Patrick Lefevere admits Remco Evenepoel might hold back a bit in stage 20: "Winning the time trial to Nice would be the icing on the cake"

Despite the fact that Remco Evenepoel was never really in contention for the overall victory at the 2024 Tour de France, his team boss Patrick Lefevere speaks of his rider's performances in superlatives. A stage win and a podium in Nice are apparently more than for Soudal - Quick-Step in Evenepoel's debut. In addition, Mikel Landa is still in the mix for top 5, which is more than welcome surprise.

Going all out for Vingegaard's second place is not something the team boss wants. "It is clear that he has received wise advice from his team in the meantime to accept second place. If he had gone all out against Pogacar for the final win, then something could have fallen from the sky for us. But that role of third dog is no longer in it," says Lefevere at Het Nieuwsblad. "It has already been more than successful, but winning the time trial to Nice would be the icing on the cake."

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"There are fools who thought Remco would win the Tour, but I said from day one: Anything from fifth place is good, but it can also be the podium," says Lefevere, who has only words of praise about Evenepoel. "Remco has not shown any weakness yet. He paces himself. He already understands that you have to do that more in the Tour than in any other race. Don't forget: he wears the white jersey from day two. Because of the podium and the media obligations, he is an hour later than the rest in the hotel."

Lefevere is also keen to see how Evenepoel presents himself in the media. "Perception has changed a lot. At nineteen, he was a so-called 'bubble' who talked too much. Look at his track record today. He has silenced all the critics," says the boss of Soudal - Quick-Step. The team is also proving itself as a whole. "There is nothing more beautiful than silencing people with the pedals. I think that we are not inferior to any team at the moment."

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