Tour de France director Prudhomme admits relief at collapse of Jumbo-Soudal merger

Christian Prudhomme in converation with Jonas Vingegaard at the 2023 Tour de France.
Christian Prudhomme in converation with Jonas Vingegaard at the 2023 Tour de France. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme has admitted that he was worried the proposed merger of Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-QuickStep would have diminished his race as a spectacle by putting Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel on the same team.

The collapse of the plan – not to mention Primož Roglič’s transfer to Bora-Hansgrohe – instead means that the four principal contenders for the Tour will be racing on four different teams next July.

Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling. Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell, the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English. The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999, and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling. Since then, major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features, news, results, photos and tech reporting. The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling.