Patrick Lefevere vit ses derniers jours en tant que patron de l'équipe Soudal Quick-Step ! A 69 ans, le dirigeant flamand quittera le 31 décembre 2024 le poste de PDG de la formation belge à succès qu'il a fondée en 2003. Après plus de 20 ans à la tête du Wolfpack, l'emblématique boss va passer le relais à Jürgen Foré, qui était arrivé en janvier dernier comme directeur opérationnel (COO) de la structure aux côtés de Lefevere. Après une année à prendre ses marques, Jurgen Foré va donc comme prévu prendre le relais en 2025. En tant que membre honoraire du conseil d'administration, Lefevere restera lui impliqué dans la nouvelle direction. Mais ce changement ressemble forcément à un mini séisme tant Patrick Lefevere s'était imposé au fil des années et des succès comme une figure centrale du monde du cyclisme, tant par son franc-parler que par sa réussite.
Video : @SoudalQuickStep
Video : @SoudalQuickStep
Category
🥇
SportTranscription
00:00Can I just ask, we knew this moment would come sooner than later, but still the timing
00:07surprised a few people. Can you tell us the reason for retiring right now?
00:14The real reason I was asked to talk is a joke. I think on January 6th we have 70 and I think
00:24I have a long, long, long story after me and I feel it's time to leave this. I did enough
00:34I think for me, for myself, for my team and after being 55 years in cycling, it's okay.
00:46After all those years in cycling, is this an emotional moment or are you as rational
00:50as always?
00:51Oh, unfortunately I cannot judge my emotional moments. The moment I was there to speak in
01:01the front, there were some moments that I felt something else you can't say emotions.
01:07When I saw all those people in the room, I think 180, but then afterwards we had a drink
01:16and then some people cried and they come to hug you and that's maybe the moments where
01:21it's more tough than an offshore press meeting.
01:25Which message did touch you the most yesterday and how many messages did you get on your phone?
01:32Well, I'm known for answering all my messages. I did my best, but this night I was not in the
01:40best condition to answer my messages. We had a nice party here in the bar, straight over the
01:48hotel, but I go home today and then I have time enough to answer and my moments were so much.
01:59Probably when my oldest man in the team who started with me, 92, 93, started to cry,
02:07then those things are touching me, yes.
02:10Patrick, I was wondering, are you completely in peace with this decision or does it feel
02:15a little bit forced in a way?
02:17No, it's not forced. I don't know if I let me forced or I should let me forced. No, I think
02:25that's okay. The moment I was not decided yesterday or the day before, I think a few
02:33weeks ago, I flew to Switzerland to speak with Mr. Bakkela and there we took the decision.
02:42It was his decision or yours or the two of you together?
02:45We took the decision. He decided to go on with the team after all the things that happened
02:51the last years. And for me, it was good that I knew that I didn't left a burning boat after me.
03:03You were more or less done with the job. What specific aspects of the job
03:08took the heaviest toll on you the last years?
03:12Flying. I hate flying.
03:16Okay. And also perhaps the quest for sponsoring or the responsibility for employees?
03:24I always took my responsibility and I will not hide that
03:28finding sponsors for the moment was tough, but it was always tough. I think now we have some
03:38future for a few years, but I knew years that it was only one year with an option and
03:44know that all these agents are asking what will happen in 28 and we have nearly 25.
03:50For this kind of questions, it makes me tired. And I think I didn't have this person next to me
03:59here. There's no chance to choose sponsors and if I can have a hand in it, I will do it.
04:07But it's not my main job anymore.
04:12How involved will you still be in the sport, Patrick? Are you still going to be
04:17at the team's races, or are you literally going to wave into the sunset and we'll never see you
04:22again? I will not be there like an idiot after the finish waving to everybody. If they invite
04:34me and I want to come, I will come. But I neither will push myself or force them to ask me. I will
04:43not go every day to the service course where I don't want to hear if somebody complains and then
04:49say, yeah, you see, I did better. That's not my style. So I will see when and what I do.
04:57I'm a free man now. With the Van Gils and Pinchcock cases, do you think that cycling
05:04is entering a new era? And is this a concern for teams with smaller budgets?
05:10Is this the new cycling? If this is the new cycling, I started too late because I could
05:18earn money with it. But I don't know for sure. It's better than nothing, but I'm not sure if it's a
05:24good move. Of course, the rich teams will always have the first chance to offer more money than
05:33other teams. But we did it before with more silence and an honest way. The three parties,
05:41like we say, the rider himself, the team where he goes and the team where he comes from.
05:47It was with a clear agreement with an invoice. For me, it was OK, but it should not be a daily
05:56business. Did it feel like age was catching up with you in any way when you took the decision?
06:01Was it one of the reasons why you took this decision? Well, I will not lie about it,
06:07that you feel physically that you're not the same person anymore as I was 10 years ago,
06:13especially because the storms went through the last two years.
06:22The recovery, everything around the province and the team became so big. We took the ladies on
06:30board and I think we have now around 180 persons and for one person, that's so much. For me,
06:38it was too much. How did the sponsors and especially Quickstep react? Because it was
06:47also like a marriage for 20 years or so, I guess. I didn't want anybody before because
06:57if you do it, you know, with the leaks and the new media and everything, it made no sense that
07:03I gave a speech. I tried to call everybody, but yesterday there was a trophy in Belgium,
07:12the best on the naming and a lot of my sponsors were there yesterday evening.
07:18I will catch up the time to speak with them. You've mentioned that there's been a few storms
07:24in the last few years. Obviously, we don't need to repeat what those storms have been.
07:27Have you had assurances from Bakala that he will keep his money in the team,
07:32that the team will continue into the next World Tour cycle? And are you confident in the current
07:38environment of cycling, maybe with one cycling happening, that the team can continue to be?
07:44Well, first of all, first question. Yes, Mr. Bakala confirmed to me that he believes in the
07:53blue team and that he will invest. I don't want to name numbers, but it's more than everybody
08:01thinks. And he did already a lot more than everybody thinks. So on this side, I don't worry.
08:08On the other side, I think I'm one of the fathers of Vellon. I was immediately behind
08:19one cycling. I believe in it. It becomes tricky if there are too many people around the table
08:27and lawyers. Before everybody has his word, it takes you a lot of time. But I'm confident with
08:34some goodwill and the cycling will grow money-wise. Everybody has to push this project.
08:43Thank you all. As I said, there'll be a recording available soon.
08:47Just let me know if you need it. Thank you. Ciao. Thank you.