Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, December 12, 2024
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
A friend is one soul abiding in two bodies. - Diogenes
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Upcoming racing:
- December 15: Namur Cyclocross-Citadelcross
Latest completed racing:
- November 17: Flandriencross
- November 3: European Cyclocross Championships
- November 1: X20 Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
- October 27: Superprestige Overijse-Vlaamse Druivencross
- October 15 - 20: Tour of Guangxi
- October 20: Japan Cup Road Race
- October 20: Veneto Classic
- October 16: Giro del Veneto
- October 13: Chrono des Nations
Here’s the team’s announcement:
Soudal Quick-Step have announced a change to its management structure, which will see Patrick Lefevere step down as its CEO on December 31st, 2024. Under the new arrangement, the current COO Jurgen Foré will step up to CEO and is to take charge of the running of the team on a day-to-day basis.
Foré joined the team in early 2024, having had a long career in business with his last position being as a partner with Deloitte. He steps-up to the role of CEO, fostering his relationships with the team and its sponsors and partners, that he has built up over the last 12 months while serving as COO. He will continue strengthening the sportive, commercial and operational processes of the team, working together with our riders, staff, sponsors and partners.
Foré will be working as part of an executive board, which will be made up of majority shareholder Zdenek Bakala and Auret Van Zyl, who has for a long time been the team’s legal counsel and brings a wealth of experience from within the cycling industry. Lefevere will also be part of the new structure as an honorary board member. The board’s focus will be on evolving the team’s strategy going forewords.
Patrick Lefevere
Patrick Lefevere founded Soudal Quick-Step in 2003, combining his insight of the sport of cycling with a knowledge of economics and business that he picked up as an accountant, to build what was to become the most successful team in professional cycling. Under Lefevere’s stewardship the team has reached almost 1000 victories, which includes 22 Monuments, 1 Grand Tour and 124 Grand Tour stages, 3 Olympic gold medals, 19 World Championship golds, and 4 European Championships, as well as countless other races.
More than just the eye-catching results, Lefevere fostered a family feel and loyalty base within the team, which is almost unique within a sport of such a transient nature. The team earned the moniker of ‘The Wolfpack’ as they are famed for its team spirit and willing to race as a collective, who were prepared to go in to battle for each other. The atmosphere within in the team is demonstrated when examining the team’s staff list, many of whom have been loyal to the team since the very early days of its existence.
Speaking of the changes, Soudal Quick-Step majority shareholder Mr Zdenek Bakala said: “I would like to start by thanking Patrick for his dedication and passion in making Soudal Quick-Step the team it is today. 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.”
Outgoing CEO Patrick Lefevere said: “It is a life changing moment to leave a role that I have committed so much of my life to. 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 Mr. Zdenek Bakala.”
New Soudal Quick-Step CEO Jurgen Foré said: “I am extremely proud to take over as CEO of this historic team. Patrick Lefevere has been a figurehead in professional cycling, who all have great respect and admiration for. He has been able to build a firm base and stability that has seen this team grow for over two decades. I would like to personally thank him for the support that he has given me over the past 12 months since I joined the team. I understand and feel how special this organisation is, and I will do everything in my power to take care of it.
"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.”
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Here’s the team’s post:
Taco van der Hoorn, who made a victorious return after sixteen months without competition, extended his contract with Intermarché-Wanty for two extra seasons. The master in long breakaways thus stays loyal to the team of Jean-François Bourlart until at least the end of 2026.
Since his arrival in 2021, the Dutchman stole the hearts of many cycling fans with his long breakaways. It was in this sensational way that in the Tour of Italy 2021, he took the first grand tour stage win for Intermarché-Wanty in Canale, before adding similar successes in the Benelux Tour and Omloop van het Houtland.
Taco van der Hoorn wins stage three of the 2021 Giro d'Italia, Sirotti photo
In 2022, Taco van der Hoorn continues to thwart the plans of the peloton and wins the Brussels Cycling Classic, and then flirts with the victory in his first Tour de France, defeated by only a couple of millimeters at the end of the cobble stage towards Arenberg. His work for his teammates was also noticed by the national coach, who selected him for the world championships in Wollongong.
After a new monster breakaway in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne that for a second year in a row almost resulted in a victory, 2023 seemed to be just as promising for Taco, until a bad crash in the Tour of Flanders. Victim of a severe concussion for the second time in his career, he was sidelined from competition for sixteen months while he recovered his full abilities.
Returning in August 2024 for the Tour of Leuven, Taco van der Hoorn displayed his eternal smile at the front of the race, accumulating 750 kilometers in breakaways during the Tour of Germany, the BEMER Cyclassics, the Tour of Guangxi, and the Elfstedenrace, which he won on October 2nd, securing his fifth victory in the colours of Intermarché-Wanty.
"I am very happy that I'm back at my best form and able to look to the future with confidence. It is difficult to summarize all the progress made over the past eighteen months, but I hope that my experience can serve as an example for anyone going through a dark period. I've chosen to continue my career with Intermarché-Wanty, as we share the same vision. My personal ambition fits perfectly with the team's objectives. I enjoy the full confidence of the sports directors in the races in which I believe I have a good chance of achieving a good performance. Moreover, thanks to the good atmosphere in the team, I always have a good time racing, which is an important factor for me. Finally, we have very competitive equipment. I feel involved with it and I feel listened to in the development of our equipment. I share the same vision as our Head of Equipment Mikey van Kruiningen, always seeking to push the limits together with our technical partners." - Taco van der Hoorn
"Taco van der Hoorn is one of our most popular personalities, a rider who is admired by the fans for his aggressive racing style. Together with Biniam Girmay, Louis Meintjes, Simone Petilli, Lorenzo Rota and Georg Zimmermann he forms the core of the team on which we build our identity since our accession to the World Tour in 2021. Taco sets an example, he inspires his teammates with his temperament and good mood, which is why we missed him so much during his long absence. Upon his return in August, he was immediately ready to perform and managed to maintain this level until the end of the season. We are very happy to be able to count on him again in the coming seasons. Together, we will continue hunting victories, especially in the classics." - Aike Visbeek (Performance Manager)
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The Brussels Times posted this news:
Former world cycling champion Eddy Merckx underwent successful hip surgery on Tuesday and will begin rehabilitation on Wednesday, the Herentals Hospital announced in a press release on Tuesday.
The 79-year-old fell while out cycling and fractured his hip on Monday. He was taken to the Herentals Hospital near Antwerp, where fellow-cycling champion Remco Evenepoel recently had to go after falling following a collision with a bpost vehicle, and was quickly treated.
Eddy Merckx visiting the Tour de France in 2022. Sirotti photo
"This is a typical and common fracture of the neck of the femur," the establishment wrote.
To treat this injury, a total hip prosthesis was fitted on Tuesday afternoon by Dr Mike Tengrootenhuysen and Prof. Dr Steven Claes. "The operation went smoothly, and a full recovery is expected," the hospital said. Merckx will have to stay “at least one night” to recover from the operation, it added.
His rehabilitation is due to begin on Wednesday "with the possibility of immediately putting all the weight of the body on the operated leg."
"Full recovery will usually take a few months, but fortunately for Eddy Merckx, cycling is an excellent rehabilitation activity, which can be resumed after just a few weeks."
Merckx, the greatest cycling champion in history, crashed on Monday in Hombeek, near Mechelen, during a cycling outing. No one else was involved in the incident. Merckx slipped on his own, said his wife Claudine.
The man with 525 victories already had to undergo emergency surgery for an intestinal obstruction at the end of March this year.
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Here’s the team’s post:
From today until Friday December 20, Team Polti Kometa gathers in full at the usual location on the southern Spanish coast: the Oliva Nova Beach & Golf Resort. Over these ten days, the group starts rebuilding team spirit and officially begins preparing for the upcoming season, with races scheduled to begin at the end of January following a second training camp.
Team Polti Kometa after the Giro d'Italia.
Let’s focus on this first training camp: the twenty riders (14 confirmed and 6 new) and the entire staff arrive in Oliva after completing their medical examinations and VO2 Max tests between last Thursday and this morning. These tests were carried out at the Department of Sports and Exercise Medicine at the Careggi University Hospital in Florence, which has renewed its partnership with the team. “They also support us throughout the year for any needs we might have,” emphasizes Dr. Giulio Tempesti, Team Polti Kometa’s physician.
In a way, this is the most eagerly awaited camp. As Sports Director Stefano Zanatta explains, “There’s a strong desire to get back into the groove and curiosity about the new signings. Today feels like the first day of school: starting tomorrow, we’ll begin a routine of indoor training and rides on the beautiful Spanish roads with our Aurum Magma bikes, technical meetings, preliminary calendar planning and equipment testing.”
These will also be the final rides under the current team name, which will officially change to Polti Visit Malta on January 1. What won’t change is the long-standing relationship with the Oliva resort, which has hosted Ivan Basso and the Contador brothers’ ProTeam since its days as a Continental team in 2019. The resort offers everything a cycling squad needs: an ideal location with a pleasant climate, excellent facilities, all the necessary spaces for activities such as gyms, staff work areas and meeting rooms for laying the foundation for the upcoming year.
Last but not least, this training camp is also a crucial opportunity for discussions with sponsors, who gain firsthand insight into the team they have chosen to support. For technical partners, it’s a chance to evaluate and contribute to product development. The 2025 season begins… in December 2024!
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