Lefevere defends Evenepoel quitting the Tour de France: "Remco isn't a faker"

Speaking to Sporza, Steels shared that Evenepoel’s struggles had been ongoing. “It wasn’t just about yesterday. Things hadn’t been right for three days in a row. You then discuss whether to push through or not, but you have to be cautious when a rider of his caliber and talent is getting dropped while there are still 80 riders in the group. You don’t want to dig a hole so deep that you can’t climb out of it for the rest of the season.”

That’s why the Belgian team still stands behind the decision to pull him from the race. “It’s a wise move to let him reset now, so in a week or two we can start setting new goals. No one wants to quit, especially not in the Tour. And five minutes after you step off, you’re already wondering whether it was the right call. But sometimes, as a team, you have to make that call for the rider. He had been feeling for three days that he couldn’t hit his level. You don’t have to be sick for that, it’s just that empty feeling that starts to creep in.”

When Evenepoel will race again is still unknown. “Now we need to figure out what’s going on. Not everything is measurable or scientifically explainable. But a rider knows his own body, and that deserves respect. Maybe you won’t find anything concrete, but it was clear he just didn’t have it.” Zdenek Stybar had previously suggested that Evenepoel may have made the wrong call by abandoning the race.

Patrick Lefevere, who was CEO of Soudal Quick-Step when a young Remco Evenepoel joined the team, knows his rider well and says he saw the trouble coming. “I had a sense for a few days that things weren’t going well. And once it starts to affect the mind too, this outcome makes sense.” Was it the right call to pull the Olympic champion from the race? “Yes, his withdrawal was absolutely the right decision. Remco isn’t someone who fakes it.”

While rivals Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard had smooth winter preparations, Evenepoel was in the hospital. “You can’t underestimate the fact that he went three or four months without training like the others,” Lefevere explained. “Catching up, both physically and mentally, is tough.”

Even leading into the Tour, things weren’t clicking. He lacked top form at the Critérium du Dauphiné, and even after that, training didn’t go well. “His coach said he really struggled at altitude after the Dauphiné. We passed through Lourdes, but miracles don’t exist.” Still, Lefevere believes Evenepoel will come back stronger. “According to the team doctor, his blood pressure and heart rate were fine. Now he just needs to rest.”