Remco Evenepoel soon in the Tour? Patrick Lefevere is considering a new program for Belgian champion

In an interview with La Dernière Heure, the Soudal-Quick Step team boss opened up about the ideas with the Belgian champion for 2025. Because: Lefevere wants to score again in the classics after another disappointing episode.

“Spring was obviously a disappointment for me. Yves Lampaert finished 18th in the Tour of Flanders. That is not enough. Three years ago Kasper Asgreen won the Tour. Yves also has a great track record, but this year it didn’t work out. I can’t be happy, that’s for sure. How does that happen? I don’t want to make excuses, even though Julian Alaphilippe – who was good – was not able to fully show himself because he rode several races with a small fracture. But perhaps our potential no longer meets expectations.”

And so Lefevere is thinking about a personnel change. “If you know someone at the level of Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar and Wout van Aert, who is available and financially feasible, then I am interested. But at the end of the year we will look together with Remco to see if it is possible to do Milan-San Remo and go to the Tour of Flanders with a very selective program,” he said. “And then to rest so that we can tackle Liège-Bastogne-Liège and then the Tour. I think Remco is still a little Flandrien. He sometimes trains on those roads. I’m sure he wants to ride the Tour one day.”

In the meantime, the recovering Evenepoel is first working towards the Tour de France.

“Our DNA has changed a bit because we are building a team to support Remco during the Tour. I would like us to be dominant in all areas, but we don’t have the budget of UAE Team Emirates. However, I am convinced that Remco will be ready for the Tour. His shoulder blade currently hurts more than his broken collarbone, but he is leaving for the Sierra Nevada in ten days for an altitude training camp. He is very relaxed because he knows it is only the end of April and so he still has time. And Mikel Landa? I spoke to him on Sunday. He said to me, ‘Patrick, this is the sixth time I’ve broken my collarbone. I know the healing process and I feel good’. He still has some pain in his side, but will be there next to Remco in the Dauphiné.”