“I could say it was child’s play, but this is still the WorldTour” – Patrick Lefevere reacts to Remco Evenepoel’s rapid winning run after Quick-Step exit

Patrick Lefevere was back in familiar surroundings at the UAE Tour this week, invited by Soudal - Quick-Step and enjoying a race he has followed for years. This time, though, the dynamics around him had shifted. Lefevere was no longer in charge, his former team was adapting to life without its long-time leader, and one of his most successful riders was now dominating WorldTour racing in different colours.

Lefevere has handed over day-to-day control to CEO Jurgen Fore, but he has not disappeared from the sport. He arrived in the UAE early in the week, describing his presence in typically dry terms. Belgium’s winter weather had played its part, but so too had his continued connection to the team.

“I’ve been here since Monday. In Belgium, there’s nothing but rain, wind, it’s cold. So I come here for the sun,” he said with a laugh in conversation with Het Nieuwsblad. “No, no, I’m here for the team. They’re kind enough to let me come along again. But I do what I want here. Today I’ll ride along in the car. Maybe I’ll even take a day off at some point. Whether I can resist giving advice? If they don’t ask anything, I don’t say anything.”

It was against that backdrop that Lefevere watched Remco Evenepoel continue a striking start to his first season away from Quick-Step, now riding for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe.

Evenepoel’s winter move marked the end of a long and defining chapter. After spending his entire professional career within the Quick-Step structure, both sides agreed to an early end to his contract, allowing him to begin a new project in 2026. The transition has been immediate and emphatic. Early victories followed quickly, and his commanding time trial at the UAE Tour underlined both his form and his authority within his new team.

Lefevere was asked whether watching those results stirred any frustration. His answer cut through the noise around the move.

“I could say those first wins were child’s play, but I don’t mean that,” he said. “No, seriously, he likes winning, and he can do it. If you saw him ride that time trial yesterday, nobody can take that away from him. This is and remains the WorldTour.”

The remark carried weight precisely because of who it came from. Lefevere was not dismissing the performances, nor was he attempting to frame them as inevitable. Instead, he pointed to the level of competition Evenepoel is succeeding against. Winning early, even in new surroundings, does not come cheaply at this level.

While Evenepoel has settled rapidly into life at Red Bull, Lefevere was equally candid about the situation facing his former team. The early weeks of the season have not unfolded as smoothly, particularly with sprinting options unavailable.

“It’s difficult,” he said. “Both of our sprinters are out. I always worked with sprinters, because they bring calm to a team. Tim Merlier did that. At this same point last year, he had already won several races; now we’re still without a win.”

That absence has shaped the atmosphere around the squad more than any single result. Lefevere stressed that perspective would shift quickly once the Classics begin, but he acknowledged the contrast with previous seasons.

“Of course, if they win Omloop or other Classics, nobody will still be talking about the UAE Tour,” he said. “They’re both already back on the bike. But Merlier got a bit nervous. Last year, the zero was already gone; now it isn’t yet. I do think he’ll be back at the top soon. Magnier was ill, but he’s back training as well.”

There was no sense of regret in Lefevere’s words, nor any attempt to downplay what has followed since the split. Watching the UAE Tour unfold, he found himself observing two realities at once: a team recalibrating without its former centrepiece, and a rider flourishing immediately in a new environment.

Lefevere may no longer be shaping Quick-Step’s decisions, but he remains close enough to recognise what WorldTour success looks like when he sees it. From the roadside in the UAE, the picture was clear. Evenepoel’s winning run was not a curiosity or a soft landing. It was confirmation that the sport, and the level he is racing at, has not changed at all.