Patrick Lefevere taken to hospital after falling unwell

Former Soudal Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere was taken to hospital on Wednesday evening after falling unwell.

According to a report in La Derniere Heure, the 70-year-old spent the night in the intensive care unit at the University Hospital of Ghent but remained conscious throughout, after he fell unwell at a Belgian restaurant. Het Nieuwsblad reported that Lefevere returned home on Thursday after possibly suffering from a drop in his blood pressure. The first report stated that he will undergo further tests to understand the exact nature of the health problem.

An update on Lefevere’s condition was shared by Soudal Quick-Step on social media on Thursday morning.

"After feeling unwell yesterday evening, Patrick Lefevere was taken to hospital in Gent, where he spent the night under medical examination,” the team said. "This morning, Patrick is feeling well and the team wishes him a speedy recovery and hopes to welcome him soon at one of the races. We kindly ask that you respect Patrick’s privacy at this time."

Lefevere founded the Quick-Step team in 2003, but the Belgian former professional cyclist stepped down from his role as CEO at the end of last year. He was replaced by Jurgen Foré, who joined Quick-Step initially as COO in early 2024. Lefevere recently attended Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the races over Opening Weekend in Belgium.

During Lefevere’s time in charge, Quick-Step won 22 Monuments, including eights editions of the Tour of Flanders. He also led the squad’s transition into a GC team, headed up by Remco Evenepoel, which resulted in Evenepoel’s 2022 Vuelta a España victory.

"It is a life changing moment to leave a role that I have committed so much of my life to," Lefevere previously said. "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."

"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 Zdenek Bakala."