Patrick Lefevere says his Deceuninck-Quick-Step team would collapse and pro cycling would be devastated if there is no pro racing this year.
“If we don’t race this year, I’ll no longer have a team,” Lefevere told Sporza. “Fifty per cent of the teams will disappear from the peloton.
“Team Ineos are sitting on a mountain of money, and the French are getting part of their wages paid back by the state. They will have fewer difficulties, but my team will be in trouble.
“I’m not stupid,” continued Lefevere. “I am an accountant by training, and have been in the trade for 40 years. If there is no racing anymore, many cycling teams will die.”
“I’m known as the most critical person in the cycling world,” Lefevere said. “But I will not complain about the calendar. In the current circumstances, we should be humble and pray that we can still race this year.”
Lefevere also told the Belgian media that his team will send Remco Evenepoel to make his Grand Tour debut at this year’s Giro d’Italia, which is set to run from October 3-25.
“We’ll stick to the plan of Evenepoel riding the Giro, so he’ll drop racing Liège. It’s a pity, but he’s only 20 years old. If he was 37, then it might have been a bigger deal,” Lefevere said.
