2023-04-18 09:26:00
This is a new twist in the soap opera between Patrick Lefevere and Julian Alaphilippe. For months now, the manager of Soudal Quick-Step has regularly offered himself sharp little outings to scratch the double world champion (2020 and 2021). And the Belgian did it again on Monday, returning to the lack of results from his Frenchman in recent weeks. “I learned a very nice expression in French: ‘In life, everyone must justify their salary.’ The salary, he has it for three seasons until 2024“, he launched in the podcast of RMC “Grand Plateau”.
As often, Patrick Lefevere does not go with the back of the spoon. He shows himself to be virulent as he has always been with his proteges for so many years. But there, it turns a bit into an obsession with Alaphilippe, who signs a complicated start to the season. And it is obviously not his success in the Ardèche Classic that will calm his Flemish boss, far from being satisfied with the last seasons of his protege. “We can say ‘fortunately he became world champion twice’. Apart from that, he won the first stage of the Tour and the yellow jersey. I understand that the French teams are excited about it but not me. I like him, like everyone else. (…) But I have to be realistic: it eats up a large part of my budget and I still want results too.”
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Recovered, the Belgian manitou awaits a reaction from his champion even if he concedes that the latter is currently facing strong competition. “You have to be honest, when Julian Alaphilippe shone in recent years there was no Van der Poel, Pogacar, Van Aert. All these phenomena. But it’s up to him to respond with his pedals“, considers Lefevere. Reassembled and very hard towards “Alaf”, he explains not to consider extending it, even if he does not close the door either: “Imagine he wins two or three stages in the Tour de France and wears the yellow jersey for 10 days, that becomes another story..”
In the meantime, Julian Alaphilippe, package for Amstel, finds himself once again singled out by his boss, who accumulates spades intended for him. To boost his champion’s ego? Maybe. For the moment, the result is pending. Especially since Alaphilippe, who has accumulated the galleys in 2022, surely does not need that to re-motivate himself and do everything to regain his ability to sublimate himself in certain races. “He is already very focused on the Tour de France, he has already planned stage reconnaissance, including Bilbao. He is really revengeful and he especially has a very big desire to do well, especially since he missed the Tour last year“, had also recognized last week his companion Marion Rousse to Cyclismactu.net. Patrick Lefevere would obviously not be against it. And would then change his speech.
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