Soudal-QuickStep rider Valentin Paret-Peintre has said that Remco Evenepoel's move to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe will "inevitably reshuffle things" at the Belgian squad next season, but highlighted the potential positives of the change.
French climber Paret-Peintre was signed by the team last off-season to help Evenepoel at the Tour de France as the team sought to strengthen around their Grand Tour leader.
However, he and the other riders brought on board as climbing domestiques – including Mikel Landa and Ilan Van Wilder – will now have greater freedom to chase their own goals in 2026.
Paret-Peintre has already had a taste of that himself, of course. Following Evenepoel's withdrawal from this year's Tour, he was free to race in the breakaway on stage 16 to Mont Ventoux, eventually beating Ben Healy in a two-man battle atop the climb to score his biggest ever career victory.
"Remco's departure will inevitably reshuffle things within the team," Paret-Peintre told Derniere Heure Sports recently.
"Until this season, and this was perfectly normal, he was always our leader in the events he participated in. Now, guys like Ilan, Landa, and myself, for example, will have to take on more responsibilities.
"His transfer can, in a way, be good for the team. By that I mean it will provide a new lease of life, allowing other guys to grow and discover themselves in a different role, with more responsibilities."
Soudal-QuickStep have several riders who can perform in stage races, even if the likes of Paret-Peintre and Landa may not be able to replicate Evenepoel's results at present. The team has also rebuilt its once-fearsome spring Classics lineup in the wake of the Belgian's departure with additions such as Jasper Stuyven and Dylan van Baarle.
Paret-Peintre, meanwhile, joined the team on a two-year deal from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale this year. He quickly settled in, winning a stage and finishing second overall at the Tour of Oman, before settling in to work for Evenepoel later in the season.
The 24-year-old told Derniere Heure Sports that he's "really thrilled" with life at Soudal-QuickStep, saying that the team's 'Wolfpack' nickname "is not just talk."
"The staff is truly like a family, offering an incredible welcome. Among my teammates, I already consider Louis Vervaeke and Ilan Van Wilder to be friends," he said.
"Louis is like the ideal big brother, a great guy and an excellent mentor for the younger riders. As for Ilan, the emotion we shared during my stage win on Mont Ventoux inevitably bonded us deeply.
"At the top of the Giant of Provence, I promised him I would repay what he had given me that day, and I can swear to you that I mean it."
With newly-realised 'freedom' following Evenepoel's move, Paret-Peintre will now be able to pick his own goals in 2026.
He said he's setting his sights on trying his hand at racing for the GC at a Grand Tour. He'll work with the team and bike supplier Specialized on time trial and wind tunnel testing over the winter, too, but a bid at his home race, the Tour de France, might have to wait.
"Next season, I'll be aiming more for the overall classification in week-long races. I also want to try my hand at that ambition in a Grand Tour," he said.
"I know the route of the next Tour de France, with its single hilly individual time trial, suits me well, but I think it's still a bit too much for me right now. I think it's wiser to first see what I can do in a Giro or a Vuelta."
