'Van der Poel is more relaxed... Remco is very tough' - Louis Vervaeke talks about working for both leaders

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.