The rumor that appeared at the end of last season that Remco Evenepoel was in the ranks of Ineos Grenadiers has generated again some indignation in the figure of Patrick Lefevere, manager of Soudal Quick-Step, who does not want to hear about it.
In statements collected by the Belgian media SporzaLefevere went over the existence of these rumors and how Ineos tried to contact Evenepoel and his father. “For almost a year there have been rumors that there were contacts between Remco Evenepoel and Ineos. I know that Sky already spoke with Remco a few years ago and that, last year after the World Cup, probably Ineos He contacted Remco’s father again, who is also his representative.
A situation that Lefevere himself has tried to solve this week by holding a meeting with Evenepoel and his father to put an end to the rumors that place him at Ineos. “I spoke to Remco alone and told him that the rumors about Ineos have to stop, because all they do is make people nervous. And then I spoke to his father to tell him that we have to put those rumors down somehow.”
The Soudal Quick-Step skipper recalled the moment when Rod Ellingworth, one of the Ineos heavyweights, expressed the team’s interest in Evenepoel. “I remember Rod Ellingworth texting me: ‘If you ever want to get rid of Remco, let me know.’ I said ‘Why not? but he had to take charge of the whole team. I didn’t hear from him again.
Lefevere also gave clues about Evenepoel’s calendar for the remainder of the season with the World Cup as the main objective after Evenepoel abandoned the Giro due to coronavirus when he was leading the race. “It is possible that Remco will run the Baloise Tour of Belgium because a stage passes in front of his home. But I think he is not sensitive and will choose what is best for him. In addition, during the Tour he will do high altitude training to prepare for the World Cup ”.