Although Soudal – Quick Step claims that Remco Evenepoel will stay with them, the path to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe seems to be further smoothed by the arrival of Sven Vanthourenhout, the former Belgian national coach.

Sven Vanthourenhout will become the team leader and technical staff member of the German team and this could be the famous bridge that might accelerate Evenepoel's transfer to Roglic's team.

Less than a year after announcing his departure from the Belgian Cycling Federation, Vanthourenhout will soon join the staff of the multi-million-dollar German team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, a rapprochement that actually began a few months ago.

In recent days, there has been much speculation about a possible transfer of Evenepoel to Red Bull-BORA hansgrohe, and Vanthourenhout's arrival in the German team could even anticipate this move. It is known that the former Belgian coach has an excellent relationship with Evenepoel and it was under his guidance that he won his three world titles, two in time trials and one on the road, and his double Olympic title. It is therefore not excluded that Red Bull, by hiring Vanthourenhout, has a plan to acquire Evenepoel.

Although an agreement with Soudal-Quick-Step still needs to be reached, as Evenepoel still has a contract with Jurgen Foré's team until 2026. Additionally, the two-time Olympic champion had previously been courted by Ineos Grenadiers, but this was limited to initial discussions, and there was also the issue with the technical sponsor Pinarello, which supplies bikes to the British team, while Evenepoel is tied to Specialized. From this perspective as well, the transfer to Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe would be simpler. In fact, both Ralph Denk's German team and Foré's team use Specialized bikes.

For a rider like Remco Evenepoel, who places great importance on the national champion title, racing for a Belgian team is very important, but today this seems no longer sufficient. Evenepoel is a highly talented rider with specific requirements that must allow him to maintain his performance. Unlike Soudal, Red Bull – Bora Hansgrohe has a very high budget which would guarantee the Belgian everything he needs. He could benefit from technicians who would help him make further advances in both equipment and nutrition. And the rumor mill suggests that Mattia Cattaneo, who has become one of Remco's trusted teammates, is also set to depart.

Of course, to have confirmations or denials, we will have to wait until the end of the Tour de France: the Belgian will make his decisions based on how the Grand Boucle goes.