Cycling, farewell between Viviani and Ineos Grenadiers. The prospects for 2025

Rome, 1 January 2025 - Among the contractual novelties of the season that effectively began today is the divorce between Elia Viviani , Ineos Grenadiers, who made his farewell official with a post on his social media pages.  

The outlook for 2025

  "It has been a privilege to compete for you in these 6 seasons. Thank you and good luck for the rest of your career". A chapter has been closed, or rather two, because the Veronese had already played in the then TeamSky between 2015 and the 2017 before the last ones come back to life 3 years, now the future is really a puzzle. Several teams had shown interest in the class of '89 in the past months, but most of them have gradually completed their rosters as the weeks have passed. Among them stands out the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, or maybe it stood out, because the track seems to have lost altitude: a track which, among other things, given the category Professional of the Swiss team, did not give any certainties in view of the Giro d'Italia 2025, the declared objective for Viviani for this season. Right in the beloved Corsa pink, the complete route of which will be revealed on 13st January, the Veronese would like to attack 90 wins mark in his career, with the bar now set at 89. However, there are many doubts and they seem to go beyond what will happen in May, because already now the road to finding a new team seems blocked.

Lefevere's new role at Soudal Quick-Step

  Among the novelties of the new year is that at home Soudal Quick Step sees Patrick Lefebvre get off the flagship after 21 years to make room for Jurgen Fore: a step which however, as explained by the person directly concerned (with the usual sui generis manner) to the microphones of Het Nieuwsblad, is far from a complete goodbye. "Everyone has said that I will continue to be present, but not in the way that some expect. I have no intention of standing on the sidelines like a pathetic old man to receive greetings at the start of the races. Jurgen asks me for advice, but I don't want to be seen as a godfather and tell the mechanics and staff how things were better before. It would be like sliding in with the ball far away and that's not my style. Having said that, coming after me is not a gift and I'm happy to have stepped aside". In short, as always the hurricane Lefevere he calls the shots for a Soudal Quick Step shaped over the years in his image and likeness. "I have always tried not to build a team around a single rider, but there is no denying that currently Remco Evenepoel is the man we always try to support. As a team we must not feel inferior to anyone and I say this in all modesty, without puffing up my chest. The Dutch know how to sell themselves better and put together a nicer package, but we of the Flanders Westerners we are more concrete".

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