As Jasper Stuyven launched an improbable and ultimately doomed solo bid for victory on stage 17 of the 2026 Tour de France, one thought went through my mind: This would never have happened had Remco Evenepoel stayed on the team.
For that matter, nor would Tim Merlier's three sprint victories have occurred, as it's likely he would've been left off the team entirely as it threw its support behind a campaign for the overall classification. And, finally, while Evenepoel might have avoided the first-week drama around the dual-leader approach of his new Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team, it's hard to imagine he'd be in a better place than he is now, firmly in second overall and packing back-to-back stage wins to boot.
Caley Fretz
In short, while Evenepoel's long and drawn-out transfer saga represented a significant rift for all parties, it also seems clear that everyone involved is in a better place than they were a year ago.
The transfer announcement early last August initially came across as a bit of a faceplant. Yes, Red Bull manager Ralph Denk finally got his man after a long courtship that betrayed an increasingly icy relationship with Soudal team founder and chairman Patrick Lefevere. "I hate him; there were rules and he ignored them," Lefevere said in February.
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