"He is not a cheap guy, we know that" - Patrick Lefevere shuns questions about Julian Alaphilippe's future

Soudal - Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere and one of his team's star riders Julian Alaphilippe have had a rocky relationship over recent seasons with the team boss becoming more and more critical.

After being spotted handing a bottle to Alaphilippe during his breakaway escapade on stage 6 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia however, Lefevere has insisted that all is well between the pair. "Our bond is what you make of it. He didn't hit on me and I didn't hit on him. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Lefevere laughs in conversation with HLN after being questioned on the pair's relationship. "Seriously now, my bond with Julian is still good. A few stupid things have come out, but he has been riding with us since he was 17. In any relationship of more than a decade, it storms sometimes, right?"

Given Lefevere's intense and at times very personal criticism of Alaphilippe via the press of recent times, it is assumed that the former world champion will move on to pastures new when his contract expires at the end of the season. “It's too early to look that far ahead," Lefevere insists however. "He is not a cheap guy, we know that, but I actually prefer not to talk about that.”

Narrowly missing out on the stage win on stage 6 of the Giro to Pelayo Sanchez, Alaphilippe showed positive signs. "Too bad for him and the team. It would have been a huge boost, but there is little to blame Julian for. When I look back at the sprint, maybe he went on just too early, but the other guy looked fresher," Lefevere assesses. "Honestly, I had never heard of him (Sanchez ed.), but our scout Johan Molly will definitely know him. I heard in the interview afterwards that he said: ‘Julian has always been my idol. I never thought I was going to beat him one day'.... Nice for that boy."