Patrick Lefevere reacts to Soudal - Quick-Step hitting 1,000* wins: “People focus on the quantity of our victories, but let’s not forget the quality too”

Remco Evenepoel's stage 4 time trial win at the 2025 Criterium du Dauphine on Wednesday marked a landmark moment in the history of the Soudal - Quick-Step team. Although it's been widely contested online, 'The Wolfpack' have proclaimed Evenepoel's success at the 1,000th in team history.

“I don’t get emotional easily, but I definitely had a lump in my throat today,” Lefevere admitted in conversation with Sporza after seeing the team he built reach such an important milestone. “I felt a lot of emotions, because I think I’m only now beginning to grasp what those 1,000 wins really mean. No one has done this before us."

"People say: ‘Yes, Movistar has 999 as well,’ but they’ve been around since 1980," adds the now-retired Belgian former team boss. "We started in 2003 – and that’s not even counting our riders’ World Championship and Olympic titles.”

As mentioned, Lefevere started the team himself back in 2003 and was a key figure within the set up all the way until the end of the 2024 season when he announced his retirement. From Remco Evenepoel to Tom Boonen, Mark Cavendish to Julian Alaphilippe, Lefevere has helped guide multiple generations of the sport's leading stars.

“Did I ever dare to dream this? Not at all. I didn’t even expect we’d have a team for this long,” he laughs. “I’ve always worked hard for this. In 2010–2011 we hit a bit of a rough patch, but then we made some changes and Zdenek Bakala came on board as owner. Since then, we’ve found the right path again and have been breaking records year after year. People focus on the quantity of our victories, but let’s not forget the quality too.”

Ever difficult to please however, Lefevere is also keen to note the 1,000th win is actually late in coming. “Am I happy it was Remco? Actually, it was supposed to be Tim Merlier earlier this week in the Antwerp Port Classic,” he chuckles. “I’d have been just as happy then, but this is something else entirely. Remco, solo, in his world champion’s jersey, winning a World Tour race… That really is the cherry on top.”

Asked to pick a favourite of the 1,000, Lefevere declines. “Today was special, but it wouldn’t be respectful to all the people who contributed to every single one of those victories," he assesses. "Not just the riders, but also the staff and entire support team.”

“We’ve won 984 of those under my watch," he concludes, although celebrations are being kept to a minimum. "I do enjoy a drink but I’m home alone, so I won’t do that tonight. I’m also trying to watch my diet – or at least trying to – so I’ll have one to celebrate this evening, but I won’t be out partying. To be honest, I would’ve loved to celebrate this with the team, but for various reasons, I couldn’t be there.”