"I really wonder about the way they manage everything in that team" - Jan Bakelants heavily critical of Soudal - Quick-Step
Cycling
Remco Evenepoel showed himself strongly at Paris-Nice 2024, looking to attack throughout, the Belgian finished second overall and took victory on the final stage. Could he have done even more though?
Well, for renowned Belgian cycling analyst Michel Wuyts, Evenepoel was clearly the strongest rider in the race and as such will be disappointed not to have claimed overall victory. “Over all days, Evenepoel was the best man," Wuyts says on the HLN podcast, 'Wuyts & Vlaeminck'. “Given the line-up and Primoz Roglic's relative weakness, he misses a great opportunity to win Paris-Nice. Someone with the status of Remco Evenepoel should have won this Paris-Nice.”
"Evenepoel also engages in drawing criticism," Wuyts continued. "He says about himself that he did well and that he can build on the Paris-Nice performance towards the Itzulia Basque Country and the Tour de France. I don't think Paris-Nice has much to do with the Tour de France."
Ex-pro Jan Bakelants was also on the show and shared a similar view of Evenepoel's performances at the 'Race to the Sun'. “In all honesty, more could be expected from Evenepoel. I am convinced that he himself expected more. This year the focus is on the Tour. And then you either hope not to win and learn an important lesson in Paris-Nice or you hope to win," Bakelants analyses. "But he didn't learn anything last week. And he didn't win."
"Of the three important stage races he will ride this year, this was the first. It was undoubtedly also the easiest race to win. Especially when you look at the opponents. Evenepoel was full of praise for his teammates. But I still saw that his teammates were not there at crucial moments," Bakelants concludes critically. "And why does Soudal-Quickstep transfer Mikel Landa if you don't take him with you to Paris-Nice? I really wonder about the way they manage everything in that team.”
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling forRafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Leaving @ParisNice in style!📞🔥🫡 This is why I love racing, going all-in🫶🏻🚀 2nd in the GC, a stage win, the KOM and points jersey🥈⚪️🔴🟢 Can't thank my team enough for the incredible work they do every day after day🐺💙 Congrats to Matteo on a strong week and the yellow👏🏻
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