"When I look at Visma now, they didn't ride a great Tour" - Patrick Lefevere hits back after criticism of Soudal - Quick-Step support for Remco Evenepoel
Cycling
For Patrick Lefevere, Soudal - Quick-Step and Remco Evenepoel, the 2024 Tour de France was a very joyful one. The team leader secured a podium on his debut at the French Grand Tour and super-domestique Mikel Landa very impressively took 5th overall himself.
"We are a year ahead of schedule," team boss Lefevere reflects in a post-Tour de France conversation with Het Laatste Nieuws. "I have always said that we should not aim for a podium place in the Tour before 2025. It is 2024, it is Evenepoel's first Tour and he comes third."
Ahead of the 2024 Tour de France however, there was much criticism of Soudal - Quick-Step's team built solely around supporting the time trial world champion, with many believing it was simply not up to scratch against the likes of Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates, Jonas Vingegaard's Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Primoz Roglic's Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe support.
"There is very little that was not good. Always that nagging about our team, that it is too weak, everyone can now keep quiet about that. I know where we come from, I know the efforts we have made," Lefevere fires back at the doubters feistily. "Last year we were exactly a team of bunglers. Everywhere was better than ours. When I look at Visma now, they didn't ride a great Tour either. I hear the marketing talk, that they know exactly what they are doing and that they know how many watts Tadej and Remco are going to push in the third week. Well, I haven't seen the result of that either."
"If you look at this race and you see the progress he has made mentally, then I think there is still a lot of room for improvement. You also win a Grand Tour by staying calm. By resting a lot. He is very fanatical about that. Every minute of rest he could use, he has used," Lefevere continues, full of praise for Evenepoel. "It is to Mikel Landa's credit that he kept Remco calm. Remco does look up to him."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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GC Podium & Maillot Blanc Winner!!! 🤯🤍🔥🇫🇷 There are no words to describe how proud I am to be on the podium of @LeTour and to be the Best Young Rider. 💭🫶🏼 I can't thank my teammates, family, the staff and fans enough for the support and for believing in me. We did this
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