"Maybe I went a bit too far but it was the truth. If you don't perform for two years..." - Patrick Lefevere reflects on his controversial treatment of Julian Alaphilippe

Marking the end of an era, neither Patrick Lefevere nor Julian Alaphilippe are part of the Soudal - Quick-Step team in 2025. For Lefevere, retirement has seen him end his time at the team's boss, whilst Alaphilippe has taken on a new challenge at the Tudor Pro Cycling Team.

Although over the course of their years working alongside each other there were many, notable successes, over the last few years the relationship between team boss and star rider soured quite dramatically. As Alaphilippe struggled to hit the kind of form that saw him win the Rainbow Jersey in 2020 and 2021, Lefevere grew more and more frustrated, using his columns in the Belgian press to repeatedly hit out publicly at the disappointing form of the French star.

Understandably, not all were impressed by this somewhat old-fashioned method of lambasting riders to improve overall performance. On the Speed ​​On Wheels podcast of former Soudal - Quick-Step rider Niki Terpstra, however, Lefevere has not reflected on the methods he used and his controversial treatment of Alaphilippe over their latter years working together.

"Maybe I went a bit too far in that, but it was the truth," begins the outspoken Belgian's reflections on the matter. "But you can't say the truth. Julian was paid very well, really very well. Then I think - when you really don't perform for two years and you know what's going on outside the race - you have to say something about it."

"I then demanded that his wife (former cyclist and current Tour de France Femmes director Marion Rousse, ed.) and manager come. I said: if this happens again, I'll just stick you to the wall. He did his best after that, but it didn't work out," continues Lefevere. "At the time, I told his manager: I'm not an idiot, let's sit down at the table. I'll give him a contract for one more year, but then the price has to be reduced. He didn't want that and then it stops.”

Nevertheless, Lefevere mainly recalls his time with Alaphilippe very fondly. "Mind you, I was also a fan of Julian. I discovered him with Johan Molly and watched him grow as a rider. Then you give him a three-year contract for a lot of money. Based on his performance, he was worth it. Only, it didn't work out anymore," he adds. "Did it hurt? Yes, because you know: I pay so much, but it doesn't come out. With some of the money I could have attracted another rider. You have to be clear anyway. If you spend so much on a rider, you can't buy another rider. At a certain point you do find yourself counting down. That you think: pff, okay, I'm off. We still talked to each other, but yes... You do feel that something is broken."