BREAKING | Patrick Lefevere announces departure as Soudal Quick-Step CEO 21 years after creating team
Cycling
This Tuesday seemed like an entirely UAE Team Emirates-oriented day with the team's 2025 open day. However, Soudal - Quick-Step stole all the limelight with shocking breaking news: Patrick Lefevere will no longer be the Belgian team manager!
The official Quick-Step statement was released just moments ago. It broke the news and announced that Jorgen Foré, the team's current chief operating officer, will succeed Lefevere in the role as of January 1, 2025.
"Soudal - Quick-Step has announced a change in its management structure, which will see Patrick Lefevere step down as CEO on December 31, 2024. Under the new agreement, the current COO, Jurgen Foré, will become CEO and will take over the day-to-day management of the team," Quick-Step's statement begins to read.
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In addition to announcing the dismissal of Lefevere and the appointment of Foré as the new director, Quick-Step also pays tribute to the figure of the former: "Patrick Lefevere founded Soudal Quick-Step in 2003, combining his vision of the sport of cycling with the economic and business knowledge he acquired as an accountant, to build what would become the most successful team in professional cycling."
"Under Lefevere's leadership, the team has achieved almost 1,000 victories, including 22 Monuments, 1 Grand Tour and 124 Grand Tour stages, 3 Olympic gold medals, 19 World Championship golds and 4 European Championships, as well as countless other races," it added.
Statement by Patrick Lefevere
Below are Patrick Lefevere's statements after the news broke: "It is a life-changing moment for me to leave a role to which I have dedicated so much of my life. Cycling is a sport that I am still deeply passionate about, and it has been a great honor to lead this beautiful team and create so many special memories."
"There are countless people I have to thank, too many to mention individually, but of course there is my family, the talented riders on the team, our dedicated staff, our loyal sponsors, all backed by the generosity and support of our owner."
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𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀: 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗟𝗲𝗳𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗮𝗹 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸-𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗖𝗘𝗢
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) December 10, 2024
Read more about it: https://t.co/L66E2OY5Vg
Photo: @BeelWout pic.twitter.com/szi3NCLMXs
Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
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