Patrick Lefevere is to step down as Soudal Quick-Step's team boss, bringing to an end a successful, and yet sometimes controversial era at the Belgian squad.
The 69-year-old, a former professional cyclist, founded the squad which became Soudal Quick-Step in 2003, when it was Quickstep-Davitamon. It has been through many iterations, including Omega Pharma-Quick Step, Etixx-Quick Step and Deceuninck-Quick Step over the years. He will be replaced by Jurgen Foré, who joined the team early last year as COO, as of 1 January 2025.
During Lefevere's time at the helm, the team won 22 Monuments, including eight editions of the Tour of Flanders, which gave it a reputation as the men to beat in the Classics. He also oversaw a transition into a GC team, led by their star rider, Remco Evenepoel, who claimed the Quick-Step's first Grand Tour victory, the 2022 Vuelta a España. They also won 124 Grand Tour stages.
However, Lefevere has also been a controversial figure, publicly criticising his riders at times, including Sam Bennett, Julian Alaphilippe and Kasper Asgreen, in sometimes colourful language.
Earlier this year, Lefevere apologised for making derogatory remarks about women, after being threatened with a hefty fine by the UCI if he did not do so.
He was told by the UCI that unless he issued the apology for "public comments considered as disparaging towards women", he would pay a fine of 20,000 Swiss francs (£17,500 / $21,900).
“It is a life changing moment to leave a role that I have committed so much of my life to," Lefevere said in the team's statement on Tuesday. "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.
"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 Zdenek Bakala."
Bakala himself said: "Patrick has often spoken of the hard work of his staff and the riders, but that is fostered by the figure head at the top and we should not underestimate the way Patrick has built a culture that allows those riders and staff to thrive.
"However, we know that at some point all things change and we feel that this is the right time to make these structural changes to our team’s management, which have been made with the agreement of all parties. With this transition I demonstrate my commitment to the long-term future of the team and ensuring a bright future for Soudal Quick-Step."
Foré, who according to the team has had a long career in business, including as a partner at Deloitte, said: "I will now look to lead this team, working towards securing its long-term future. I have been involved in cycling in several roles and as part of the team’s management and I am confident that by combining this with my experience in business, it will allow me to build a structure that can take Soudal Quick-Step from strength to strength."
