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The Patrick Lefevere Depreciation Thread

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Once the dust has settled & everyone has aired their grievances (the concerned parties & fans alike), it'll quickly become apparent Alaphilippe is in a lose-lose situation here. This is going to be a very long season for the rider. Very long.

His results have been substandard relative to his standing for a couple of years now. He has no political power in the team either.

So... other than amassing a bunch of likes on X, Rousse won't help matters with her comment.
 
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Once the dust has settled & everyone has aired their grievances (the concerned parties & fans alike), it'll quickly become apparent Alaphilippe is in a lose-lose situation here. This is going to be a very long season for the rider. Very long.

His results have been substandard relative to his standing for a couple of years now. He has no political power in the team either.

So... other than amassing a bunch of likes on X, Rousse won't help matters with her comment.

I wouldn't worry or be concerned about the guy either, i.e. I'm sure once his current contract has expired there's a few French teams who'll drop a 7 figure salary on him based on the name & past glories alone.

So, uhm, which one is it?
 
So, uhm, which one is it?

Both.

He'll have a bad season at Soudal, then sign a big contract with a team like Cofidis. Financially that means he'll be fine. That's also the material point in such sport 'drama' like this story, i.e. we're reading about the squabbles of millionaires in pro-sport. It's not exactly world-ending seriousness. But in terms of his career right now on the road he's most likely screwed this season.

He can join an elite group of former champs who ride around without results on big pay. He'll be okay. Rousse will be fine as well, i.e. with all her public commitments & high profile job (TdF Femmes boss etc.).
 
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Both.

He'll have a bad season at Soudal, then sign a big contract with a team like Cofidis. Financially that means he'll be fine. That's also the material point in such sport 'drama' like this story, i.e. we're reading about the squabbles of millionaires in pro-sport. It's not exactly world-ending seriousness. But in terms of his career right now on the road he's most likely screwed this season.

He can join an elite group of former champs who ride around without results on big pay. He'll be okay. Rousse will be fine as well, i.e. with all her public commitments & high profile job (TdF Femmes boss etc.).
I don't think anybody's concerned that Alaphilippe will end up a clochard in the gutters of Paris. Neither will Marion Rousse. That's not what this is about.
 
Yes, and two sentences prior he says that the one responsible for the struggles of Alaphilippe is Alaphilippe, who, and this is where he actually blames someone, is said to be not fully committed.
There are two things here.

One is responsibility for one's level, which of course lies entirely with JA. The other is blame, which he's casting about more freely, and including MR.

Both things can be true at the same time.
 
I don't think anybody's concerned that Alaphilippe will end up a clochard in the gutters of Paris. Neither will Marion Rousse. That's not what this is about.

I know what it's really about (moral grandstanding), i.e. something I wholeheartedly... reject.

Especially in this case. Maybe it's because I've been out of the cycling bubble for a few months but there's nothing which grinds my gears more than people throwing around big words like "unacceptable!" "outrageous!" "intolerable!"... about a cycling team boss who threw his rider under a bus with some crass comments.

I mean I hate to be that guy, but it just doesn't... matter. At all. I find people white knighting millionaires with all the power these people have (& certainly lawyers) really egregious. Especially right now in 2024. Lefevere might be a dinosaur but at the end of the day it just doesn't matter. I mean so what he called Alaphilippe a quasi alcoholic? (& not Rousse, which judging by her post she seems to have misunderstood).

The basic fact is there's a rider with bad results on big pay & his boss said stuff about him in the press (including about his family life). There's no 'red line' he can't cross because there's no meaning or consequence to anything here. It's the embodiment of nihilistic "sports controversy". It's just a story about a few people in the pro-cycling scene defending their own position & interests (Lefevere his team, Rousse her name & husband).
 
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“I am considering making a statement on Twitter, because once again my words in English – without the context of the interview – sound heavier than I said them in Dutch,” Lefevere says about the commotion that has arisen. including on social media, about his statements in Humo. The CEO of Soudal - Quick-Step especially regrets that his statements are incorrectly situated in time.

....

The timing - not last year, but 2022 - is important because: “There was a period with too many parties, but I have to say: he hasn't had a drink since our conversation in November 2022. Not within the team and not outside the team. I have spoken to people who were with him on the internship in Sierra Nevada: not a drop more. And training has never been a problem, he has always continued to do so." The parties "with too much alcohol" that Lefevere refers to in Humo , therefore go back to the period before 2022.

 
I know what it's really about (moral grandstanding), i.e. something I wholeheartedly... reject.

Especially in this case. Maybe it's because I've been out of the cycling bubble for a few months but there's nothing which grinds my gears more than people throwing around big words like "unacceptable!" "outrageous!" "intolerable!"... about a cycling team boss who threw his rider under a bus with some crass comments.

I mean I hate to be that guy, but it just doesn't... matter. At all. I find people white knighting millionaires with all the power these people have (& certainly lawyers) really egregious. Especially right now in 2024. Lefevere might be a dinosaur but at the end of the day it just doesn't matter. I mean so what he called Alaphilippe a quasi alcoholic? (& not Rousse, which judging by her post she seems to have misunderstood).

The basic fact is there's a rider with bad results on big pay & his boss said stuff about him in the press (including about his family life). There's no 'red line' he can't cross because there's no meaning or consequence to anything here. It's the embodiment of nihilistic "sports controversy". It's just a story about a few people in the pro-cycling scene defending their own position & interests (Lefevere his team, Rousse her name & husband).
I agree, his behaviour is completely at odds with management books and philosophies of the current decade.
But it works.
It 100% works, riders wanna ride for him, former employees/riders never bad talk him after they have left and he runs a super successful team on a mediocre budget.

If cycling had a 'coach of the year' or 'executive of the year' award like many sports leagues in NA, he would have won it many many times.
It just works for him and it's stupid to try and get him to change. Or even want him to change.

Everybody is outraged except the people he is ragging on.
And its all anglo criticism, possibly due to cultural differences and translation/context problems.

The guy is teflon and just produces. He's amazing
 
I agree, his behaviour is completely at odds with management books and philosophies of the current decade.
But it works.
It 100% works, riders wanna ride for him, former employees/riders never bad talk him after they have left and he runs a super successful team on a mediocre budget.

If cycling had a 'coach of the year' or 'executive of the year' award like many sports leagues in NA, he would have won it many many times.
It just works for him and it's stupid to try and get him to change. Or even want him to change.

Everybody is outraged except the people he is ragging on.
And its all anglo criticism, possibly due to cultural differences and translation/context problems.

The guy is teflon and just produces. He's amazing
Not Anglo critics only. Plenty of instances of effective leaders who are miserable humans in every culture.
 
I'll never understand the regular public airing of team laundry. Once in a while, to motivate an athlete who needs it and responds to it the right way? Maybe. I can see it. As a regular thing? Don't get it.

Bringing my wife into it publicly? Unacceptable.
Both actions are stupid and totally unprofessional. It also demonstrates how minor league even the best cycling teams are compared to other sports. Embarrassing for all, IMO.
 
Altho I don't always agree with Lefevere, certainly the way he often says things, he's often a bit misunderstood as well. He has a rather frank or harsh way of explaining things, that's correct, but with translation and pulling things out of context, his words get worse.

So
“I am considering making a statement on Twitter, because once again my words in English – without the context of the interview – sound heavier than I said them in Dutch,” Lefevere says about the commotion that has arisen. including on social media, about his statements in Humo. The CEO of Soudal - Quick-Step especially regrets that his statements are incorrectly situated in time.
is actually no BS.

If I was Marion and Julian, I would've just let this pass. Or at least talk with Patrick or a Flemish person to get insight.

The biggest fact is this: Alaphilippe has to perform better. Either way, Lefevere will always be 'right' in this situation.
 
I'll never understand the regular public airing of team laundry. Once in a while, to motivate an athlete who needs it and responds to it the right way? Maybe. I can see it. As a regular thing? Don't get it.

Bringing my wife into it publicly? Unacceptable.
I mean, his wife is also a public persona in the world of cycling. How many times did the superbowl telecast cut to Taylor Swift? If anything he's doing her a favor by boosting her profile, since her profile is literally how she makes a living.
 
“I am considering making a statement on Twitter, because once again my words in English – without the context of the interview – sound heavier than I said them in Dutch,” Lefevere says about the commotion that has arisen. including on social media, about his statements in Humo. The CEO of Soudal - Quick-Step especially regrets that his statements are incorrectly situated in time.

....

The timing - not last year, but 2022 - is important because: “There was a period with too many parties, but I have to say: he hasn't had a drink since our conversation in November 2022. Not within the team and not outside the team. I have spoken to people who were with him on the internship in Sierra Nevada: not a drop more. And training has never been a problem, he has always continued to do so." The parties "with too much alcohol" that Lefevere refers to in Humo , therefore go back to the period before 2022.

He doesn’t really address calling Julian a “sloef” to his wife
 
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I mean, his wife is also a public persona in the world of cycling. How many times did the superbowl telecast cut to Taylor Swift? If anything he's doing her a favor by boosting her profile, since her profile is literally how she makes a living.
It’s fair to note she’s a public figure and open to criticism for her public persona, her public actions, and her public statements.

A team leader, pulling her into a public discussion of her husband’s performance without specifics around what she supposedly has done to negatively impact his performance? With the history of misogynistic comments about how women can negatively impact athletes? Ridiculous.

Pretty amazed to hear someone suggest this kind of crap is good for a woman’s public profile. And this is somehow comparable to tv networks cutting to TS? They’re completely different situations.
 
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It’s fair to note she’s a public figure and open to criticism for her public persona, her public actions, and her public statements.

A team leader, pulling her into a public discussion of her husband’s performance without specifics around what she supposedly has done to negatively impact his performance? With the history of misogynistic comments about how women can negatively impact athletes? Ridiculous.

Pretty amazed to hear someone suggest this kind of crap is good for a woman’s public profile. And this is somehow comparable to tv networks cutting to TS? They’re completely different situations.
TS is a public persona so she got attention during the super bowl despite not influencing the outcome in any way. No one questioned why she was part of the broadcast.

Pat mentioned Marion briefly in the midst of a conversation about family. He didn't say jack about her sex; that's your projection. And nor did I for that matter, so jump down from your horse m'liege. I'm sure Pat would made the same comment if Ala were married to a man (and then you'd call him some other name). And he said exactly what her influence was: "Too much partying, too much alcohol". You seriously can't see the tension between living like a monk to maximize bike performance, and enjoying nightlife and/or family life? Hell I'd wager most serious amateurs experience this dilemma much less a pro. I know literally dozens of masters racers who divorced for this reason!!
 
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