Patrick Lefevere on Julian Alaphilippe: "He takes a big bite out of my budget. I want to see results"

Julian Alaphilippe's struggle within Soudal - Quick-Step. With the financial side making the team's management put pressure for him to perform, the mood isn't the greatest in the Belgian team as the former World Champion once again struggled with injuries.

“You have to be honest: when Julian excelled in recent years, there was no Van der Poel, Pogacar, Van Aert," Lefevere said in the Grand Plateau podcast. “I learned a beautiful expression in French: 'Dans la vie, tout le monde doit justifier son salaire'. In life, everyone has to justify their salary. Well, he will have received his salary for three years at the end of 2024.”

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Despite having a contract until 2024 rumours have emerged over a departure this season - mostly regarding TotalEnergies. Last season he's suffered numerous injuries and badly-timed illnesses which kept him from performing at the biggest goals of the season. This spring he had the Tour of Flanders as his main goal but he crashed heavily. Not having abandoned, the additional strain put may have led to worsening of his condition and now he's also forced to miss at least two of the three Ardennes classics as he recovers from a knee bursitis.

“Fortunately he has become world champion twice. In addition, he won the opening stage of the Tour in 2021 and wore the yellow. I understand that French teams are satisfied with that, but I am not," Lefevere continues, being clear that he continues to be unsatisfied with the return from the Frenchman. "I love Julian just like everyone else. How can you not love him? But I also have to be realistic: he takes a big bite out of my budget. I want to see results.”

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With Remco Evenepoel having emerged last year, the team now finds itself working for the new World Champion in the Ardennes as well. Liège-Bastogne-Liège has been won by Evenepoel last year and this year will see the same situation, whilst Alaphilippe is already having his mind on the Tour de France where he hopes to spring back to good form and take a meaningful win.

“I always say there are three trimesters, just like at school. Suppose he wins two or three stages in the Tour and wears the yellow jersey ten times, it is already a different story. And if he becomes world champion and wins the Giro di Lombardia, it will be another story. We look quarter by quarter. I am not talking about 2024 yet," Lefevere concluded.

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Tadej Pogacar looking forward to hotly anticipated battle with Remco Evenepoel at Liege-Bastogne-Liege