AG Insurance - NXTG to become AG Insurance - Soudal Quick-step in 2023

AG Insurance - NXTG have announced that they are to welcome Soudal and Quick-Step as joint title sponsors, with the team to be known as AG Insurance - Soudal Quick-Step from January 1^st.

In March 2022, the team announced that Patrick Lefevere was to join team manager Natascha den Ouden as part of the development team structure, with AG Insurance joining on a multi-year deal. They have now been joined by Soudal and Quick-Step, who also support Patrick’s men’s team, bringing everyone into the Wolfpack family. In addition to the support of Patrick Lefevere, the team had an important new pawn in 2022, who managed to make her first steps as a team leader, namely Jolien D'hoore. Her ambition, in 2023, is to grow these young riders and lead them to the top. Servais Knaven, who himself was once a cyclist for Patrick Lefevere's team in the period 2001 to 2006, will also be part of this team as a sports and technical manager. Christian Kos will act as sports director within the team.

AG Insurance – Soudal Quick-Step has a unique philosophy, with a focus on young talented riders across several age groups and supporting their development from U19 and U23 to senior level. This training structure supports these young ladies in their development and offers them the key to "Unlock your potential", which is the team’s motto. Next season, half of this elite team will consist of girls who will grow out of the U23. The project was initiated by Natascha den Ouden, who wanted to provide talented ladies a broader base and a pillar to gradually unlock their potential, with Patrick Lefevere using his experience to add the right partners, allowing an elite team to be formed

Team manager Natascha den Ouden expressed the partnership as follows: “The partnership with lead sponsor AG Insurance is a real match made in heaven for this team. The values of AG Insurance, namely: Care, Dare, Deliver & Share are an excellent reflection of the values we uphold within our team. Caring for each other, pushing each other's performance to a higher level, pushing boundaries, connectedness, ... all these facets are part of our identity. The partnership between AG Insurance - Soudal Quick-Step and the development project within women's cycling that I founded a few years ago is the cherry on the cake.”

President of Unilin Flooring, Ruben Desmet said the following: "Next year, Quick-Step will be a sponsor of professional cycling for the 25th year in a row. The team and our company have grown together because of our shared values: passion, excellence, entrepreneurship, and respect. It’s a logical step in our joint story to support the women’s team AG Insurance – Soudal Quick-Step Team. This way Quick-Step enables a new generation of female riders to reach the top of women’s cycling."

Dirk Coorevits, CEO Soudal: “We are truly proud to sponsor an ambitious project such as the AG Insurance - Soudal Quick-Step Team. Our corporate baseline is 'BUILD THE FUTURE', and that is precisely the mission of the team: in addition to a high-level team, training young talents to broaden the top of Belgian women's cycling in the future. We firmly believe in the project, which is fully in line with our approach to further expand the Soudal brand through sponsorship. It also fits perfectly with our belief to work inclusively in all aspects of our business, including sponsorship.”

The message that Heidi Delobelle, CEO of AG, gave us was as follows: “As the first title partner of the team, we are pleased to welcome Soudal and Quick-Step, two iconic companies in cycling, as co-sponsors. By joining forces, we invest in the further professionalization of AG Insurance – Soudal Quick-Step as a team and of an entire sport discipline. Our project with a three-part training structure is unique in women's cycling and an example as far as we are concerned. We are therefore looking forward to the new cycling season with full confidence and are very curious to see how our young talents will develop further with the help of experienced riders and sports director Jolien D'hoore.” 

CEO Patrick Lefevere also shared the following message with us: "We are delighted to have AG Insurance as a titlepartner for this adventure. Their commitment allows us to realize our strategy for the development and growth of these ladies. All the parties who put their shoulders under our women's team have been active in cycling for several years, so they are familiar with the ins and outs of the cycling world. A factor that is of course extremely important if you want to build something together. All this has also been made possible thanks to the commitment of some partners of the men's team. In addition to Soudal & Quick-Step, some our shirt sponsors such as: Specialized, Castelli, Ekopak, Janom & Safety Jogger also wanted to be part of this team with the aim of building something unique together. Their commitment helps the women's team to be an even more competitive and stronger part of women's cycling. In this way, they will be able to offer us the necessary stability for the coming years."

AG Insurance - Soudal Quick-Step is therefore proud to reveal the Castelli jersey for 2023 for the first time today. The riders will wear the jersey of main sponsor AG Insurance with co-sponsors Soudal & Quick-Step from 2023 in many leading races.