Much has been discussed and written about the team time trial in the Vuelta a España, but in relation to this entire process, Soudal Quick-Step’s team director, Patrick Lefevere, agrees with his team, including the furious Remco Evenepoel, but also shows understanding towards the Vuelta organization.
After Remco Evenepoel and a large part of the peloton reacted negatively, the head of Soudal Quickstep expressed his position: “We are used to this in cycling, we are a fantastic sport, aren’t we,” Lefevere told the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, where the manager has a column.
However, Lefevere also put himself in the organization’s shoes. “Of course, the organization can’t control the weather. We arrived here with 40 degrees and a lot of heat, and suddenly it completely changes, and we end up with situations that resemble a bad movie. No one could change the weather, but the race could have started an hour earlier. If you see those photos that come in the dark, that already says enough.”
“For us, it was a shame that the cyclists had to ride in the dark. Sometimes they also didn’t know whether to ride on the left or right. Is Remco still angry? No, that dissipates in a few minutes. It’s that post-race adrenaline, but I saw him on the team bus, and he was already laughing again.”