Soudal-Quick Step used to be the measure of things in the Flemish races, but this year they do not excel in the classical work. Tom Boonen and Patrick Lefevere, the successful duo of yesteryear, do not immediately find explanations in Cycling Club Wattage. “The same riders won Harelbeke and the Ronde 2 or 3 years ago,” said the troubled team manager.
Yves Lampaert confessed earlier this week in Vive le Vélo, Long Live the Ronde, that it is no fun to no longer be able to be decisive, although he did not call the situation disastrous.
Dirk De Wolf summarized the classic spring of Soudal – Quick Step as follows: “That is not good and at times very bad.”
Enter Tom Boonen, who was successful at Quick Step from 2003 to 2017. “I don’t recognize the team anymore. It makes me cry.”
And what is the reason for this: boys with the team for too long, no longer motivated, Ruben Van Gucht wanted to know?
“If they knew the reason, they might be able to solve it. I think they drive around uninspired,” Boonen notes.
Is there a leader missing who hits the table? “Apparently. They are unlucky that Alaphilippe, Asgreen and Lampaert are not good. They seem to be in a downward spiral and no one has the courage to do anything about it. I don’t know right away, but I can’t explain it.”
If there was a magic formula, they would have found it already.
Tom Boonen
Lefevere: “The same riders won Harelbeke and the Ronde 2.3 years ago”
“If there was a magic formula, they would have found it already,” Boonen resigns. “Sometimes you have those years when things don’t work.”
How does Patrick Lefevere, the godfather of the Flemish race, view his classic team? Lefevere was the special guest of Cycling Club Wattage in his hometown of Roeselare. “I still have a small hope. It wasn’t working in 2001 either. I gave a speech in the morning before Paris-Roubaix and we were 1, 2 and 3.”
Servais Knaven won ahead of Johan Museeuw and Romans Vainsteins, then with the cycling team called Domo-Farm Frites. “Hope makes fools live, eh.”
In recent days, Lefevere did not spare criticism of his Flemish team. At Ruben’s table, he also answered the question where he thinks he made a mistake.
“A boss never makes mistakes,” it sounded cryptic at first. “It’s easy to say afterwards: ‘Where did you go wrong?'”
“The riders who are not doing it now won Harelbeke and the Tour of Flanders 2, 3 years ago. They competed everywhere for the win and now suddenly it is not working.”
I can’t clean my feet every morning in the riders’ hotel, can I? They already think I’m an idiot.
Patrick Lefevere
He cannot immediately put his finger on the wound. “I can’t go to the riders’ hotel every morning and work on my feet, can I? They already think I’m an idiot.”
It is a frustrating situation for riders and manager: “I have doctors, I have trainers, a sleep coach, 3 team leaders. What can I do about it, except pay at the end of the month.”
Cycling club Wattage is thinking about ways to protect riders
The riders are licking their wounds, Cycling Club Wattage is disappointed. Yet Ruben Van Gucht, Tom Boonen, Dirk De Wolf, Mark Uytterhoeven Jan Bakelants provide new insights (you have to reduce the impact of a fall, Jorgenson will be Van der Poel’s challenger and Kopecky may have to train less) and great stories ( Jan was almost stuck in Tenerife, Tom cycled with a garden stroke, Mark was the messiah and Dirk passed on to Patrick Lefevere).
Tuesday 19/0368 mins
view on VRT Max
