First subject addressed in the docu-series broadcast on Netflix “Tour de France: At the heart of the peloton”, Patrick Lefevere’s choice not to take Julian Alaphilippe on the Tour de France 2022 was made without qualms.
The efforts of Julian Alaphilippe since his terrible fall, during Liège-Bastogne-Liège will not have been enough. Victim of a broken collarbone and a pneumothorax, however, managed to return in time to compete in the French championships, six days before the big start of the Tour de France, even showing himself to his advantage. Insufficient, however, in the eyes of Patrick Lefevere, the big boss of the Quick-Step.
Considering the tricolor double world champion too fair to go the distance over the three weeks of racing, the Wolfpack pack leader decided to do without the services of his leader, deciding to trust the house sprinter Fabio Jakobsen to win races. steps. And if the decision was not easy to make, Patrick Lefevere is ruthless in front of the Netflix cameras when discussing his decision, which has the honors of opening the local series “Tour de France: In the heart of the peloton”.
It’s not my role to be the nice one
“World champion or not, if you’re not at your best, we can’t take him. I have to make tough decisions,” he says, adding: “It’s not my role to be the nice one. You know, someone has to decide. »
Patrick Lefevere did not have time to regret his choice. The day after Yves Lampaert’s inaugural success in the time trial in the streets of Copenhagen, Fabio Jacobsen indeed won the first mass sprint, in the second stage. The objective was already fulfilled.
