So long, Quick-Step, thanks for all the floors

The Belgian WorldTour team will drop the Quick-Step name for the first time in more than two decades as an existing sponsor steps into the title role The post So long, Quick-Step, thanks for all the floors appeared first on Canadian Cycling Magazine .

Team names change, we cycling fans know. It feels like a hundred years ago it was Jumbo-Visma, but really it was three. And it didn’t take long for Visma-Lease a Bike to stick in our heads.

I mean look at Sky. I mean Ineos. I mean Ineos-Grenadiers.. erm , Netcompany-Ineos?

You get the drift. Sponsors are there for as long as they seem fit for exposure, then another one replaces them on the jersey. (Hopefully.)

Visma, for example, is one of the longest running teams in the peloton. It began back in 1984 as Kwantum–Decosol. Before then the sponsor itself would own the team.

In fact, it was the late Laurent Fignon and Cyrille Guimard who pioneered the idea of holding companies for pro cycling teams. Fignon and Guimard developed a structure that owned rider contracts and leased the team to title sponsors, a model that later became common throughout the sport. After Renault ended the team sponsorship, the two created a company called France Compétition, which owned the rider contracts and leased the team to sponsors such as Système U and then Castorama.

Soudal in 2027, enter the boots Another team that’s been around for a while is Soudal Quick-Step. But it is set for a major identity change in 2027. And boy oh boy, you’re gonna love the catchy new name.

Btw, did you catch Tim Merlier’s incredible win(s) at the Tour de France? On Monday, the Belgian squad announced it will race under the name Soudal Safety Jogger. It marks the first time since the team’s launch in 2003 that the Quick-Step brand will no longer appear in its official title.

Safety Jogger is a Belgian manufacturer of safety footwear, workwear and protective equipment, first partnered with the team in 2021. And guess what? They are available in Canada if you need some new kicks for renovations or if you work in construction or contracting.

See? That’s how exposure works. I’m sure if you were to open a bank in the Netherlands tomorrow, you’d probably choose Rabobank, right?

And if you need grout, Mapei is your choice. Need some new uh, caffeine shampoo? I hear Alpecin is the bomb.

Earlier this year, the company extended its sponsorship through the end of 2030 and will now become a co-title sponsor alongside Soudal. Quick-Step will still maintain a visible presence on the team’s jersey despite leaving the team name, as reported by Wielerflits. Don’t worry, it won’t take long for this new name to roll off your tongue.

The post So long, Quick-Step, thanks for all the floors appeared first on Canadian Cycling Magazine .