Soudal - Quick Step Thread

[Carrick-On-Seine]

The only "wrong" thing I get from that interview is more mixed signals from DQS.

If they weren't expecting for Remco to blow everyone away and are proceding with caution, why take him there to fight for the GC and not just hunt some stages and get some race miles on his legs? Why have an entire team dedicated to him? Why doesn't he let Almeida have a free role at least?

The actions don't match the words.

Because Remco is the long term investment while Joao is being shopped around by a super agent. Let's hope they don't make a clerical error and sell Almeida to Benfica instead of Bora.

 

[BlueRoads]

Because Remco is the long term investment while Joao is being shopped around by a super agent. Let's hope they don't make a clerical error and sell Almeida to Benfica instead of Bora.

"I used to be a football player, but now I'm a cyclist."
"I used to be a cyclist, but now, god knows why, I'm a football player."

 

[Panda Claws]

The only "wrong" thing I get from that interview is more mixed signals from DQS.

If they weren't expecting for Remco to blow everyone away and are proceding with caution, why take him there to fight for the GC and not just hunt some stages and get some race miles on his legs? Why have an entire team dedicated to him? Why doesn't he let Almeida have a free role at least?

The actions don't match the words.

It would be odd to step in the Giro with such a fixed plan and never change it depending on the circumstances.

And I don't agree with the statement that if you are not expected to blow everyone away you should not try for GC. This is a young rider looking to find his limits and there is definite value in getting 9th for example so you have an idea of where you are at. You may still think that letting him stage hunt was wiser but letting him test for GC is defensible.

Whole team was dedicated to two leaders not just to Evenepoel but then things happened. Almeida lost co-leadership because he lost minutes over a few kilometers. At that point he should still be able to keep a free role but even riders in a free role can be made to work if the interests of the team Trump his.

Evenepoel lost touch with the group on a stage where the breakaway was so far ahead that Almeida could not win the stage anyway. Furthermore Almeida's GC was already gone. They now have one person at 2 min and one at 7 min. Having one at 3-4 and one at 5-6 would not have been better.

So do the actions match the words? Started as co-leaders and it would be decided on the road. Almeida showed big weakness and also finished bevind Evenepoel on other climbs. The team decided that Evenepoel would be sole leader. Is it worth it to work for a rider that you might not believes can already win it all? Of course, most domestiques work for GC riders that can't realistically win. Should Almeida still get a free role? Perhaps yes but a free role is not the same as being co-leader. The team had little to gain by letting Almeida stay in front and much more to lose by Evenepoel losing more time.

We can talk again when Almeida has to bring bottles or when Evenepoel loses 5 minutes on the Zoncolan and Almeida is not allowed to stage hunt afterwards. But right now I don't see what has happened that doesnt match their words. Almeida cannot stage hunt atm anyway because he is not far enough behind. Yet he is also too far behind for the team to care much about his GC classification.

I initially thought that it could be good to let Almeida not drop back because QST would have two cards to play. But he was already five(!) Minutes behind before the stage even started.

 

[BlueRoads]

It would be odd to step in the Giro with such a fixed plan and never change it depending on the circumstances.

And I don't agree with the statement that if you are not expected to blow everyone away you should not try for GC. This is a young rider looking to find his limits and there is definite value in getting 9th for example so you have an idea of where you are at. You may still think that letting him stage hunt was wiser but letting him test for GC is defensible.

Whole team was dedicated to two leaders not just to Evenepoel but then things happened. Almeida lost co-leadership because he lost minutes over a few kilometers. At that point he should still be able to keep a free role but even riders in a free role can be made to work if the interests of the team Trump his.

Evenepoel lost touch with the group on a stage where the breakaway was so far ahead that Almeida could not win the stage anyway. Furthermore Almeida's GC was already gone. They now have one person at 2 min and one at 7 min. Having one at 3-4 and one at 5-6 would not have been better.

So do the actions match the words? Started as co-leaders and it would be decided on the road. Almeida showed big weakness and also finished bevind Evenepoel on other climbs. The team decided that Evenepoel would be sole leader. Is it worth it to work for a rider that you might not believes can already win it all? Of course, most domestiques work for GC riders that can't realistically win. Should Almeida still get a free role? Perhaps yes but a free role is not the same as being co-leader. The team had little to gain by letting Almeida stay in front and much more to lose by Evenepoel losing more time.

We can talk again when Almeida has to bring bottles or when Evenepoel loses 5 minutes on the Zoncolan and Almeida is not allowed to stage hunt afterwards. But right now I don't see what has happened that doesnt match their words. Almeida cannot stage hunt atm anyway because he is not far enough behind. Yet he is also too far behind for the team to care much about his GC classification.

I initially thought that it could be good to let Almeida not drop back because QST would have two cards to play. But he was already five(!) Minutes behind before the stage even started.

It was weird though, how he shipped so much time during that stage.
Don't know who to blame here and whether to blame anyone, but it looked a bit weird, unless he really sucks completely in bad weather, which I hadn't noticed before (Buchmann sucks there and he didn't lose half as much time).
Either he was really, really disappointing, could not be helped, and the team had not expected that either - or the team was actually happy that it happened because it solved their problem and left him alone when they could have helped to limit the loss - or there were serious team issues before the stage already, and Almeida was pouting a bit when he saw he was not supported and shipped more time than necessary, which would not make sense but could be an emotional reaction - or he had hoped to be let lose for stages, which didn't happen, he still has to work for Remco...
So many speculations from my side... I'm trying to make sense of things... but I think I'm going to stop here, I just don't have a clue.

 

[carolina]

Because Remco is the long term investment while Joao is being shopped around by a super agent. Let's hope they don't make a clerical error and sell Almeida to Benfica instead of Bora.

DQS always had cyclists that were leaving and that never afected their role in the team. Bennett is leaving at end of the year and he's still going to get a dedicated sprint train at the Tour. The whole "Remco is the MVP because he has a contract and Almeida doesn't" is exagerated, IMO. I don't think this was a problem at all.

@BlueRoads he lost time on the 4th stage because he forgot to eat. It's the same mistake he made in Tirreno when he lost time.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

DQS always had cyclists that were leaving and that never afected their role in the team. Bennett is leaving at end of the year and he's still going to get a dedicated sprint train at the Tour. The whole "Remco is the MVP because he has a contract and Almeida doesn't" is exagerated, IMO. I don't think this was a problem at all.

But Remco is the first superstar Flandrian they have had since Boonen. Means so much to the sponsors.

 

[Bonimenier]

But Remco is the first superstar Flandrian they have had since Boonen. Means so much to the sponsors.

And that's a big reason why he got a 5 year extension on his contract. Not sure what that has to do with the roles for the riders of DQS right now.

 

[groogster]

Just done reading Lefevere’s interview to the press and in the perspective of a clear and coherent strategy for this Giro as GC goes it blows my mind. What a hell was Deceunick thinking in the first place?
There’s a level of uncertainty about everything and it does not help to succeed. In the end the team is underperforming, broked, there’s no GC, no stages and unfortunately I think that we haven’t see the last of it yet.

 

[BlueRoads]

Just done reading Lefevere’s interview to the press and in the perspective of a clear and coherent strategy for this Giro as GC goes it blows my mind. What a hell was Deceunick thinking in the first place?
There’s a level of uncertainty about everything and it does not help to succeed. In the end the team is underperforming, broked, there’s no GC, no stages and unfortunately I think that we haven’t see the last of it yet.

Okay, but maybe we should wait with this assessment until the end of the Giro.

 

[Remy55]

Did anybody listen to this new podcast with Lefevere?

PODCAST. Patrick Lefevere: “Ik zou tegen Remco zeggen: spaar je benen tot Milaan en probeer daar het beest Ganna te kloppen”

We keken met Patrick Lefevere naar de zestiende etappe van de Giro waarin Remco Evenepoel zijn klassementsambities definitief opzij zette. De beelden lieten het afweten, de grote baas van Deceuninck-Quick Step was wél haarscherp in een boeiende aflevering van Giro Lungo, de wielerpodcast van Het...

www.nieuwsblad.be

Anything interesting?

 

[groogster]

Did anybody listen to this new podcast with Lefevere?

PODCAST. Patrick Lefevere: “Ik zou tegen Remco zeggen: spaar je benen tot Milaan en probeer daar het beest Ganna te kloppen”

We keken met Patrick Lefevere naar de zestiende etappe van de Giro waarin Remco Evenepoel zijn klassementsambities definitief opzij zette. De beelden lieten het afweten, de grote baas van Deceuninck-Quick Step was wél haarscherp in een boeiende aflevering van Giro Lungo, de wielerpodcast van Het...

www.nieuwsblad.be

Anything interesting?

It's a shame that it isn't available in English, I would love to ear it

 

[BlueRoads]

Now for something else. Does anybody have an idea what will happen to Hodeg? I'm sure he won't get a new contract at Quickstep, but what could be the options?
In Andalucia it seemed he had the speed, but was again afraid to get involved. He only really started his sprint when his way was free. If he has some serious issues with that, that makes bunch sprints damn hard... (I wonder if Jakobsen's crash had some mental impact on him in addition. He's never been good at positioning, but this looks worse.)
Now, what can he do? He clearly can't be a lead-out. Best for him would be a team with a fully dedicated train, my dream would be ISN. I think if they worked as unquestioning for him as they do for Greipel, that should work well.
But if he doesn't get any results this season such a contract will be hard to get. What other options do you see? (If you say none I will put you on ignore. )

 

[Remy55]

Lefevere said in an interview currently it's 5:0 for Denk against him.

Bennett and Almeida are very likely 1 and 2.
Who are the other 3? Is he counting Ujitdebroeks?

 

[Naico]

Lefevere said in an interview currently it's 5:0 for Denk against him.

Bennett and Almeida are very likely 1 and 2.
Who are the other 3? Is he counting Ujitdebroeks?

Politt and Schachmann (if we’re counting other years) ? That makes 5.

 

[Netserk]

Surely Bennett counts in the other direction as well. So at least 5:1.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Surely Bennett counts in the other direction as well. So at least 5:1.

Nooo, Patrick is always the victim and never the one who does anything wrong...

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Now for something else. Does anybody have an idea what will happen to Hodeg? I'm sure he won't get a new contract at Quickstep, but what could be the options?
In Andalucia it seemed he had the speed, but was again afraid to get involved. He only really started his sprint when his way was free. If he has some serious issues with that, that makes bunch sprints damn hard... (I wonder if Jakobsen's crash had some mental impact on him in addition. He's never been good at positioning, but this looks worse.)
Now, what can he do? He clearly can't be a lead-out. Best for him would be a team with a fully dedicated train, my dream would be ISN. I think if they worked as unquestioning for him as they do for Greipel, that should work well.
But if he doesn't get any results this season such a contract will be hard to get. What other options do you see? (If you say none I will put you on ignore. )

It is a tough situation for him. A sprinter who has limited results followed by a drought while riding for Quickstep of all teams is not going to look like a good gamble for other teams. Even more so if he needs dedicated support. He really, really, needs to string some results together. He has most of a season to do it in, so if I was him I’d be planning on racing full gas till October. If he picks up a few wins, he will be a different proposition.

 

[Netserk]

Nooo, Patrick is always the victim and never the one who does anything wrong...

I don't remember, did any of the QS riders break their contract to ride for Bora?

 

[MrTea1976]

Because Remco is the long term investment while Joao is being shopped around by a super agent. Let's hope they don't make a clerical error and sell Almeida to Benfica instead of Bora.

With the Portugese influence, Almeida will end up with Wolves after the Wolfpack.

 

[hayneplane]

Now for something else. Does anybody have an idea what will happen to Hodeg? I'm sure he won't get a new contract at Quickstep, but what could be the options?
In Andalucia it seemed he had the speed, but was again afraid to get involved. He only really started his sprint when his way was free. If he has some serious issues with that, that makes bunch sprints damn hard... (I wonder if Jakobsen's crash had some mental impact on him in addition. He's never been good at positioning, but this looks worse.)
Now, what can he do? He clearly can't be a lead-out. Best for him would be a team with a fully dedicated train, my dream would be ISN. I think if they worked as unquestioning for him as they do for Greipel, that should work well.
But if he doesn't get any results this season such a contract will be hard to get. What other options do you see? (If you say none I will put you on ignore. )

His best bet might be to drop down a level and go to a French pro-continental team where he can ride a calendar based around the French Cup with a lot of sprinter friendly one day races at a lower level to rebuild confidence and the occasional step up to World Tour like Paris Nice and GP Plouay etc to test the level.

 

[roundabout]

The only "wrong" thing I get from that interview is more mixed signals from DQS.

If they weren't expecting for Remco to blow everyone away and are proceding with caution, why take him there to fight for the GC and not just hunt some stages and get some race miles on his legs? Why have an entire team dedicated to him? Why doesn't he let Almeida have a free role at least?

The actions don't match the words.

And here comes more of the same after yesterdays stage: "we knew this could happen", "it was not unexpected", "condition could not have been top"

I mean this is understandable, but the way things went down in the last 2 weeks is that QS went in thinking that this preparation would be enough and Evenepoel's abilities will take care of the rest

Honestly, it feels rather insulting to Almeida that instead of saying that they tried to win the Giro with Evenepoel, but the extent of the injury meant that getting optimal preparation was a bigger challenge than anticipated, they went with the not unexpected line.

 

[Bonimenier]

I can't wait for the Almeida-Evenepoel sequel in the Vuelta.

 

[groogster]

I can't wait for the Almeida-Evenepoel sequel in the Vuelta.

Me also... I’m drooling already

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I can't wait for the Almeida-Evenepoel sequel in the Vuelta.

They should just have their dedicated domestiques and there will be no problem. Remco gets Vansevenant and Cattaneo, João gets Masnada and Knox.

 

[Bonimenier]

They should just have their dedicated domestiques and there will be no problem. Remco gets Vansevenant and Cattaneo, João gets Masnada and Knox.

I heard on this forum that Masnada is the next big GC prospect. Seems disrespectful to give him domestique duties.