Bart Roosens and Philippe Soenens Team Elevate powered by Home Solution-Soenens to join the Wolfpack.
The new team will join the Wolfpack from 1st January 2023 and will be known as Soudal – Quick-Step Devo Team. The task of all involved is to identify young cycling talent and bring them into a structure that will allow them to develop and flourish, with the aim of providing a sustainable stream of cycling talents to feed into the World Tour Team.
By joining the squad, the young riders will be exposed to what it is like working in a team infrastructure and environment similar to that of the World Tour team early in their careers, and experience the Wolfpack spirit and family feeling, and therefore better preparing them for when it is time to move up to the senior ranks.
The Belgian based Elevate p/b Home Solution-Soenens current team manager, Bart Roosens, will remain at the head of the project, with Kevin Hulsmans, a former member of the Quick-Step Team, also remaining the team’s sports director. Team Elevate will integrate into the Wolfpack’s structure, with logistics and expertise being shared, all with the aim of giving the best young cycling talents a platform to grow and shine.
Speaking of the new partnership, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl CEO Patrick Lefevere said: “We are delighted to welcome Bart into the Wolfpack. This is a fantastic opportunity for everyone involved to do something special and give an opportunity to identify the best young cycling talent around and give them a chance to grow into valuable members of our World Tour team.
We had a fantastic experience previously with the Klein Constantia team, which brought through a wealth of talent, including the current World Champion Julian Alaphilippe, Rémi Cavagna, Florian Sénéchal, Enric Mas, Max Schachmann… the list goes on. I would like and hope that we can build something similar again, and I am sure everyone will get behind and give their full support to this important new venture.”
Adding to this, Bart Roosens said: “I am very honored to have the opportunity to work with the new team. I have been a fan of the Wolfpack in its different incarnations, for many years. I am also a big admirer of Patrick, the way he works and what he has built – I have a lot of respect for him. I think Patrick has seen the work we already do and knows that we have the infrastructure and culture that can help these riders become valuable members of the full men’s team.
The goals of the new team will be to identify, develop and deliver young cyclists that are good enough to ride and compete at a World Tour level. I would like the first rider to be with them in two years, however, this is a project, and we want to do it in the correct way for both the team and the riders, so this may take some time.”
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images