For the first time in 24 years, the Belgian flooring company Quick-Step will not be a co-title sponsor of the country’s most successful cycling team from next season, Cycling Weekly has learned.
Since their inception in 2003, the team that homed talents such as Tom Boonen, Philippe Gilbert and Remco Evenepoel has been fully or partly sponsored by Quick-Step, with the current team named Soudal Quick-Step since 2023. Quick-Step also sponsored the Mapei-Quickstep team from 1999 to 2002.
Cycling Weekly reported at last year’s Tour de France that Quick-Step were looking to reduce their financial investment in the team. Now CW can reveal that, from next season, Quick-Step will swap their title sponsorship of the team to a smaller but still visible role.
Stepping into their place as co-title sponsor will be Safety Jogger. The Belgian shoe, workwear and head protection brand has been a partner of the team since 2022, and has gradually increased its backing in the past few seasons. Its logo currently sits prominently on the back of the riders’ bib shorts and the side of the team bus.
CW understands that Safety Jogger will essentially be acting as a placeholder co-title sponsor, with the team still searching for a bigger company to join Soudal as naming partner in the 2028 season. Sources suggested that the team may already be in advance talks with one business.
There will be no impact on the women’s WorldTour team which hasn’t Quick-Step as a co-title sponsor since the 2023 season; since then they’ve been known as AG Insurance-Soudal.
The announcement of Quick-Step’s departure as title sponsor and Safety Jogger’s impending promotion is expected to be made at a press conference on Monday, the first rest day of the Tour de France.
In Quick-Step’s 24-year involvement, the team have accrued more than 1,000 victories. Davitamon, Innergetic, Omega Pharma, Etixx, Deceuninck and most recently Soudal have all been co-title sponsors at various points.
At this year’s Tour, Tim Merlier has won two sprints for the team, ensuring the squad have kept up their streak of winning at least one stage at every race since 2013.
A spokesperson for Soudal Quick-Step declined to comment when approached by CW.
