If a change of name wasn’t enough, Soudal-QuickStep – who will become Soudal-Safety Jogger in 2027 – will change bikes next season, riding Merida after a long relationship with American brand Specialized.
The Women's WorldTour team, AG Insurance-Soudal, are also included in the deal, which will bring about a huge change in the kit riders will race with, Specialized having provided the teams with their entire suite of products for years.
Specialized has become as synonymous with the Belgian team as the long-running sponsor QuickStep, but just as the flooring brand will no longer be printed on their jerseys, their riders won’t be riding on the American brand's bikes, having first raced them in 2006.
They switched to the Belgian brand Eddy Merckx for the 2010 and 2011 seasons, but returned in 2012 and have been racing and winning aboard Specialized bikes ever since.
Merida’s Reacto and Time-Warp frames will form the basis around which the bikes are built for at least the next four years, with Shimano adding their range of Dura-Ace wheelsets to the groupsets the team have used since 2016. Continental tyres will keep it all in contact with the road, while riders will perch themselves on Prologo saddles.
Finally, Lazer helmets and Sidi shoes will top and toe the riders themselves.
The team have been researching and evaluating the new kit for some time, with their Head of Technical and Development, Nicolas Coosemans, working with Koen Pelgrim, one of the squad’s performance coaches.
"Products were extensively tested and assessed in controlled environments, including wind-tunnel testing, as well as in real-world ‘on the road’ conditions. This rigorous approach ensures that every element of the teams’ technical package has been selected to help our riders perform at the highest level," a team press release stated.
The deal with Merida will see both men’s and women’s teams working closely with the Taiwanese brand in order to optimise their equipment, and working with the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub in Britain.
"What excites me most is not simply the individual products that our riders will use, but the expertise that each of these companies brings our teams," said team CEO Jurgen Foré . "We want our technical partners to work closely with our riders and performance staff, sharing knowledge, data and ideas so that we can continue to develop together.
"We are very grateful to all of our new partners for the confidence they show in Soudal-Safety Jogger and AG Insurance Soudal. We look forward to beginning these new partnerships and being able to show you exactly what we have been working so hard to deliver."
Tim Merlier will go down as the team’s final rider to win on Specialized, taking victory in Sunday’s stage 5 at the Eneco Tour, patting the frame of his Tarmac SL-9 bike immediately after crossing the line.
"I think 80 victories already in my career and I don’t know who owns Specialized but since I’m on this brand I got already a lot of victories, so I’m proud to close the season again with the win for them," Merlier said.
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