'Van der Poel is more relaxed... Remco is very tough' - Louis Vervaeke talks about working for both leaders
Cycling
Louis Vervaeke is one of the few riders that has experience in the peloton as teammate of Mathieu van der Poel and Remco Evenepoel. The Soudal - Quick-Step rider is part of Evenepoel's tight circle when it comes to stage-races and Grand Tours, and notes quite a meaningful difference between the two.
"Our relationship has grown over the years. If you race together a lot, but also experience a lot of stressful moments together, that creates a bond. The altitude training camps, where you spend days together in a small room, also contribute to that," Vervaeke said in the Wolfpack Howls podcast - naturally part of the Belgian team.
Vervaeke is a reliable climber and has been with Evenepoel throughout all of his Grand Tours since the 2022 - including this year's Tour de France and his 2022 Vuelta a España win. He has proven to be a quality addition to a team that is currently in search of the best possible support for the 24-year old.
The 31-year old joined Quick-Step in 2022 after two years in Alpecin-Deceuninck, where he was teammates with Mathieu van der Poel. “When I meet him during a race now, I always have a chat with him. It’s always fun," he says, before making a comparison between the two massive stars. "They are very different in terms of personality. Mathieu is a very good leader, but he is more relaxed. He likes to have fun. You can feel that he races because he likes it, not for the money or his ego.”
“Remco is very tough. He is a street fighter who wants to finish everyone off. Be careful, I like that too. Because of that mentality, you have to do better and better as a teammate to be allowed to stay with the group. If you don't, Remco doesn't like it," he concluded.
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🎙️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗹𝗳𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗛𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘀: @LouisVervaeke
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) November 29, 2024
We recently talked with the Belgian, one of the most fascinating characters in our squad, about both his love of his wife and children, as well as his other family in the shape of Soudal Quick-Step ➡️ https://t.co/DntjqfjeiR pic.twitter.com/m2VnVuUJRl
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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.
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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)...
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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