Lefevere: 'I can't blame Niki Terpstra for leaving... I just didn't have the money'

Quick-Step team still searching for a new sponsor for 2019

Niki Terpstra breaks clear at the 2018 Tour of Flanders (Sunada)

(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)

The Belgian super team Quick-Step Floors "just didn't have the money" to keep star rider Niki Terpstra for the 2019 season.

The Dutchman, winner of this year's Tour of Flanders, announced on Thursday that he would join French team Direct Energie after eight years with Quick-Step Floors.

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Gregor Brown

Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.