Zdenek Bakala, the Czech businessman who owns the Soudal-QuickStep World Tour team, is picking up very large bills for the team, according to Patrick Lefevere the day-to-day boss.
Though the Belgian squad has been one of the most prolific winners in the pro game for decades, and took a first Grand Tour overall victory at La Vuelta last season, Lefevere has always been quick to point out it is not one of the richest teams in the sport.
And now he has said after changes to rules by the UCI - because other teams had cut corners - the financial burden is even higher for teams like his. He has also revealed though he signed Mikel Landa as a deluxe climbing domestique for Remco Evenepoel, the team did not have the money to pay the Spaniard.
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He is said to have commanded a salary of €2 million in recent years, though teams never confirm those details publicly.
As the team did not have the money to sign Landa, his wages bill is being met by team owner Bakala. He is also providing the money for the bank guarantee, which the UCI demands from all teams to cover rider and staff salaries in the event of teams running into problems.
In his weekly column for Het Nieuwsblad, Lefevere also said the TT course at the World Championships in Zurich has been well and truly checked out by his team staff and Evenepoel and they report it's perfect for the defending champion.
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However, while it is an "exceptionally beautiful time trial course" for the "super motivated" Evenepoel, Lefevere wonders if he can peak again for these Worlds, saying other big names had been unable to do so this season.
"Can you peak three times in one year? Remco was aiming for the spring, then for the Tour and the Games. That is more than a plate full," Lefevere says. "You see it with many of the Olympians. Filippo Ganna has been in a slump since Paris, Joshua Tarling has not yet found his best legs either.”
Evenepoel aside, Lefevere said Bakala - who took over Soudal-QuickStep in 2010 and remains committed to the team - had been a priority for him over the last week. Bakala requested three VIP tickets for the Worlds at short notice, with Lefevere saying he was quick to secure them from the UCI considering how much weight the owner carries for the team.
"Zdenek is responsible for our bank guarantee, which relieves us of a great deal of financial pressure. The UCI requires a guarantee of one third of the total payroll, from riders and staff. A large sum in any case," he said.
"And recently the regulations have become stricter again, thanks to a number of less pleasant colleagues who have cut corners. In the past, it was literally a guarantee from the bank, whereby you of course paid interest on the amount. Now the money really has to be in a blocked account.
“Incidentally, Zdenek has also provided another investment that has proven to be significant this season. He is matching Mikel Landa's salary, which falls outside the team's normal operating budget.”
