Patrick Lefevere on Evenepoel: "Remco has been on a rollercoaster for two years that hardly stops"

Soudal - Quick-Step is heading into the final crucial weekend of the year. We've got Il Lombardia this Saturday which will end Remco Evenepoel's season and Patrick Lefevere has talked about the team's star in the run-up to the final monument of the year but also things that can be improved within the team.

"Remco doesn't sound combative when he says that only reaching the finish in Lombardy is a success, but I understand that," Lefevere said in his weekly Het Nieuwsblad column. "Let me list the list again: Paris-Nice, rehabilitation after the crash in Itzulia Basque Country, Dauphiné, Tour, Olympic Games, World Championships... Always and everywhere with press conferences before and after. It makes sense that he's now at his limit."

That didn't come without it's success however, including among others, victories at the time-trial World Championships, both titles at the Olympic Games; a podium and stage win at his debut Tour de France. "Add to that the Giro and the Vuelta of last season and the conclusion is that Remco has been on a rollercoaster for two years that hardly stops.”

Recently that has been showing, it seems. An illness ahead of the Tour of Britain saw an unusually fragile Evenepoel, but one who got up to speed for Zurich. However after travelling to Italy for the Autumn classics he's looked to struggle again, and comes into Il Lombardia without a performance of relevance that indicates he could battle Tadej Pogacar this Saturday.

Lefevere already has one eye on the upcoming season and what can be improved. Part of this does involve the leader and his communication: “It fits in with our intention to make more time for feedback. Within our Flemish culture, we tend to leave things unsaid, to sweep the dust under the carpet until it really doesn’t work anymore. Remco is quite direct, but still protects his teammates too often. One of the intentions that emerged from the meeting is to clearly state after races what was good, but certainly also what was not good".