Happy to announce that Soudal Quick-Step and Gianni Moscon have reached an agreement for next season 😃 Welcome, “Il Trattore” 🚜
Patrick Lefevere believes in the potential of Gianni Moscon transfer: "It is up to us to guide him well"
CyclingFriday, 10 November 2023 at 11:45
Soudal - Quick-Step confirmed the signing of Gianni Moscon into the 2024 season. For some a controversial move due to the Italian's past, but for Patrick Lefevere it was a move that made sense, as he looks to give the Italian a chance to prove himself once again as a quality rider.
“After so many years I know who Gianni Moscon is. I also know where his pilot light is. It is up to us to guide him well. Moscon may have a short fuse. I hope he has learned his lesson," Lefevere said in words to Het Laatste Nieuws. "A rider can also have balls on his body. I don't think you should agree to everything. If someone hits you in the head and you don't hit back, well.”
Moscon's past in the peloton has given him one of the darkest reputations, however he remains a quality rider. A classics specialist with tremendous potential in the past, he most recently performed at the 2021 Paris-Roubaix where he finished fourth, after leading the race for significant time - only to have a crash spoil his chances of winning. He signed with the Astana Qazaqstan Team in 2022 and over the past two seasons has not shown the same legs, and was rarely in sight of the head of the race.
“I haven't checked it with a magnifying glass, but he hasn't had many results in the last two years. Then I say: the ball is in his court, it is up to him to prove that we were not wrong about him," Lefevere adds, eager to see if there is still the chance for a comeback throughout his one-year contract with the Belgian team. "I don't believe Moscon's potential has gone away. And if we don't succeed, it's bad luck for him."
With the rise of other teams, Soudal - Quick-Step has struggled to keep up in recent years in the cobbles. With the departure of the the likes of Andrea Bagioli, Mauro Schmid, Florian Sénéchal and Davide Ballerini, the team's ranks become even more depleted to fight in these races. This could provide the Italian with more freedom to chase his own results, if he finds the form.
Lefevere was also asked if Moscon could end up providing support for Remco Evenepoel but “it is still far too early for that," the team manager responds. "In the long run we will have too many riders to ride with Evenepoel. They always say we are weak, but we have Landa, Cattaneo, Knox stays, and then some young riders. I'm not afraid of going to the Tour and saying that our team is not good enough. I think that's bullshit.”
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