Patrick Lefevere: "Let the critics try to do what I’ve done. Who else has provided so many jobs? Who else has brought so many millions into cycling?"

Patrick Lefevere is turning 70 years old in a matter of days but can be proud of his career as a cycling team manager. He's started out in his 20's back in 1980 and went through many teams before found his own in what is known today as Soudal - Quick-Step back in 2003. Now, he will have to adapt to a new life, with much less cycling included.

"Officially, I’ve been retired for five years already, but I’ve always kept working. I founded the team in 2003, and I waited to ensure the team’s future was secure," he said in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad and De Standaard. "You never know what happens in the world, but the future is guaranteed through 2027. Jurgen Foré is also ready to take over as my successor starting January 1. Then my work will be done."

Lefevere made the decision and announced it at the team's training camp earlier in December. It came as a relative surprise, but behind the scenes this move had already been planned and prepared. The Belgian manager will continue to be surrounding the team but not in the same role - whilst what he'll do exactly is not known yet.

He focuses more on his personal life from this year onwards, something he hasn't done all too much in the past. "At home, I don’t have a say, just like any normal man. My wife practically raised our youngest son alone. I know my place here. I park under the carport, come in through the laundry room, put on my slippers, and sit down until everything’s okay. Now I’ll have to help out around the house a bit more. I’ve got two left hands, so that’s a challenge already. But I’ll try to make the best of it," he explains.

He was often criticized for his strict style of managing, and quite vocal criticism of his own riders such as Julian Alaphilippe since 2022 - which even included criticism on Alaphilippe's wife Marion Rousse, director of the Tour de France Femmes. By no means is Lefevere leaving the job without having people with whom he left a bad impression, but he focuses on the bigger picture.

"I did it my way. Let the critics try to do what I’ve done. Who else has provided so many jobs? Who else has brought so many millions into cycling? I had a lot of help, but ultimately, someone has to steer the ship," he says. "I’ve seen it sink a few times, but I always managed to patch the leaks. The job required a lot of sacrifices, it even cost me a relationship, I think. I know. But my sons turned out well despite having an absent father."

He is an extremely well connected person in the world of cycling but is also eager to see how this changes now that he's away from the leadership of the Belgian team. "2025 will show me if I have real friends or just friends because I’m famous. I’m a little curious about that. I received 500 messages after announcing my retirement. It felt like a condolence book."

"I’m not God. Otherwise, the world would look a lot better," he joked.