Patrick Lefevere, the important director of the Soudal Quick-Step cycling team, recently made some revelations to the De Rode Lantaarn podcast. Recognized for his frank and open stance, he spoke about Remco Evenepoel, one of the pillars of his team.
Remco Evenepoel at the Giro and Tour
24-year-old Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel is set to make his Tour de France debut this year. However, if it were up to him, he would also compete in the Giro d’Italia, as revealed by Lefevere.
“His first thought was to do the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. Our trainer managed to convince him otherwise, and I chose to stay quiet. Did he want to do the Giro because of the time trials? I think it’s also to relieve pressure,” Lefevere said.
Managing dispute pressure
“The initial idea of reaching the podium at the Giro d’Italia would relieve some pressure. Now this will be more intense. If he had participated in the Giro, there would have been a small reduction in pressure”, commented Lefevere.
Now the Tour de France is the Belgian’s only main goal in Grand Tours and this inevitably creates considerable pressure. Lefevere recognizes this and has mostly talked about winning a stage at the Tour, but Lefevere certainly has bigger ambitions. He believes that Evenepoel should contest the Maillot Jaune against Vingegaard, Pogacar and Roglic.
