"They had all gone to McDonald's together with Remco" - Evenepoel treats Quick-Step staff before leaving Tour de France

Remco Evenepoel had a disaster end to the Tour de France, coming down with exhaustion and having several bad days in a row that ended his GC ambitions. On the Col du Tourmalet he put his foot down, but later was taken to the team bus, talked to the media and even treated the team's staff to a dinner out before leaving France.

"Remco didn't have a proper winter. His training camp after the Dauphiné was poor. We needed a miracle, but it didn't happen," Patrick Lefevere told Het Nieuwsblad. The Olympic Champion's winter was badly affected by a crash in December in which he suffered multiple fractures. He spent two months away from the road and only began his season in mid-April, having worked towards the classics where he put in strong performances.

He lacked the work towards the long efforts throughout the winter but at the Criterium du Dauphiné it looked like he was back on track. However as the Tour entered it's second week, Evenepoel could no longer perform at his level. "I saw it coming for a few days already. Hautacam, Peyragudes. You could already tell there that he wasn't doing well. Saturday's stage passed through Lourdes before the Tourmalet, but no miracle happened". 

That is something that could've happened days prior, but on stage 12 Evenepoel defended himself very well after getting dropped early on in the Col du Soulor. "That's what sticks with me most. Of course, he was physically and mentally broken, but I think he fought bravely in this Tour. In the stage to Hautacam, everyone thought he would lose thirty minutes. But he really battled. Honestly, he couldn't have done that last year".

Lefevere shares that Evenepoel gave back to the team before going back home on Saturday. "Suddenly, I saw a group of mechanics all arrive at one. They had all gone to McDonald's together with Remco. Absolutely right. He's allowed to eat again now," Lefevere says, referring to the athlete's strict diet.

The former manager of the Belgian team has no criticism or negative remakrs of Evenepoel despite the disappointment that struck the team. "I think Remco handled himself with great dignity. He didn't say a single bad word about his teammates. When you're not performing, of course, you shouldn't, but if I speak for myself, I think you can expect more from riders like Maximillian Schachmann or Valentin Paret-Peintre".