{"id":193999,"date":"2023-09-27T13:52:11","date_gmt":"2023-09-27T13:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=193999"},"modified":"2023-09-27T13:52:11","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T13:52:11","slug":"thats-not-gonna-work-is-it-geraint-thomas-questions-feasibility-of-jumbo-visma-and-soudal-quickstep-merger-amid-rivalries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2023\/09\/27\/thats-not-gonna-work-is-it-geraint-thomas-questions-feasibility-of-jumbo-visma-and-soudal-quickstep-merger-amid-rivalries\/","title":{"rendered":"‘That\u2019s Not Gonna Work, Is It?’: Geraint Thomas Questions Feasibility of Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-QuickStep Merger Amid Rivalries"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a wave of concern and confusion, Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe from Ineos Grenadiers have openly expressed their uncertainty regarding the potential merger of Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-QuickStep. The world of cycling was caught off guard with this news, first reported by WielerFlits.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

During a recent installment of their podcast, Watts Occurring, a surprised Thomas shared, \u201cI had no idea about this until you told me just before coming on.\u201d His doubts resonated through the conversation, especially considering the known animosity between Remco Evenepoel and the Jumbo-Visma rivals. “The one thing I would say is that Remco hates Jumbo, and Jumbo hate Remco, so that\u2019s not gonna work, is it? Unless they do different programmes,” Thomas remarked, bringing to light the seemingly insurmountable challenges of blending two opposing teams.<\/p>\n

The conversation further delved into the imminent loss of Jumbo as a co-title sponsor for Jumbo-Visma by the end of 2024, a situation that Thomas and Rowe find inconceivable for such a dominant team. \u201cI\u2019m not trying to start any rumours or anything, I\u2019m just saying. For me, the only thing I would say is why would Jumbo want to do that? They\u2019ve just won three Grand Tours,” Thomas mentioned, echoing his confusion at the unexpected development.<\/p>\n

Rowe added, \u201cBut do you know what that says to me, that\u2019s a sad state of affairs for cycling if that team [Jumbo-Visma] can\u2019t get a new headline sponsor,\u201d voicing his concerns over the apparent difficulty in securing a new primary sponsor despite the team\u2019s stellar performance and achievements.<\/p>\n

\"Geraint<\/a>
During a recent installment of their podcast, Watts Occurring, a surprised Thomas shared, \u201cI had no idea about this until you told me just before coming on.\u201d \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Highlighting the team\u2019s triumphs, Thomas expressed his dismay at the situation. \u201cHow can you not get another sponsor if you\u2019ve done what you\u2019ve just done like you\u2019ve won the Tour [de France] the last two years, you\u2019ve just dominated the last season, you\u2019ve got the biggest riders, Van Aert in his own right is huge. That\u2019s sad,\u201d he said, emphasizing the severe disappointment this reflects for the sport as a whole.<\/p>\n

Beyond the corporate implications, Thomas and Rowe highlighted the significant human aspect, emphasizing the potential job losses for riders and staff. Rowe questioned, \u201cThere are 50 riders under contract. So what happens if they merge? They\u2019ve got 20 riders too many,\u201d indicating the logistical nightmare and inevitable contract payouts, resulting in job losses and financial strain.<\/p>\n

Echoing this sentiment, Thomas stated, \u201cYou might think it\u2019s a good thing initially, but half of the jobs are going to go because you\u2019ve got a maximum amount of riders anyway that you can have with the rules. Then why are you going to have 24 swannies (soigneurs) in the team?\u201d His words paint a stark picture of the challenges and consequences this merger would impose.<\/p>\n

This merger\u2019s prospective downfall is a shared concern among other notable figures in the cycling community. The collective negative reaction emphasizes the \u201ccatastrophic consequences\u201d anticipated, as expressed by Brian Holm and Philippe Gilbert, underscoring the widespread apprehension over the impact on the riders and the broader economy of professional cycling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a wave of concern and confusion, Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe from Ineos Grenadiers have openly expressed their uncertainty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":194000,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[329],"tags":[1080,2718,7380,5789],"global-categories":[3366],"class_list":["post-193999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-road-cycling","tag-geraint-thomas","tag-jumbo-visma","tag-soudal-quickstep","tag-team-transfers","global-categories-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nGeraint Thomas Questions Feasibility of Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-QuickStep Merger<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In a wave of concern and confusion, Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe from Ineos Grenadiers have openly expressed their uncertainty regarding the potential\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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