"Strictly speaking it costs us a bonus" - Patrick Lefevere claims Remco Evenepoel's Olympic title win doesn't mean much for Soudal - Quick-Step

After two World Championship titles, a Grand Tour and two monument wins among numerous other successes, Remco Evenepoel added a coveted Olympic gold to his palmares last weekend, taking victory ahead of Filippo Ganna in the individual time trial at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

In the few days since Evenepoel's golden triumph, the Belgian's Soudal - Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere has outlined his star rider's plans for the rest of the season and the early part of 2025. As is often the case with Lefevere however, the legendary team boss struggled to be completely positive, despite watching his rider win an Olympic gold medal.

Speaking to La Dernière Heure, Lefevere lamented how Evenepoel's gold medal win doesn't actually mean much for Soudal - Quick-Step in the grand scheme of things. "Strictly speaking, nothing. On the contrary, it costs us a bonus. Much higher than the 50,000 euros that Remco receives from the National Lottery," Lefevere explains. "We are going to give him the same as if he had won a Monument. All this without him being able to use his Olympic title for advertising purposes."

"However, we made everything available to him so that he could become Olympic champion: the equipment, the staff," continues the vastly experienced Belgian team boss, noting how Evenepoel isn't the first rider to claim an Olympic gold medal under Lefevere's tutelage. "This is the third time, after Pascal Richard in 1994 and Paolo Bettini in 2004, that one of my riders has become Olympic champion. As an employer it is a bit frustrating, but of course I am over the moon for Remco, who deserves it."

On Saturday, August 3rd, Evenepoel will get another chance for Olympic gold as the Belgian competes in the men's elite road race where he will face off with the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, Mads Pedersen, Tom Pidcock and compatriot Wout van Aert.