Patrick Lefevere believes Remco Evenepoel has a good chance to win gold at next year’s Olympics in Tokyo.
“Remco has always said he wants to go to the Olympics for the road and time trial. He is already automatically selected and it’s only every four years,” Lefevere told Sporza. “In 2024, the Games will take place in Paris.
“What kind of course will that be? I don’t see any big mountains there. Next year might be Remco’s chance to become an Olympic champion – if the Games go ahead.”
After 18 years with the team, Lefevere would like to finally win Tour de France and his biggest hope for that is Evenepoel “I haven’t had enough of this, but I won’t stretch it out indefinitely,” Lefevere said.
“I’m very well surrounded, so I don’t necessarily have to be present at every race. Actually, I only have to do two things – take care of the money and keep breathing. “I would prefer a project of five years.
“Then I can build something around Remco and hopefully we can give Belgium a Tour victory. But if I’ve never won the Tour de France with my team, it won’t be on my headstone.”
He is satisfied with the season, even though it was one of the most difficult, and he believes that he will continue to succeed and that he is still not tired.
“[We were successful] despite three months of lockdown and five injured riders, some of whom were badly injured,” he said. “Remco Evenepoel has done a lot of things in 2020. He rode four stage races and won them all.
“Our young rider João Almeida wore the pink jersey in the Giro for 15 days and Sam Bennett won in the green jersey on the Champs-Élysées. “Everybody says the same thing to me every year: ‘Next year that won’t be possible anymore.’ And yet, over the past eight years (or more), I’ve been able to do it over and over again.
“The world title of Julian Alaphilippe. To have a world champion in the team is always something magical. It moved me. I especially like the way he did it.
