Patrick Lefevere on Roubaix: "We aren't used to being on the defensive. We're an aggressive team"

With Paris-Roubaix quickly approaching, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team are making their last preparations for the race as they have gone out to recon the cobbled sectors today in France. Patrick Lefevere in the meantime has spoken to the media on the team's view of the third monument of the season.

"I don't think it's a big secret if I tell you that Kasper is at a very high level. In my eyes on Sunday he was one of the strongest riders, but he was too generous and too good for the others... So, we have to wait a little bit more to profit from the others. Our strength has always been to bring three or four riders into the final and play the game. I hope on Sunday we can do the same again," Lefevere told in a pre-race press conference.

With an underwhelming classics campaign so far, Quick-Step is under pressure to perform. Illnesses have put a dent on the team's preparation, with all of it's leaders except for Kasper Asgreen underperforming in the crucial block of races. Asgreen struggled in the opening weekend after recovering from Covid-19, however he's returned to his best level to put on strong performances throughout the spring. He's hoping to capitalize on that form and turn it into results.

Lefevere pointed out: "Who will be the winner? I don't care, so long as he has a blue jersey. You have to see that the others have to ride behind and not in front of you. We aren't used to being on the defensive. We're an aggressive team."

With Yves Lampaert, Florian Sénéchal and Zdenek Stybar directly behind, the Belgian team has plenty cards to play in the brutal cobbled roads of northern France, and their team manager stresses how important it is to play them efficiently: "If we can use 100 per cent of the tools we have then we can be confident. We don't have to panic, and we don't have to be nervous. It's a very long race, and even if you have a puncture or a bad moment then the race never over."

"We are maybe for the first time in a long time with seven riders who have no excuse anymore because they were injured or sick. So, I hope that Paris-Roubaix for once brings luck. And then we will see but I repeat myself for 100,000 times that I don't speak about bad results or good results before the end of the Liège-Bastogne-Liège," he added.

Lefevere has also pointed out the importance of going into the race with the right mindset, and on how he's tried to provide for a relaxed environment for the team before the big race: "Maybe for us it was a good thing that the race is a week later. It gave us time to recover. But still we have 18 victories and 13 second places – a lot of other teams would want to be in our place... First of all, I tried to let them recover and not be around too much to stress them, Fortunately for them I was also sick for the last 10 days, so I couldn't make them nervous."