Since the team's inception, Sûre-Quick-Step has developed a convenient habit of racking up early stage wins in the Tour de France. Even last year's race, a relatively modest one by the traditional standards of the Patrick Lefebvre-led team, began with back-to-back stage wins in Denmark.

By contrast, the 2023 race has so far been nothing of note for Sørdal-Quick Step. On its first rest day, the team suffered the humiliation of being at the bottom of the prize money standings, winning only €3,600 in the first nine stages, compared to leader Alpecin Deceuninck's €48,200.

As the Tour approaches the halfway point, Sudar Quick-Step is still without a stage win, and sprinter Fabio Jacobsen is struggling with the effects of a major crash on stage 4, increasing the risk that he will miss his first whitewash in the race since 2012.

Lemko Evenpoel's lavish gifts have made him the center of attention in other races this season, but it is hard to overlook the fact that the traditional hunting grounds of the Sûre-Quick Step, the cobbled classics and the Tour, are not yielding as much as they once did.

"They are still laughing, eating, and drinking. They're willing to do it every day, even if they're suffering," sport director Tom Steels told Cycling News in Clermont-Ferrand on Wednesday. 'But being in the Tour makes some years easier than others. But I'm still going to go full strength all the way to Paris."

Quick-Step's sprint unit has traditionally been the foundation of the team's Tour success. For example, when Sam Bennett joined the team in 2020, he admitted that he was particularly motivated by the fear of becoming the first Quick-Step sprinter to miss out on a stage win in the Tour.

Jacobsen took over that heavy responsibility in last year's race and lived up to expectations by winning the opening road stage in Nyborg. This time, however, he is still suffering from the aftereffects of his big crash in Nogaro on stage 4 and is only a flickering presence in the group finish.

"He just has to get his explosiveness back. He didn't get that back the other day in Bordeaux. I hope it's back today," Stiels said with understated optimism before the start of stage 11.

Jacobsen had coped relatively well with the demands of riding within the time limit in Masif Santoral's tough ride on Tuesday, but Steels, himself a nine-time stage winner in the Tour, acknowledged that the proof of Jacobsen's recovery was in the sprints.

"You don't really know until you sprint," he said. You can feel it a little bit with small efforts during the race, but you just know if there's going to be a big explosion in the last 500 meters."

Four hours later in Moulin, the collective finish delivered a heartbreaking verdict, even if Jacobsen's lead-out man, Mikhail Morkov, insisted that it was the team's fault, not the star sprinter's, that he finished in 16th place. After Jacobsen passed through the finish area and silently boarded the team bus, Morkov had a few words to say about another disappointing result for Quick Step.

"If the team had come together better, Fabio could have been in the sprint. He really worked hard today and looked good. I think he can compete in the sprints again," said Morkov, politely dismissing the view that he was frustrated by the fact that Jasper Philipsen was dominating the sprints.

"No, his frustration is that he is not competing in the sprints. Obviously, Jasper has won four out of four.

Quick-Step's success in the Tour was not built solely on bunch sprints, of course. Julien Alaphilippe has made a big impression in July for most of his career, recording six stage wins and wearing the yellow jersey at the Tour for three consecutive years. [The punch that led him to opening weekend victories in 2020 and 2021 was severely lacking when he returned to racing this year after an injury that put him out of action 12 months ago.

There was plenty of sweat but little inspiration from the two-time world champion, who has made his presence felt in several breakaway groups. His tough ride to Issoire on Tuesday seemed to fit his character as a punter, but instead Alaphilippe was caught on the wrong side of a high-level breakaway when it split, finishing in 10th place.

"I don't think he made a big mistake, but at this level two or three percent is enough. It's not a big deal, but the level of the Tour is very high, so it can't be helped," Steels said of Alaphilippe.

"He's in the fight and he's going to get back to his best. I don't know if it will be this Tour. It could be San Sebastian, it could be the World Championships. He is coming back from an injury, and when he comes back there are waves. Waves come and go a little bit until they get back to their highest point. But he's not that far away. He's really not that far away."

Alaphilippe, who finished in Moulin, was less enthusiastic about applying the rules to him and the Quick Step tour at this early stage. We'll think about it again when we get to Paris," Alaphilippe said. I'll be happy to give it my all and have no regrets."

Steele also did not want to criticize his riders, despite the fact that nearly half of the race was still to go. 'As long as they are fighting, I have no problem with what they are doing,' he said. They are doing their best and that's the reality."