As the 2024 road season draws to a close – even though there are still a few events remaining this week including the Gree – Tour de Guangxi in China – it is time to take stock of Patrick Lefevere and his team Soudal Quick-Step. With currently 33 victories and a 3rd place in the UCI team rankings, the year 2025 will remain a success for the Belgian team, despite a new failure in the Spring Classics which is a blemish but which is compensated by the victorious madness of Tim Merlier (16 successes) and especially by the performances of Remco Evenepoel. The undisputed leader of Wolfpack concluded its very good 2024 financial year last Sunday with a 2nd place on the Tour of Lombardy. Present in Italy, his boss took the opportunity to look back in detail on the season of the double Olympic champion at the microphone of the RTBF.
Video – Remco Evenepoel ends 2024 with 2nd place in Lombardy
“His goal is the three grand tours”
“We came out of a difficult winter and then he fell and broke his collarbone. Which still caused more damage than we thought. He had to hurry to be fit for the Dauphiné where he very well done. He had these three weeks to do what he had to do to get to the top at the Tour de France, where for three weeks he didn’t have a day without. He won the time trial, he finished 3rd. , white jersey, 20 days on the podium And then he is a two-time Olympic champion and world time champion.“, he summed up Patrick Lefevere with undisguised satisfaction. Heading now towards 2025 with the desire to do even better and to continue to progress, particularly in the mountains, to be able to compete on the Tour de France 2025 with Tadej Pogacar et Jonas Vingegaard.
Even if there is no rush and there is no reason to put unnecessary pressure on yourself according to Lefevere. “If we remember correctly, I said that the goal was to do his first Tour in 2025. Now, he has already done it in 2024 and he will only be 25 years old in January so don’t panic. He won the Vuelta, he had to come home with covid at the Giro and his goal is the three grand tours, but in the meantime he is still winning other races so there is no problem“. Despite the rumors, it’s good at Soudal Quick-Step what Remco Evenepoel will continue to run next year. “The thing is, people never asked me. Nobody asked me the question. And I think Remco understood that this was the trusted house. Yes, we can progress, but we have to give ourselves time.”
“Tadej Pogacar was beaten last year by Vingegaard! He is human”
The boss of the Belgian team also looked back on the extraordinary season of Tadej Pogacarwho will undoubtedly still be the man to beat next year even if we shouldn’t fixate on the Slovenian according to Lefevere. “If I’m not mistaken, Tadej was beaten last year by Vingegaard. He is human. Even at the world championships, I’m a fan because when you see him race you can’t be against it, but if other teams had followed behind him, he would never win. He never seems to have any stress and suggests that he makes fewer sacrifices than the others, but that is not true. And he’s super talented. He is also nice“.
From a collective point of view, Patrick Lefevere was delighted with the overall performance of his team. “We are 3rd or 4th du UCI ranking with a budget which is 6th or 7th. It’s things like this that I’m proud of“. At almost 70 years old, he remains one of the emblematic figures of the peloton and does not yet see himself stopping just yet, even if he has already implied that he will not have many more years in his position as leader. CEO.”It’s something I created. This is my child who is now 21 years old. And I’m not going to throw it in the trash. I want that if I am no longer active, this project will continue. For a project started 21 years ago to still be alive in 20 years, that would be the greatest compliment, more than the victories“, he concluded.
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