Lefevere sees his successor struggling with same Evenepoel issue: "He's asked me for advice before"

In recent years, Lefevere has consistently kept his protégé Evenepoel away from the clutches of super teams such as INEOS Grenadiers and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. Still, his future remains a topic of conversation. “It's become a very boring question. This story keeps coming back, and every time, I hope it doesn't distract the team from the Tour de France.”

As CEO, he handed over the management position last year to Jurgen Foré, who, according to Lefevere, has his hands full with the Evenepoel issue. “I'm no longer the boss, so it's up to Jurgen. We don't talk about it much, although he has asked me for advice about riders and their future. Ultimately, he does what he wants.”

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Lefevere knows that Foré's job is tough. "It's difficult to compete against teams with a budget of fifty million euros, but I think Jurgen is doing a good job. They discuss Red Bull and INEOS and now report that Lidl-Trek has made an offer. I'm not sure if that's true, but I do know it's been ongoing for a long time. It hasn't stopped since he won his first world title."

Perhaps a contract extension is in the cards. Lefevere thinks it's related to the Tour. "If he comes out of the Tour happy, I see no reason to look further. He knows the people, even though a fresh environment creates new ambitions. I see big teams that are not doing better than us, even though they have more money. If someone wants Remco for 2026, they'll have to pay, but the sponsors won't be happy."