Patrick Lefebvre praised Remco Evenpoel after his historic double gold medal win at the Paris Olympics, but admitted that this success will cost him and Soule-Quickstep dearly, as Evenpoel could get a hefty double bonus in addition to the double gold medal He admitted that this would be a big burden on him and Soule-Quickstep.

Evenpoel's Olympic success, coming just after finishing third in the Tour de France, also boosted the value of his contract, and rival teams such as Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and Ineos-Grenadier may pull him away from Sudar-QuickStep before his current contract ends There are constant reports and speculation that they might try to pull him away from Sudar-Quickstep before his current contract ends.

"As long as no one puts something concrete on my table, he will run for us," Lefebvre told Het Nieuwsblad, predicting that rival team managers might try to lure his team leader away, although Evenpoel He reiterated his comment that he is under contract.

"If someone said to me tomorrow, 'This is my annual salary and I will double it and a little more,' I might be able to accept it," Het Nieuwsblad reported him as saying.

"It's up to Ryder; a year or two ago he said he had a lot of work to do on the team, but I don't know in which areas he can't keep up now. I'm not going to let him go for nothing. I have never paid even one euro less for Lemko.

Evenpoel receives €50,000 per gold medal from the Belgian Olympic Committee, but Lefebvre admitted that the bonus from the professional team would be "double that amount."

"There are always two people on the team who are quick to cheer: Geert Kuhmann and myself, but soon we wonder, "How much will it cost?" I think," he said. Leferet said, referring to the CFO of Sourdal Quickstep.

"They think I'm a monkey on that score, but I don't have to pay him. How much' It's more than enough. That's the legacy left by Ralph Denk when he put his proposal on the table three years ago."

An offer from the Red Bull-Bohler-Hansgrohe team manager forced Lefebvre to increase his contract offer to Evenpole and add a large bonus.

"Remco makes it difficult to calculate the budget," Lefebvre told Nieuwsblad.

"He won it. It's a shame, though, that the sponsors get little or no profit," Leferedo added, emphasizing that the strict brand protection of the International Olympic Committee limits the publicity that teams and sponsors can develop from Olympic success.

"The pictures under the Eiffel Tower are really beautiful. It will probably be displayed somewhere in my office."

Lefebvre was not in Paris, but was at home in Belgium watching the road race. He celebrated with an aperitif and a traditional Belgian dish of tomatoes stuffed with shrimp.

"I avoided the crowds in Paris. From my armchair I could follow everything better and focus on the moment. I watched the whole race," Leveferrer praised Evenpoel.

"When he attacked, I thought 'ciao. He was impressive in the time trial.

"This is not the first time Lemko has done something unique. The way he rode on Saturday, he didn't seem to feel the cobblestones."

Lefebvre has suggested that Evenpoel will enjoy a break from racing and perhaps ride the Tour of Britain (September 3-8) before targeting the road world championships in Zurich in late September.

Rod Ellingworth, race director of the Tour of Britain, told Cycling News that while he would be happy to see Evenpoel clash with Tom Pidcock, the Belgian Renwith Tour World Tour stage race (August 27-September 1) organizers said they might try to secure Evenpoel's presence with a hefty entry fee.

If Evenpoel stays with Soudal-Quick Step in 2025, Lefebvre has suggested that he may target Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders, and then the Tour de France again.

"Now that he has made history in this way, he will have to look for other challenges. There are two Grand Tours he has yet to win. That will be his next challenge," Lefebvre noted.

"Lemko is a man with an insatiable hunger. After a rest, he will peak at the World Championships in Zurich. Usually the Tour of Britain has been his program, but maybe it will be the LeniTour."

"Everyone talks about training, but I have noticed that he always goes faster after the Grand Tours. That means he needs to be at his best in the race."

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