Patrick Lefevere is stepping down as the boss of the World Tour Belgian team, Soudal QuickStep, which he founded over 20 years ago. The announcement was made this evening and the changes are effective almost immediately.
The often controversial, but ultimately very successful, Lefevere will officially cease to be team boss on December 31st, just three weeks from now.
The team's current chief operating officer, Jurgen Foré, will step up to the post of chief executive officer and is to take charge of the running of the team on a day-to-day basis, Soudal QuickStep has confirmed.
Lefevere will have some involvement going forward, though only as an honourary board member, with a new board composition to Foré, majority shareholder Zdenek Bakala and Auret Van Zyl, the team’s legal counsel.
Related News
“It is a life changing moment to leave a role that I have committed so much of my life to," Lefevere said in a statement issued by the team. "Cycling is a sport that I am still deeply passionate about, and it has been a great honour to head up this beautiful team and make so many special memories.
Advertisement
"But I felt that it was the right moment for this change. When I started to work with Jurgen one year ago, it was with a view to smoothing out the transition for when I would eventually leave.
"I have seen how his relationships with our sponsors and partners, as well as the team’s internal stakeholders has grown over the last 12 months, and I know that with Jurgen taking over as CEO and with the board’s backing, that this team has a bright future.
"There are countless people that I need to thank, far too many to mention individually, but there are of course my family, the team’s talented riders, our dedicated staff, our loyal sponsors, all of which is backed by the generosity and support of our team owner Mr Zdenek Bakala.”
