Soudal - Quick Step Thread

[yaco]

that's why you have Evenepoel go to the Giro with the full A team, then go to the TDF with a hybrid team that has 5 riders supporting Remco, while Merlier has a lead out man. However, Merlier would become Remco's lead out man if time bonuses are at play

How does a hybrid team have five support riders for one leader?

 

[yaco]

And if Evenepoel doesn't go for GC you still have riders that can win stages... What's your point?

Include a sprinter and even more chance to win a stage - I'm sick of the outdated thinking that a GC leader needs a whole team to support that rider.

 

[hayneplane]

Merlier serves a good purpose though for the team. He will pick up wins here and there. Stages and a couple of semi-classics each season. It was a smart and good signing.

40% of SQS wins last season came from Merlier and Evenepoel.

Maybe it could work now that Jakobsen has left as it was certainly not workable to give grand tour priority to a top tier GC contender and 2 elite sprinters.

 

[joseph89]

Well, I have found someone who can succeed me”: Patrick Lefevere​

https://m.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20231117_97048999

Lefevere : “That is not a simple quest, because I cannot miss. As a joke I always say that with thirty riders per season I can be wrong by one transfer . Not in the role of successor. But: we have found someone who will start in a role as COO.”

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

I‘ve just had a look at SQS‘s team (riders) for 2024…

To be honest, I‘m not too impressed. Lots of „mediocre“ riders. No top-top stars. No riders who „guarantee“ victories.

They will achieve their 40 victories again, but that‘s about 1.1/2.1 races.

Times are over that they won big in WT races. In Belgium alone, Lotto-Destiny, Alpecin-Dec. and Intermarche all have left SQS behind them.

Evenepoel has not gotten his expected strong domestiques. And his Vuelta Tourmalet stage of 2023 makes me wonder if he himself is ready for 2024 Yellow in TdF…

 

[Wyndbrook]

Well, I have found someone who can succeed me”: Patrick Lefevere​

https://m.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20231117_97048999

Lefevere : “That is not a simple quest, because I cannot miss. As a joke I always say that with thirty riders per season I can be wrong by one transfer . Not in the role of successor. But: we have found someone who will start in a role as COO.”

Rod sounds like he maybe available,

 

[laarsland]

Rod sounds like he maybe available,

So _that’s_ why Sam Bennett’s plans for 2024 have yet been announced.

 

[Bolder]

I‘ve just had a look at SQS‘s team (riders) for 2024…

To be honest, I‘m not too impressed. Lots of „mediocre“ riders. No top-top stars. No riders who „guarantee“ victories.

They will achieve their 40 victories again, but that‘s about 1.1/2.1 races.

Times are over that they won big in WT races. In Belgium alone, Lotto-Destiny, Alpecin-Dec. and Intermarche all have left SQS behind them.

Evenepoel has not gotten his expected strong domestiques. And his Vuelta Tourmalet stage of 2023 makes me wonder if he himself is ready for 2024 Yellow in TdF…

I think you can guarantee a few victories for Remco.

 

[Breh]

I‘ve just had a look at SQS‘s team (riders) for 2024…

To be honest, I‘m not too impressed. Lots of „mediocre“ riders. No top-top stars. No riders who „guarantee“ victories.

They will achieve their 40 victories again, but that‘s about 1.1/2.1 races.

Times are over that they won big in WT races. In Belgium alone, Lotto-Destiny, Alpecin-Dec. and Intermarche all have left SQS behind them.

Evenepoel has not gotten his expected strong domestiques. And his Vuelta Tourmalet stage of 2023 makes me wonder if he himself is ready for 2024 Yellow in TdF…

They're the 3rd best team in the peloton by CQ-ranking and UCI-ranking. 23 WT wins, 3rd again.
You must be on a special kind of crack to think SQS is the worst team out of the Belgian teams you mentioned.
"No top-top" stars? Only Vingegaard and Pogacar are stars? What the fck is this.

They've won WT-races with Cattaneo, Asgreen, Evenepoel, Merlier, Alaphilippe, Cerny, Vernon and Jakobsen. They've even won a WT TTT.
No riders to guarantee victories? Merlier is arguably one of the fastest sprinters in the world with 13 victories this season. Evenepoel has 28 victories in the last two seasons alone, only Pogacar outperforms him in that regard.
The riders leaving have like 10 wins between them and this is including Jakobsen.

Even the GT-support team is more than decent enough and I'd rank them among the Bahrain and Ineos squads

Am I being trolled?

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Am I being trolled?

Youve been Skijumper Roglic fan’d.
Hes got the weirdest takes in here.

 

[joseph89]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1727629140029772065

View: https://twitter.com/soudalquickstep/status/1727629140029772065?t=LLtbbyNtxAZDT3gcTlG2Cw&s=19

 

[hfgon1]

The problem for SQS is simple to explain. A few years ago they were nearly the only team with some candidates to win cobbles classics while there was never a heavy favourite. Heaviest favourite was often Sagan, who in the end didnt win often. So they were able to outplay other teams because of their team strength on this terrain. They could attack and attack while the favourites or domestiques of other teams had to work. So they won a lot of those classics.

Now there are Pogacar, WvA and MVdP and team strength doesnt matter at all against them. Their teams are strong enough to control till 50km before finish and from there on you need to be nearly as strong as them which no SQS rider is. So they arent able to win those races anymore. But that was always SQS special part of the season.

Then there is Alaphilippe who isnt on his top level anymore. Landa had a great Vuelta but never was close to win it. Overall I see Remco as the teams top-star, Merlier and Van Wilder as special and then there are a lot of good guys but I would undersign that this isnt a special team anymore. No more Wolfspack times. Just a team like others but to say that clear: Still a lot better than some other belgian teams.

 

[Anderis]

I think this is a pretty good analysis of why they aren't as successful as before anymore, though I would add that they've apparently dropped a bit in the WT hierarchy in terms of budget, so they have more troubles keeping multiple good riders on the payroll than in the past. Additionally, they've been stuck with a large chunk of their budget going to Alaphilippe, who may have underperformed more in the last 2 years than any other big contract rider they've had in recent years.

 

[joseph89]

Franck Alaphilippe, OUT. Wonder who the new trainer/coaches are seeing as they lost Anastopoulos aswell.

 

[proffate]

I think it's an indication of their former dominance that finishing third in the team rankings is seen as a sign of decline.

It's not really the team's fault that Ala fell off the map. If he were at even 80% of his normal wins the team would look just as menacing as ever.

 

[Bolder]

I think this is a pretty good analysis of why they aren't as successful as before anymore, though I would add that they've apparently dropped a bit in the WT hierarchy in terms of budget, so they have more troubles keeping multiple good riders on the payroll than in the past. Additionally, they've been stuck with a large chunk of their budget going to Alaphilippe, who may have underperformed more in the last 2 years than any other big contract rider they've had in recent years.

He and Asgreen are at like half their previous high water mark. But to be fair, Alaf has had some bad crashes, and one that was close to life-threatening. I'm not sure he's going to ever get back to his 2019—21 form.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Asgreen seemed to return to form at the Tour, will be difficult to win another big classic given the opposition but he should be a lot closer to his 2021 self there next year.