Patrick Lefevere was celebrating his 71st birthday on Tuesday, but his thoughts remained firmly in the present — and on Remco Evenepoel. Speaking to Sporza, the former Soudal–Quick Step boss shared a characteristically frank assessment of his ex-rider’s move to Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe and his main ambition to win the Tour de France.
Evenepoel’s decision to leave the team where he grew from prodigy to Grand Tour winner marked the end of a seven-year partnership with Lefevere. But the long-time cycling boss is not bitter. He says he is still a fan of the double Olympic champ. “I’m still a supporter,” Lefevere told Sporza. “I discovered him as a 17-year-old. You don’t just throw that away like a piece of paper.”
At his new team, Evenepoel has been clear about his Tour focus. And that includes his very strong desire to challenge the seemingly unbeatableTadej Pogačar. Lefevere doesn’t dismiss that dream, but he tempers expectations. “He has the possibilities,” he said, “but at the moment Pogačar is still out of category.” According to Lefevere, everything will depend on how Evenepoel comes through the winter and whether he can finally enjoy a smooth, setback-free build-up.
Sven Vanthourenhout, directeur sportif of the German team, in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, said, “Our official work with Remco starts in a few weeks, but behind the scenes, preparations are already underway,”
He used the European championships, as an example. There, the (road) world champ attacked so hard it left Evenepoel struggling to hold the wheel. “Pogačar can sustain an acceleration longer than anyone else. For several minutes, he can push twenty, thirty, even forty watts above the rest, then it settles back to a more ‘normal’ level,” he said.
Tadej Pogačar just debuted a jersey he will never, ever wear
Evenepoel knows this, but simply said, “It’s up to my new coach to find a solution.”
There is no denying that Evenepoel now finds himself in a wealthier environment, surrounded by depth and resources. Lefevere acknowledges that reality, but says that’s not all it takes to win the Tour. (But I mean, it helps, right? Look at superteam Team UAE Emirates.) “They have more money and they can do what they want,” he said. “But you can’t buy the Tour. He’ll have to do it with his legs and his head.”
Another big question mark is leadership. At Soudal Quick-Step, Evenepoel was the man. At…
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