Lefevere opens up on Evenepoel transfer: 'If Remco can earn a few million more, he should take it'
Patrick Lefevere, the long-time boss of Soudal Quick-Step, has broken his silence on Remco Evenepoel’s move to BORA–hansgrohe. Writing in his weekly column for Het Nieuwsblad, Lefevere addressed the departure of Belgium’s biggest cycling star and stressed that there are “no hard feelings.”
“I cannot pretend nothing has happened, but contractually I can say very little,” Lefevere said. “When I sold my shares in the team, I also signed a non-disclosure agreement. But if Remco can earn a few million more elsewhere, he should take that opportunity. Our budget simply does not allow us to compete with teams like UAE or Red Bull anymore.”
The Belgian manager stressed he had known for a while the move was coming. “It did not surprise me. In a relationship, when it is over, it is over. You can feel something like this coming. If it had happened while I was still running the team, would the outcome have been different? It would be arrogant to say yes. There has always been interest in Remco. When he won the Vuelta a España and became world champion in Wollongong, that is when the real chase began.”
Evenepoel had previously told the team he would never leave, but Lefevere is not holding a grudge. “People remember those words, but I forgive him. You say things in an emotional moment.”
Looking ahead, Lefevere admitted Soudal Quick-Step may now be “a team in the middle of the pack.” Despite never having the biggest budget, he said the squad had “achieved miracles” with its resources but added that at some point “you have to let go.” CEO Jurgen Foré believes they can return to their former level, which for Lefevere also means being competitive in Grand Tours.
Recent signings suggest the team will be moving back toward the classics-focused identity that defined much of Lefevere’s tenure. The arrivals of Jasper Stuyven, Dylan van Baarle and Edward Planckaert bring proven firepower for one-day racing, hinting at a strategy to rebuild the depth and cohesion that once made the squad a dominant force in the spring.
But Lefevere stressed that success does not have to come solely from such signings. “If we cannot sign them, we train them ourselves. That is what we have always done, with riders like Alaphilippe, Mas and Schachmann. We are proud of that,” he said. “But I am realistic. We are unlikely to produce someone who will soon stand on the final podium in the Tour de France. I hope I am wrong, but I fear I am not.”
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