It is a very important day for Patrick Lefevere and Soudal Quick-Step. The Belgian team and especially Remco Evenepoel will start the Giro d'Italia on Saturday. They are currently still doing this unscathed, in contrast to major competitor Jumbo-Visma.
In his weekly column in Het Nieuwsblad, Lefevere talks about the bad luck of his Dutch competitors. “I sympathize with Jumbo-Visma: first the Covid cases and then also a collision during training. In the meantime they have had to replace five riders from their original Giro team. We experienced it in the Tour last year. We had eighteen positive cases. Not a single rider, but within the staff the havoc was enormous. We even had to replace the bus driver.”
Read also
“Our team for the Giro was spared so far. Everyone – including me – was extensively tested beforehand. On Covid, flu and RSV. We have a simple protocol: before departure, everyone posts a photo of the triple negative test in the group of the team, along with a watch or phone on which the date and time can be seen,” the manager adds.
By that time, Jumbo-Visma already run out of reserves for Giro d'Italia, thus the last minute replacement for Jan Tratnik, Thomas Gloag, was not expecting to be called to race at all.
Read also
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
Loading
🇮🇹 #Giro 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐚 ✅ 20 exciting stages ahead! 👀
Write a comment