The chief executive of Belgian company Deceuninck has hit out at Deceuninck-QuickStep team boss, Patrick Lefevere, for his attitude and his lack of gratitude.
Francis Van Eeckhout said when Deceuninck joined Lefevere’s team as a sponsor, it effectively save the squad. He said Lefevere was too quick to forget that, now that he was enjoying success with big name riders.
“I’m a bit disappointed in Patrick. He says we had good years as a sponsor, but he forgets to say that we saved him” Van Eeckhout told The newspapaer.
“I’m disappointed that he forgets that so quickly now that he has success with Evenepoel, Alaphilippe and Asgreen. Well, that’s life.”
Van Eeckhout also said his Deceuninck company wanted to back a women’s team but when it went to Lefevere he did not want to know about the idea.
Lefevere’s lack of interest in backing a women’s cycling team was one among a “combination” of reasons Deceuninck has decided to stop its backing of the team and switch its support to Alpecin Fenix and its women’s team Plantur-Pura.
Managed by brothers Christoph and Philip Roodhooft, Alpecin-Fenix has been the over-achiever of the peloton in recent years, with Mathieu van der Poel its star turn. However, riders like Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Tim Merlier and Jasper Philipsen, among others, have also hit the heights for the women’s and men’s teams.
The Roodhooft brothers have just been named managers of the year by Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws and Deceuninck’s Van Eeckhout clearly believes they are the men to back into the future.
“We changed teams for a combination of factors,” he said of the swicth away from Lefevere and towards the brothers. “We are impressed by the plan of the Roodhoofts. And as a modern company we want to participate in women’s cycling. We discussed that at QuickStep, but Patrick is Patrick.”
He also suggested Lefevere’s decision to target winning a Grand Tour was a big departure that would require a lot more money and where there were no guarantees, even with the best riders.
“Patrick is determined to win a Grand Tour. It’s an expensive business. The budget of the teams that aim for that is €20 million more than teams that do not,” Van Eeckhout said.
“And it comes with no guarantees. Jumbo Visma rode strongly in the Tour until a fan held sign in the air. Primoz Roglic has won the Vuelta three years in a row. That’s a real ‘wow’ achievement. But it is not so recognised.”
