Teams & Riders The Remco Evenepoel is the next Eddy Merckx thread

[Monte Serra]

Lefevere not amused. He says that Remco might get nervous because of the antics of his dad, not ideal one day before the big race. He dismisses criticism of his team, claiming that he has just poached a dietitian from Jumbo. "Is it a problem that Remco's dad is also his manager? You better ask him."

Lefevere "not amused" na uitspraken vader Evenepoel: "Ze moeten de violen gelijk stemmen" | sporza

De uitspraken van Patrick Evenepoel, de vader en zaakwaarnemer van Remco, zijn bij Soudal-Quick Step-manager Patrick Lefevere in het verkeerde keelgat geschoten. "Ik ga totaal niet akkoord", was hij stellig bij Sporza.

sporza.be

 

[Faserr]

This could get funny...

 

[Third Time Lucky]

Remco's dad acting like Mitch Winehouse?

 

[Volderke]

Remco should ask WvA for advice with regards to how to get out of a contract.

 

[magliaroz]

This could get funny...

If you work for Netflix, sure!

 

[CyclistAbi]

Such public talks for sure have some background and it should be interesting to see on how things evolve.

 

[theyoungest]

Lefevere not amused. He says that Remco might get nervous because of the antics of his dad, not ideal one day before the big race. He dismisses criticism of his team, claiming that he has just poached a dietitian from Jumbo. "Is it a problem that Remco's dad is also his manager? You better ask him."

Lefevere "not amused" na uitspraken vader Evenepoel: "Ze moeten de violen gelijk stemmen" | sporza

De uitspraken van Patrick Evenepoel, de vader en zaakwaarnemer van Remco, zijn bij Soudal-Quick Step-manager Patrick Lefevere in het verkeerde keelgat geschoten. "Ik ga totaal niet akkoord", was hij stellig bij Sporza.

sporza.be

This seemed like a deja-vu, and lo and behold, I found this in an article from 4 years ago. The guy is such an incredible hypocrite

For example, Jumbo-Visma recently acquired Deceuninck-Quick.Step's dietician, Martijn Redegeld. Lefevere: "Jumbo is supposedly the new 'best in town', the new 'sexy thing', they would be light years ahead with their nutrition app and the weighing of their meals, but they still poach our staff. I guess I'll take that as a compliment, right?"

Energy Lab (Lotto-Soudal) wil Bakala Academy (Deceuninck-Quick.step) overnemen

Krijgt Lotto-Soudal straks inzage in de medische dossiers en trainingsmethodes van Deceuninck-Quick.Step? Het risico bestaat, als de twee grootste sportlabo’s van het land gaan samenwerken. Het ‘rode’ Energy Lab staat op het punt om de ‘blauwe’ Bakala Academy over te nemen. Patrick Lefevere is...

www.hln.be

 

[jaylew]

His father is being a jerk. Remco already told last week that he is fine in quick step. He's got a contract until 2027, that's some bullsh** by his father.
Remco should stay at quick step, and quick step should renew is contract with a better salary to remco. Quick step is the best team for him. He will continue to improve there. It would be a mistake changing team.
Quick step can make a proper team to remco for the tour 2024. They have van wilder, alaphillipe, hirt, they will buy provably landa and de plus. He will have help for the mountains, and he also have cavagna, asgreen, cattaneo, lampaert for the flat.

I don't think Remco's dad is going completely rogue and just making all of this up. He's his agent and his father, it's not as if they aren't talking about this stuff in private. All of this is textbook. You put stuff out there via your agent to pressure your team. He probably does want to stay but his condition is, he wants changes.

And an athlete saying he's happy where he is really means nothing. Athletes say that kind of stuff and then leave shortly thereafter all the time in every sport.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Evenepoel's dad saw that orgy included in Neymar's Barca contract and decided now was time for a change

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

They have van wilder, alaphillipe, hirt, they will buy provably landa and de plus.

Lefevere will be a happy man that the „problem Alaphilippe“ won‘t be a problem, in 2024, any more…

I cannot imagine Alaphilippe will (be allowed to) stay at QS from 2024 on. He‘s certainly very, very expensive, and his performances deteriorated extremely, in the younger past.

No idea what are the reasons, but Alaphilippe is so far away from his best days, nowadays.

 

[peterfin]

I just read an article in "De Tijd" about the dispute. This is the leading financial journal in Belgium so not a sensation journal. Apparently, Remco is in a much better negotiation position than Lefevre if it really comes to split. Belgian law says that paying 36 months of his contract would be enough to set him free. There would be no ground for a court battle. Expert say that it can actually be significant less in his case due to specific provisions for athletes. Also, Lefevre's argument that the UCI could prohibit him from racing during a court battle is also very thin. In practice it never happens.

 

[Flurk1982]

Patrick Evenepoel is a complete failure as the agent/manager of Remco. This is a perfect example why taking your dad as your agent is not a good idea 🤣. This doesn't improve the situation of Remco, on the contrary...

- one day before the most important race of the year. What a timing 😅 !?
- He says the opposite of Remco last week 😅
- Everything of SD needs to improve 4/5 times: is specialized so bad equipment? Is a TdF line up Remco, Asgreen, Alaphilippe, Landa, Van Wilder, Catenao, Vervaeke, Vansevebant that bad in his first TdF ( in all scenario's UAE and JV will control the race)?
- disrespectful to all enployees SQ: are his SQ domestigues still willing to ride their ass off during the vuelta!?
- a contract is a contract. PE should had negociated better... Does PE understand the meaning if a budget ?
- sadly the only winner is the media...

What.An.Idiot.

 

[Red Rick]

Would expect there to be exemptions for athletes for that 36 month rule, as that would basically kill your football league.

 

[Walter1234]

Would expect there to be exemptions for athletes for that 36 month rule, as that would basically kill your football league.

The issue is more like; there are UCI or Fifa/UEFA rules on contracts and there are the national/European laws on labour. These 2 are not in line. For example indeed the labour law states that you can buy yourself out of a contract in a certain way and the UCI way to get out of a contract is different. As long a no one goes to court over these things all is fine and the UCI and FIFA rules are followed. But in all court cases -just a few- the labour laws always won, making certain practices in sport illegal. This resulted in for example soccer players being able to leave 'for free' a team at the end of their contract.
But as long as nobody goes to court these practices remain.
There is more stuff at UCI that goes against other laws. For example the doping stuff where you get suspended even when not yet guilty or where you have to proof you are innocent-versus normal law the prosecutor has to proof you are guilty.
In practice the guys that go to court destroy their carriers but others benefit.
Note that WvA won/lost in labour court not in a UCI court.

 

[Walter1234]

I can understand there is a frustration at Remco's side as his team is not strong enough to support a TdF winner. At least in the way that some teams winning the TdF with a team where at least 2 or more riders with the potential to win the TdF; Soudal/Qs has no such second nor third rider who has proven this.
But if you want Remcos's team to become stronger Patrick E did like the most stupid thing possible. To make the team strong it starts with money. And you need trust to get money. At the moment all trust is gone if there is uncertainty in Remcos position; no rider will sign, no investor will sign, I would even doubt riders will stay.
But you can also win a TdF in a Pogacar way; just keep following and beat the others at the moment you are stronger. Not the strongest team is needed.

For me this story also proofs Remco is becoming bigger then the team. But that also makes your entourage needs to act like this. Which is not happening yet.

 

[peterfin]

We can only speculate about the motives of Patrick Evenepoel's actions. On the surface it looks bad but we don't what is going on in the background. What did Lefevre promise an what did he fail to deliver? What does PE know about the potential sale of SQS and the consequences for Remco? What options does PE have? Who is advising him? Is he following a script, using the media as extra weapon, a tactic that Lefevre likes to use? What message does he wants to give to other stakeholders (sponsors, investors, the interested teams etc)? Is it a last cry to demand changes in the current transfer window or is it simply a message to Lefevre that a decision has been taken? What is Remco's actual position? Did he know that his father would say all this? If not, is he completely on the same page regarding what has been said?

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

one day before the most important race of the year

I think the WCRR is not any more THAT important for Remco… He already won it last year. Now winning a second and third time won‘t cause him sleepless nights.

He certainly only has the Tour in mind…

 

[hfer07]

Oh boy......
Now Pops has a saying about the situation....
Lawsuits are coming

 

[Big Doopie]

I think the WCRR is not any more THAT important for Remco… He already won it last year. Now winning a second and third time won‘t cause him sleepless nights.

I actually think it’s a MAJOR goal. However, I don’t think he is made that way — I don’t think this adds any stress.

It does sound that SOMETHING is in the works.

 

[Pantani_lives]

It's just the annual soap before the WCRR. One undiplomatic remark is blown out of proportion. The newspapers need something to write about. Most likely Remco will stay where he is.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

I think the WCRR is not any more THAT important for Remco… He already won it last year. Now winning a second and third time won‘t cause him sleepless nights.

Yes because winning Liege and San Sebastian AGAIN clearly didnt matter for him.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Pog and Jonas are evenly matched. Pog uses his sprinting to gain time. Jonas hopes for his recovery to benefit him. Remco can better them in the TT but hopes to match them in the mountains. Given that the TTs are earlier in the GT, Remco is likely to be in lead. If so, his team is woefully weak to protect him. He would be especially vulnerable to the satellite rider strategy considering that downhill he is not the best or the most risk taking. The other 2 have already 2 TDFs and so can do “do or die” efforts while Remco is likely to be more conservative in his efforts. He needs a Kuss style domestique for the final slopes and a strong mountain team to counter the satellite rider strategy. But all this is only valid if he can match their efforts in the mountains for which there is no data yet. Also he has to survive the mayhem of the 1st 10 days in which half the contenders lose time. What’s the point of a good team if your main man goes home within the 1st 10 days like what happened to him in the Giro or Sky 2014. Only 2024 TDF will tell and if he loses the TDF because of team support, we are heading towards splitsville

 

[IndianCyclist]

Also i would say that Pat has some doubts that Remco can follow/match/beat those two in the mountains for three weeks. Pat has Remco's data and his staff would have told him their assessment. While other teams build a unit around their leader before he wins, Pat is the kind of a manager that likes to see the results before building a team. With the three teams Jumbo, Ineos and UAE hoovering up all the good mountain domestiques, it is difficult for stingy Pat😁.

 

[Red Rick]

Remco said at the starting line of the WC that Patrick and Patrick better stfu.

 

[Monte Serra]

Remco said at the starting line of the WC that Patrick and Patrick better stfu.

He would prefer that both his dad and Lefevere had stayed silent:

Remco Evenepoel kapt transfersoap af: "Zowel mijn papa als Patrick zou beter zwijgen"

Terwijl Remco Evenepoel zich op het WK wil focussen, raakten zijn vader en ploegmanager Patrick Lefevere verwikkeld in een bitse woordenstrijd over de toekomst van de wereldkampioen. "Iedereen zou beter zwijgen", maakte Evenepoel een einde aan de discussie.

sporza.be