Soudal-QuickStep boss Patrick Lefevere has brand comments Remco Evenepoel's father as "stupid", adding if the world champion breaks his contract, legal action could be take against him. He said if Evenepoel leaves his team it would be a "disaster" for his sponsors.
The latest round of comments about Evenepoel's possible departure from Soudal-QuickStep, in the middle of his current contract, come after his father, Patrick Evenepoel, said he was speaking to five teams about his son possibly joining them.
Evenepoel, a former roofer who is now his son's agent and manager, added three of the offers from the teams were "very concrete", something which Lefevere has now hit back hard at. While Patrick Evenepoel did not say who the teams were, Ineos Grenadiers are very keen to sign Evenepoel and could beat anyone with a salary offer and the kind of team mates, and other supports, they could offer.
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Israel Premier Tech, with a billionaire owner, could also match, or even beat, any offer if they chose. Similarly, Bora-hansgrohe has won the Giro and wants to win the Tour and, with major backers, it could make a very strong offer, and is the third very interested team.
“I had contact with five big teams, three of which were very concrete,” Patrick Evenepoel has told La Derniere Heure in an interview, in which he also said he retired from roofing to look after his son's interests as he was suffering from health issues since a bad fall in 2008.
He also said because his son wanted to challenge to win the Tour de France next year, he was continuing to talk to other teams, even though his son has a contract with Soudal-QuickStep until the end of 2026.
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“This is logical insofar as Soudal-Quick Step is not certain of being able to offer Remco the guarantee that it will be able to play for the win in the Grande Boucle next year," Patrick Lefevere said. "Maybe in three years it will be the case but Remco wants to be with the best in the Tour from next year."
Asked if his son would honour his current contract, Patrick Evenepoel said: “First we have to see how the team evolves. Remco wants to stay on the condition that everything is done so that he can be competitive next summer at the Tour. However, to hope to fight with Vingegaard and Pogacar, the team must not take one step forward, but four or five.
However, the other Patrick in the story - team boss Lefevere - has clearly been angered by the comments as he tries to beef up his team to help support Remco Evenepoel, who has become such a dominant figure in the team - with the sheer scale of his results - its traditional group, or 'Wolfpack' dynamic has notably waned.
“It doesn't scare me much, but it's stupid of him,” Lefevere said of his star rider's father's comments. “Last week Remco said that the 'bullshit’ (about signing for Ineos Grenadiers) has to end. Barely a week later, his father says the opposite. The Evenepoel family must harmonise the violins.
“Our team is taking steps in all areas. The consequences of a possible departure are incalculable, for him and for us. I wouldn't like to be in his shoes. If you don't respect your contract, you get sued. It’d also be a disaster for our sponsors.
"These statements are also annoying to the sponsors. They have signed up for a five-year story about Remco. So they won't be so happy if they read all this. Because this is global news now, isn't it."
