Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) has revealed that his headline move away from Soudal-Quickstep hinged on one non-negotiable demand – any new team had to be sponsored by Specialized.
Speaking on The Specialized Podcast, released on 1 January, Evenepoel explained that equipment continuity came before salary, sporting project or staff when he opened talks over what Geraint Thomas has called cycling's first €10m transfer.
"Honestly, that was the first thing that I always mention. If you want me, we have to race Specialized," Evenepoel said. "When I go to speak with a team, it's you have to bring in Specialized, or you're not getting me."
He admitted that the condition ruled out several options before Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, already under a long-term deal with the Californian brand, emerged as an obvious fit.
"For some teams, [it] was not an easy task to implement that in their future plan," he said. "With the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team, it was super easy because you guys have a longer-term contract with them. So in the end, it makes things much easier to finalise stuff."
The Belgian officially joined Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe on 1 January 2026 after seven seasons as a professional with Soudal-Quickstep.
Long-term partnership over short-term gain
Evenepoel has ridden Specialized bikes since his junior days, winning the junior time trial and road race world titles on the brand's equipment before skipping the under-23 ranks and turning professional on a Specialized-sponsored Soudal-Quickstep in 2019.
"Since I rode the Specialized bikes, I have had good results," he said. "My second year junior was really outstanding. And then every year since then I have won a race. I just feel good on the bike, feel very happy and familiar with the people that are working here."
He cited long-standing relationships with key technical staff as central to his insistence on staying with the brand. He also highlighted the development of the TT5 time trial helmet as an example of that collaboration.
"At some point I said, guys, I need something else because if I want to become the best time triallist in the world, we need to have a helmet that is perfect for me," he recalled. "TT5 came out, and I think I have not lost [a] TT since then almost."
Body geometry work has also underpinned his time trial dominance, including the much-discussed move from 172.5mm to 165mm crank lengths, first on his Shiv TT then on his Tarmac.
"Biggest change, of course, was going from 172.5 cranks to 165," Evenepoel said. "Since then, I have been winning my TTs every single time. So since that moment I just could trust [Jason Williams - Specialized Sports Scientist] blindly."
Specialized road liaison Leo Menville said there are few riders in the WorldTour prepared to make a bike sponsor a condition of their transfer.
Dauphiné isolation still a turning point
While the equipment clause shaped which teams Evenepoel could join, he confirmed that the 2025 Critérium du Dauphiné remained a key sporting trigger for the decision to leave Soudal-Quickstep.
He won the stage 4 individual time trial, putting 49 seconds into Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) to take the yellow jersey, but repeatedly found himself without teammates when the race hit the high mountains.
In contrast, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rode in support of Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), keeping several riders around their young leader deep into the Alpine climbs. Lipowitz went on to finish third overall and win the young rider classification, with Evenepoel dropping to fourth.
"We arrive in the valley, and I had one guy in the breakaway," Evenepoel said, recalling the final mountain stage. "But then there were three or four guys of Red Bull around me. So I was like, man, I'm alone, and these teams are with three or four."
The Dauphiné experience reinforced his desire for a deeper mountain support structure alongside the technical backing he already enjoyed.
Evenepoel's transfer was announced in August 2025 after his Soudal-Quickstep contract was terminated a year early by mutual agreement.
He was in Morgan Hill in October 2025 with his new team for wind tunnel testing and bike fitting, with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Specialized working together around a 2026 programme built to support his Tour de France ambitions.
