"Pogacar who dominates Flanders, and then you have Van der Poel, Van Aert and Pedersen" - Former Quick-Step leader on team's regression in the classics
Cycling
Soudal - Quick-Step were for years, even decades, at the forefront of the cobbled classics. With several legends going through their ranks, the Belgian team was used to winning at home, but in recent years it has not only lacked the power to contest with the new leaders; but also largely also lacked the power to be in the fight for top results in the main classics.
This began to happen in the 2020's. Kasper Asgreen took a strong victory over Mathieu van der Poel at the 2021 Tour of Flanders, however from there on the Belgian team began to go under, with the gap to the top growing by the year.
"After that, we started to lag behind. Other teams made a big push and overruled us, especially Jumbo-Visma at that time. The super-talented Van der Poel was also dominating everywhere," Lampaert said in the Live Slow Ride Fast podcast. "We lacked such a talent in the team at that time".
Visma had a strong hold of the cobbled classics outside of the monuments for a long time, whilst Mathieu van der Poel has been consistently winning monuments left and right for several years. Quick-Step in the meantime has had to begin dealing with Tadej Pogacar who made the switch to the classics, and also Mads Pedersen who took the next step. But within the team, no-one matched that evolution.
"We were at our wits' end, a bit like a funeral silence. 'How is this happening? What's wrong with it?' We're simply up against phenomenal talents. Pogacar who dominates Flanders, and then you have Van der Poel and Van Aert. Pedersen is also hurting us, last year's Gent-Wevelgem, for example, when you see how hard Pedersen rode there. That was phenomenal," Lampaert argues.
The veteran himself is not longer in contention for the top classics as he was in previous years, however it was a general lack of quality and the investment in the team's climber block to back Remco Evenepoel which led to this change. However, this year the priorities shift once more, and the signing of two monuments winners such as Jasper Stuyven and Dylan van Baarle can turn the tide on a few rough years.
"Collectively, we lacked strength. In the past, it was a real battle to get into the squad. Now, the squad is clear in advance. Our squad for the Tour was broader than the squad for the classics".
Yves Lampaert is a former Paris-Roubaix podium finisher, nowadays he is a road captain at Soudal - Quick-Step
Lampaert praises Paul Magnier
But besides its new signings, they team has something to look forward to: "We're definitely stronger in depth. Last year, for example, we started Paris-Roubaix with four riders making their debut. That would have been unthinkable in the past. With Van Baarle and Stuyven, and hopefully also with Paul Magnier – who can still take another step – we have men for the finale."
The Frenchman is a strong sprinter but has equally shown great talent in the short and explosive climbs, a lot like Arnaud de Lie who has similarly grown inside a Belgian team. This spring Magnier will be testing himself in larger races during the spring, and the team may end up backing him in several races.
"As a second-year professional, he took nineteen victories. There was only one person who did better, and that was Pogacar. Of course, Pogacar's victories were of higher quality, but you have to do it at that age," the veteran argues. "Winning four out of five stages in the Tour of Slovakia, that's for sure."
"Last year, after the Omloop, I said I see him as a new Tom Boonen. He's very athletic, has substance, and is incredibly fast at the finish. When he sprints head-to-head, he and Merlier might just be the fastest riders at the moment."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- TADEJ POGAČAR !!! "Anatomy of a G.O.A.T." OK, that's great!!! I've been saying all along: Tadej Pogačar-Pogi is the G.O.A.T... period. Not only in cycling... but he's the greatest sportsman that ever lived !!! But let's take a look of what real foolishness looks like: We have many many fools, also on this site, saying that Pogi is "boring,"... he's making cycling "boring"??? I can't believe what's comming out of their deteriorating smelly mouths. So I guess Merckx, Hinault, Indurain, Fasto Coppi and Anquetil were also boring!?!? I guess Michael Jordan, Le Bron, Gretzky, Messi, Ronaldo, Shumacher, Novak Džoković, Federer, Rossi, Marquez, Phelps, Michaela Shiffrin, Venus Williams, Bolt, Lewis Hamilton... etc. were all boring. PS: Many cycling "fans" that think that way, have to get a brain scan. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans13-11-2026
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- the headline is poorly written too. it makes it sound like their plan is to simply wait until he stops.mij13-11-2026
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