"I first spoke to Remco separately and I said that those rumors about INEOS must stop" - Patrick Lefevere defiant that Evenepoel will stay with Soudal - Quick-Step
CyclingFriday, 26 May 2023 at 10:23
Patrick Lefevere has defiantly spoken out regarding the rumours regarding his star rider Remco Evenepoel potentially joining the INEOS Grenadiers that are growing ever louder.
"For almost a year there have been rumours that there is or was contact between Remco Evenepoel and INEOS," the Soudal - Quick-Step boss complains. "I know that the then Team Sky had already spoken to Remco a few years ago. Last year, after the World Championship, there was probably contact again with Father Evenepoel, who is Remco's manager."
Following Evenepoel's departure from the 2023 Giro d'Italia, the INEOS Grenadiers have thrived and Geraint Thomas currently holds the Maglia Rosa. With Thomas now aged 37 though and Tao Geoghegan Hart in the final year of his contract, there is potentially room for another GC rider in the team. Understandably however, Lefevere is not keen on that idea.
"I first spoke to Remco separately and I said that those rumors about Ineos must stop. Because that only causes people to be nervous," he says. "We've said we have to quell those rumors somehow. The current Ineos team boss Rod Ellingworth once sent me a message: 'If you want to get rid of Remco one day, let me know.' I sent him back that he would then have to take over the whole team."
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- yeah, that’s a more fair assessment. “reaching mathieu’s level” doesn’t mean you’re planning to replicate his whole career. the former IS doable, potentially. it’s just the latter that likely is not.OCexile25-12-2024
- That’s not entirely true. Every person follows their own development path and peaks differently. Remco and Primoz had hardly started cycling before elite level. Jonas was pretty much under the radzr until he unexpectedly had to take over responsibility at JV. Some guys only get real good in their thirties others have peaked mid-twenties. You can’t tell in advance how and upto what level they will progress, obviously his career might not have MVDPs length but nothing says he could not end up doing a few seasons at his level.Mistermaumau25-12-2024
- well, del grosso is 21 right now. when mathieu was a year younger than that, he was already winning elite level world championships, not U23. i think del grosso will be a very good pro for years, but if he was really going to be the next van der poel someday, he’d already have to be at that level right NOW. van der poel was showing signs of true greatness when he was 15-16. THAT’S what generational talent looks like.OCexile25-12-2024
- Yeah.... gear 😅.mikolajjj24-12-2024
- It shouldn’t be about expectations in the first place should it? Besides, if you look at everyone’s calculations as a whole they don’t add up in the first place. There’ll be 2-3 riders with a 50% chance, a dozen with 10 or 20% and dozens more with a 5% so we’re expecting at least 2 if not 3 winners. Remind me again who won before her? Says it all about using data to decide on participation.Mistermaumau24-12-2024
- Ok, happy I’m not too interested in this team coz’ the account of what happened is really hard to follow.Mistermaumau24-12-2024
- The UCI is worse than USA CyclingVeganpotter24-12-2024
- It's not like they wanted her to not win😅 She had an outstanding Olympics. But there's a reason why she wasn't expected to win the road race and that's ok. Things like this happen and it's great...better than seeing expected winners win.Veganpotter24-12-2024
- Bruyneel ? The man with a lifetime ban from cycling...why do you keep giving him and his doper mate, Armstrong, a platform?DJ24-12-2024
- yeah, agree. on the subject of being a “complete rider,” i do think that’s getting more interesting. mathieu seems to have decided he wants to get much better at climbing the the high mountain passes. he appears to be looking for new challenges, which should be interesting to watch. in most cases you’d dismiss a goal like that at age 30, but it’s mvdp. he’s never going to climb with the real climbers, but if he can improve enough it could open up stage wins when the parcours isnt just purely toothy and punchy.OCexile24-12-2024