Patrick Lefevere: I really think Julian Alaphilippe wants to stay at Soudal Quick-Step

Soudal Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere has told GCN that he believes Julian Alaphilippe wants to stay on the team and sign a contract extension.

The French rider is on the market for 2025 and has drawn interest from long-term admirers TotalEnergies and Cofidis in recent weeks but Lefevere is planning to meet with the two-time world champion on the eve of the Giro d’Italia and discuss the future.

Lefevere has also confirmed that he’s on the market for possible Classics riders but that he’s still willing to discuss extensions with Kasper Asgreen and Casper Pedersen - with both riders out of contract this year too.

“I see that you guys know more than I do but I’ve not spoken to his agent in weeks but Julian I saw at Flanders, so I know he’s at Romandie, and then I’ll be at the start of the Giro d’Italia and then we’ll see. Last year they said there was interest from Total but it was never concrete, so we’ll see,” Lefevere said when asked about the future of Alaphilippe.

Read more:

• Cédric Vasseur: We don’t want Julian Alaphilippe to come to Cofidis as a retirement home
• ‘Negotiations have started’ between Julian Alaphilippe and TotalEnergies

The relationship between Alaphilippe and his boss has recently appeared strained due to Lefevere’s controversial comments regarding the rider’s home life and inability to provide results at certain points in the last few years. Lefevere has apologised for several comments in recent weeks and believes that despite any friction, a possible agreement could be made.

“Maybe for him it’s time for a new challenge but there are always two at the table. I don’t know but from the CEO of the team I know that his agent says that he wants to talk. As far as I know, talking is free,” Lefevere said.

Alaphilippe has been with Lefevere’s team since his days on the Etixx development team in 2013, and rose through the ranks at an electric pace to become the team’s marquee rider.

That status has waned in recent years with the emergence of Remco Evenepoel and the Frenchman’s drift from star-studded status but Lefevere has been loyal to some of his biggest leaders, with the likes of Tom Boonen, Johan Museeuw, and Paolo Bettini all finishing their glittering careers as part of the Belgian’s stable. 

“Time changes. Maybe he has to look but I really don’t think that’s what he wants. I really think he wants to stay but I won’t speak before my turn because if I say something it’s misunderstood. He’s part of the family. Okay sometimes we have a discussion and it’s blown up but that’s family. If you’re married, not every day is peace. If you’re on a team with 85 people then it’s normal that there’s some discussion or some friction but at the end of the day we’re adults and if you can sit at the table, talk it out and speak face to face then it’s not a problem,” Lefevere said, before playing down some of the speculation linking the French rider with other teams.

Read more: Julian Alaphilippe calls into question his Soudal Quick-Step future and possible retirement

“There are nice rumours that can live their own life but it's also free publicity. It’s also the work of the agents to show to us and the outside world that there’s interest because it keeps the price acceptable.”

Alaphilippe is currently racing the Tour de Romandie, where he has looked in decent form during the opening stages. He will complete the stage race in Switzerland before targeting the Giro d’Italia in May. Lefevere is expecting the 31-year-old to come away with a stage win, while there are no plans to compete at the Tour de France in July.

“Everyone knows he likes the parcours in Italy and the first goal is a stage win. Normally we’ll decide to do the Giro, and from there normally we don’t send him to two straight Grand Tours. There is also the Olympics but I’m not the French selector. The Games in Paris, he’s French so every French rider wants to be at the Olympics,” he said.

Lefevere also confirmed that neo-pro Luke Lamperti would make his Grand Tour debut at the Giro alongside Tim Merlier.

Building a strong roster important for 2025 and beyond

Away from Alaphilppe’s contract situation, Lefevere is busy building his team for the future. Several promising riders have already delivered with Lamperti, Paul Magnier, William Junior Lecerf all delivering in their first seasons within the WorldTour. The Spring Classics were a disappointment for the Belgian team, with little to shout about in either Paris-Roubaix or the Tour of Flanders.

Read more: Patrick Lefevere calls crisis meeting following Soudal Quick-Step’s cobbled Classics campaign

"I can’t deny that the Flemish races weren’t that good for us,” Lefevere said.

“Fortunately, Mauri Vansevenant saved our honour in Amstel and Liège and now the Tours are beginning. I can see that the riders are doing well in Romandie. I’m curious to see what will happen in the coming days, while the people who are injured, with Remco and Landa, they’re recovering.

"I think Remco’s recovery is going quite well. I met him last Thursday and he came to say hello. He brought some cakes for the staff, and he’s quite happy with how things are going. His next race is in the Dauphiné, and there are no changes to his schedule before then. We don’t like changes.”

On the recruitment front, Lefevere stressed that budget constraints were a pressing matter, with much of the team’s investment going towards the Grand Tours, and Evenepoel’s Tour de France aspirations.

“We need healthy riders. It’s difficult because you’re always bound by the budget and we invested a lot in the Grand Tours with Remco, Mikel Landa and some other guys. I know that we’re looking on the market with what we can do. It’s still early but agents are pushing and riders are signing very early. I’ll see.”

Former Tour of Flanders winner Kasper Asgreen and fellow Dane Casper Pedersen are both out of contract at the end of the year and Lefevere remains open-minded on possible contract extensions.

“It depends on their demands. If they’re reasonable in the negotiations then we’ll speak. Both of them didn’t have a great start to the season and Kasper saved his year last year with a stage in the Tour. He’s had bad luck and it’s hard to judge someone like that. I don’t say yes, I don’t say no. We still have to negotiate, and we’re not the only team on the market.”

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