“I don't want to participate in those games of the press" - Patrick Lefevere keeping cards close to his chest in regards to Tim Merlier/Fabio Jakobsen debate

With Soudal - Quick-Step having both Tim Merlier and Fabio Jakobsen in their ranks, team boss Patrick Lefevere is always going to have a big decision to make when it comes to Grand Tour lineups, a topic he does not wish to publicly discuss.

When questioned which of the pair would make the Tour de France of if both could work together, Lefevere refused to be drawn into a debate. “Whether I have the fastest sprinters in the world? Well, hopefully, but we're still early in the year," he tells Belga.  “I don't want to participate in those games of the press that you read here and there."

"Fabio is out of contract and Merlier is bound to us even longer. And that, now that the Remco card is being drawn with the team, one of them might disappear next year," he continues. "The press tells me what to do, but I don't participate. I need two good sprinters.”

Lefevere, not one to usually shy away from making his opinion known, even when it comes to publicly criticising riders in his own team, was surprisingly coy when discussing potential Tour de France lineups. “There are twelve candidates for the Tour. We'll see and it will be a natural selection, as is always the case in our team. This year will be no different."