Reports: Soudal-Quick Step to switch from Specialized to Merida in 2027

Two independent media reports this week – first from Dan Benson and then Wielerflits – say that Soudal-Quick Step will part ways with longtime equipment sponsor Specialized at the end of the year and move to Merida. The move would also reportedly cover the AG Insurance-Soudal women's WorldTour team.

If the reporting bears out, it would mark the first round of musical chairs for equipment sponsors ahead of next season. The move comes after two precedents: the departure of team leader Remco Evenepoel for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe (Evenepoel has a personal contract with Specialized and Red Bull is also sponsored by the brand) and Merida's disappearance from the WorldTour after its longtime team partner Bahrain Victorious switched to Bianchi for the 2026 season.

The move would also mark the end of one of the longest-running bike partnerships in the WorldTour. Soudal, in various title sponsor guises, has ridden Specialized bikes since the 2012 season, with riders like Tom Boonen, Mark Cavendish, Philippe Gilbert and Julian Alaphilippe all enjoying remarkable success aboard the Tarmac and Roubaix platforms. Soudal-Quick Step press relations replied to an Escape Collective email request to confirm or deny the news by simply writing, "We have nothing to say."