"My heart bleeds" - Patrick Lefevere reacts to Mikel Landa's tragic end to Giro d'Italia

Patrick Lefevere is no longer at the head of Soudal - Quick-Step but continues to be an important part of the team, and after yesterday's disaster at the Giro d'Italia where Mikel Landa was forced to abandon after a crash, he has shared words of support over the rider who only a few days ago confirmed a one-year renewal with the team.

"My heart bleeds. The leader is gone, but that's the least of it. When I saw Mikel in the ambulance, I thought about him and not the race. Cycling must be the only sport in the world where we say 'Still, it's not that bad,'" he commented in remarks picked up by Wielerrevue colleagues.

Lefevere says he really felt something between him and Mikel in the months they were working together and believes he is a key man in how the Belgian team operates at the moment:

"He was one of the riders I really felt a connection with. In recent years, that was more the exception than the rule. Mikel within the team has always been the opposite of an island. He talks to everyone and gets along with everyone. From Remco Evenepoel to Junior Lecef. If that's the case, it's their fault and not his."

And he explains how special a cyclist he is, a great favorite of the world's fans because of the way he rides:

"Mikel is a special guy who does things his own way. On the Lefevere Scale, that adds points rather than subtracting them, as long as it's a drink and not a bottle. If ever his sporting career has suffered for his private life, it was not for the small pleasures he sometimes indulges in. He excels precisely in that role, much more so than when he carries the pressure of being the leader."