does not set out a rollout schedule or identify when the equipment will first appear publicly.
Further information may clarify the transition timetable, the financial terms and the teams’ equipment specifications. Any assessment of the change’s sporting effect will require race evidence; the announcement itself establishes the supplier change and the team’s testing process, not a result on the road.
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Key Questions
Which teams are changing bike sponsors?
Soudal Quick-Step and its sister women’s team, AG Insurance-Soudal, are switching from Specialized to Merida.
When will the teams start using Merida bikes?
The switch is planned for next season. The report does not specify an exact date for the first race or public appearance on the new bikes.
Which Merida models will the teams use?
The announced package includes the Reacto road bike and the Time-Warp time-trial bike.
How long will the Merida deal last?
The partnership is set to run through 2030, according to the announcement reported by Cycling Weekly.
Has the team shown that the new bikes will improve results?
No comparative performance results were included. The team said equipment was tested in wind tunnels and on the road, but it has not published quantified gains or evidence that the change will improve race results.
Source: rss
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