Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl team manager after Remco Evenepoel's victory - "He is a champion and has a huge hunger. That's still remarkable"

Klaas Lodewyck has been team manager at Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl since 2018. So it is no surprise he is close with the new World Champion Remco Evenepoel. When Evenepoel won the title, Lodewyck celebrated like there was no tomorrow.

He managed to control his excitement to give a small interview to Sporza. "Whether this is exceptional? Yes, anyway," said Lodewyck when asked about Evenepoel’s victory. It was like a show for him to watch Evenepoel destroy his competitors.

A former rider, he knows how much pressure is involved in competing in the grueling Vuelta and winning the red jersey, but it's another level to maintain form and win the rainbow jersey. "He will already have been busy with the World Cup during the Vuelta, but we deliberately kept that pressure off. There was already enough pressure with the leader's jersey," said Lodewyck.

Evenepoel’s solo rider for the last 25 kilometres was worth the watch and it didn’t disappoint Lodewyck. "Yes, I am also amazed that he can maintain that top condition for so long. Whether that is exceptional? Still, yes. With many guys, you would see decompression after the Vuelta, but he is a champion and has a huge hunger. That's still remarkable," concluded Lodewyck.