Soudal Quick-Step
| File:Etixx–Quick-Step logo.svg | ||
| Team information | ||
|---|---|---|
| UCI code | EQS | |
| Registered | Belgium | |
| Founded | 2003 | |
| Discipline(s) | Road | |
| Status | UCI WorldTeam | |
| Bicycles | Specialized | |
| Components | Shimano | |
| Website | Team home page | |
| Key personnel | ||
| General manager | Patrick Lefévère | |
| Team manager(s) | Brian Holm Rolf Aldag Davide Bramati Wilfried Peeters Rik Van Slycke Tom Steels Jan Schaffrath | |
| Team name history | ||
2003–2004 2005 2006–2007 2008–2011 2012–2014 2015– | Quick-Step–Davitamon (QSD) Quick-Step–Innergetic (QST) Quick-Step–Innergetic (QSI) Quick-Step (QST) Omega Pharma–Quick-Step (OPQ) Etixx–Quick-Step (EQS) | |
| ||
Etixx–Quick-Step (UCI Team Code: EQS) is a Belgian UCI World Tour cycling team led by team manager Patrick Lefévère. The directeurs sportifs are Davide Bramati, Wilfried Peeters, Rik Van Slycke, Tom Steels, Brian Holm, Rolf Aldag and Jan Schaffrath.[1] Etixx is a brand of supplements and nutrition products by Omega Pharma (the previous title sponsor), while Quick-Step is a manufacturer of laminate flooring.
History
The team was created as Quick-Step–Davitamon in 2003 from staff and riders of Domo-Farm Frites and Mapei–Quick-Step when the latter disbanded after nine years in the sport. Paolo Bettini won the UCI Road World Cup in 2003 and 2004 as well as the 2004 Summer Olympics road title in 2004. In the 2005 UCI ProTour season, renamed Quick-Step–Innergetic, the team won a large number of classics: Tom Boonen won Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix, Filippo Pozzato the HEW Cyclassics, and Paolo Bettini the Züri-Metzgete and the Giro di Lombardia. In late 2005 Tom Boonen won the 2005 UCI Road World Championships in Madrid, where Michael Rogers won the time-trial.
In 2006 Boonen retained the Tour of Flanders and held the yellow jersey in the 2006 Tour de France during stage 3–6, and Filippo Pozzato won 2006 Milan – San Remo. Paolo Bettini won the world championship in Salzburg and retained his Giro di Lombardia crown. In 2007 Tom Boonen won the points classification in the Tour de France, taking two stage wins. Bettini defended his world championship in Stuttgart. In 2008 Gert Steegmans took the final stage of the 2008 Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées. Paolo Bettini retired after the world championship in Varese. In both 2008 and 2009 Stijn Devolder took the Tour of Flanders and Tom Boonen, Paris–Roubaix. After two seasons of disappointment, a resurgent Omega Pharma–Quick-Step and Tom Boonen, took four major Spring classics victories, including the four cobblestone courses E3 Harelbeke, Gent–Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders, Paris–Roubaix.
In October 2012, the team fired their veteran rider Levi Leipheimer after he admitted to doping in a sworn affidavit to USADA.[2] This was despite the team statement that "commended" Leipheimer for his "open cooperation" in the USADA investigation that exposed Lance Armstrong long term cheating in cycling via doping. The team's action was described by USADA head Travis Tygart as "The classic Omertà move right? Actions speak louder than words. On the one hand, they say they congratulate him on coming forward, [but] their action terminating him for being truthful speaks a lot louder than their words." CyclingNews reported in the same article that the team’s claim to have only recently learned of Leipheimer’s past doping was according to Tygart "absolutely not true...Leipheimer and a USADA attorney told the team months ago of the investigation, and of Leipheimer’s role". Cyclingnews noted that Omega Pharma general manager Patrick Lefevere "had admitted in 2007 to having used doping products, including amphetamines, during his own career". Lefevere is still CEO of Etixx as of September 2015.
On 17 July 2014, the team announced that Iljo Keisse had been given a 2-year contract extension[3] On the second rest day of the 2014 Tour de France the team announced a change to one of their main sponsors from 2015 onwards for 3 season. Omega Pharma will be exchanged for one of its subsidiaries, Etixx, giving a new team name: Etixx–Quick-Step.[4] Further, Tony Martin confirmed via his Twitter account that he had signed a 2-year contract extension.[5] On 19 August the team announced that Pieter Serry had signed a 2-year contract extension,[6] on 27 August the team announced the signing of Maxime Bouet on a 2-year deal[7] and on September 1 the team announced the signing of David de la Cruz on a 2-year contract.[8] In 2014 Michał Kwiatkowski won a rainbow jersey in 2014 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race in Ponferrada, Spain.
In February 2015, the team announced it had signed 2015 UCI World Omnium champion, Fernando Gaviria, and fellow Colombian, Rodrigo Contreras, on two-year deals set to commence at the start of the 2016 season.[9] On the eve of the 2015 Tour of Flanders Quickstep confirmed their sponsorship of the team would be extended to the end of the 2017 season.[10] In August 2015, the team signed Davide Martinelli for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.[11] In September 2015, the team announced that supermarket chain Lidl would sponsor the team, becoming the teams "Fresh food supplier".[12]
Team roster
Major results
National and world championships
- 2003
World Time Trial Michael Rogers
Italian Road Race Paolo Bettini
Hungarian Time Trial Laszlo Bodrogi- 2004
- World Time Trial Michael Rogers
- Hungarian Time Trial Laszlo Bodrogi
- 2005
World Road Race Tom Boonen- World Time Trial Michael Rogers
- 2006
- World Road Race Paolo Bettini
- Italian Road Race Paolo Bettini
- 2007
- World Road Race Paolo Bettini
- Italian Road Race Giovanni Visconti
- 2008
Belgian Time Trial Stijn Devolder- 2009
Belarus Time Trial Branislau Samoilau- Belgian Road Race Tom Boonen
Slovakian Road Race Martin Velits- 2010
- Belgian Road Race Stijn Devolder
- Belgian Time Trial Stijn Devolder
- Belarus Time Trial Branislau Samoilau
- Slovakian Time Trial Martin Velits
- 2011
French Road Race Sylvain Chavanel
Curaçao Road Race Marc de Maar- Curaçao Time Trial Marc de Maar
- 2012
Czech Cyclocross Zdeněk Štybar- Belgian Road Race Tom Boonen
Irish Road Race Matt Brammeier
Netherlands Road Race Niki Terpstra
Polish Road Race Michał Gołaś- French Time Trial Sylvain Chavanel
German Time Trial Tony Martin- Slovakian Time Trial Peter Velits
- Italian Time Trial Dario Cataldo
- Belgian Time Trial Kristof Vandewalle
- World Time Trial Tony Martin
- 2013
- Czech Cyclocross Zdeněk Štybar
- French Time Trial Sylvain Chavanel
- German Time Trial Tony Martin
- Slovakian Time Trial Peter Velits
- Polish Road Race Michał Kwiatkowski
British Road Race Mark Cavendish- Belgian Time Trial Kristof Vandewalle
- World Time Trial Tony Martin
- 2014
- World Cyclocross Zdeněk Štybar
- Polish Time Trial Michał Kwiatkowski
- German Time Trial Tony Martin
- Czech Road Race Zdeněk Štybar
- World Road Race Michał Kwiatkowski
- 2015
Colombian Time Trial Rigoberto Urán- German Time Trial Tony Martin
- Czech Road Race Petr Vakoč
- Netherlands Road Race Niki Terpstra
- 2016
- World Track (Omnium) Fernando Gaviria
References
- ^ "Staff". Etixx–Quick-Step. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ "Tygart: Code of silence claimed Leipheimer". Cycling Weekly. 17 October 2012.
- ^ Cycling News. "Two-year extension for Keisse at Omega Pharma-Quick Step". Cyclingnews.com.
- ^ "Omega Pharma-QuickStep to become Etixx-QuickStep from 2015". Cycling Weekly. 21 July 2014.
- ^ "Tony Martin on Twitter". Twitter.
- ^ Sanmax Consultancy BVBA. "Home – Etixx–Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team". omegapharma-quickstep.com.
- ^ Daniel Benson. "Maxime Bouet signs for Omega Pharma-QuickStep". Cyclingnews.com.
- ^ Stephen Farrand. "Transfers: Omega Pharma–QuickStep signs David de la Cruz". Cyclingnews.com.
- ^ Barry Ryan. "Gaviria signs two-year deal with Etixx–QuickStep". Cyclingnews.com.
- ^ Brecht Decaluwé. "Quick-Step extends sponsorship for two years". Cyclingnews.com.
- ^ ProCyclingStats. "Davide Martinelli".
- ^ Cycling News. "Lidl to sponsor Etixx-QuickStep in 2016 and 2017". Cyclingnews.com.
External links
