Eusebio Unzué, CEO of Movistar, suggested the idea of introducing a substitution system in cycling in conversation with the French newspaper L’Équipe. The Spaniard wants to give racing a more human face. His colleague, Soudal QuickStep boss Patrick Lefevere, is clearly not in favor.
Erase the history of Grand Tours
Patrick Lefevere does not agree and explained why, in conversation with the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws. “I’ve known Unzué for a long time. He means well, but sometimes he’s too sweet. In this case I disagree with him.”
“With this rule you would erase the entire history of the Grand Tours. The challenge is to maintain it for three weeks. The Tour, Giro and Vuelta last 21 days, not 17 or 15.”
“Unfortunately, falling and getting sick are part of this”, believes the head of the Belgian team. “A big part of your team’s success is being resilient, being able to switch to a plan B. These are the moments when great champions pick themselves up, recover from a setback – that’s what people want to see.”
“Cycling is like boxing: just because you’re hanging on the ropes at one point doesn’t mean you lose the fight.”
Who will determine what an injury is?
According to Lefevere, it is also impossible to create a system like this. “Of course it’s not football. Who will determine when an injury or illness is real? I’m already looking forward to VAR.”
“It will be absolutely impartial and, without a doubt, made up of French doctors… No, this will cause a lot of headaches. I’m not going to stop it, but I’m not going to support it either”, concludes Patrick Lefevere