The unfortunate race story of an anonymous Wolfpack: “Don’t you dare deny that we were just unlucky” | Paris-Roubaix

“What else can I say? I don’t feel like it, call someone else.”

The words of Patrick Lefevere summarize the spring of Soudal – Quick Step.

Plagued by bad luck and riders who just didn’t find their top form. Remember Declercq’s retirement in the Omloop, Alaphilippe who had to watch over the Poggio or Jakobsen who had chain problems in the Scheldeprijs.

No, luckily The Wolfpack is not driving around.

The major turnaround in an – so far one for them – anonymous spring did not happen in Roubaix either. It remains to wait (a while) for that long-awaited podium spot.

Paris-Roubaix was another bad day to forget.

With Tim Merlier and Yves Lampaert in 23rd and 24th place, the results were once again very disappointing. But on the cobbles it was a wear and tear that led to crashes, punctures and DNFs for Asgreen, Ballerini and Van Lerberghe.

Manager Wilfried Peeters sums up the malaise: “On the first cobblestone section, Kasper Asgreen blocked his derailleur, Ballerini and Sénéchal had a puncture on the second section, where Van Lerberghe also fell.”

So the team was left to chase. “In the meantime, Asgreen had another puncture and not much later he fell in the Bos van Wallers.”

It soon became clear: the team was assigned to chase. “We were chasing the facts all day,” Peeters laments. “And we’ve never been on course.”

It will not have been due to motivation and preparation. “But I can’t deny that there was only bad luck involved. If you are at the front of the race, you have less chance of accidents and falls…”

Well, obviously it wasn’t to be again.

“After two strokes we were still in the race with two riders”, Yves Lampaert also shakes his head. His photo after the finish is worth a thousand words.

Wilfried Peeters would rather have a good result with the team yesterday than today.

“Because otherwise you will end up in a negative spiral. We try to motivate the boys to break through it as quickly as possible.”

So he proposes action: “We should not let ourselves be known, even if we are disappointed. And work hard for it, because you don’t just get a second chance.”

A thorough evaluation is required, although the team prefers to make it after Liège-Bastogne-Liège. “We know how many people work at 110% for us.”

That Lefevere didn’t feel like responding? “Understandable,” says Peeters. “He was not in the race, but watched on television. So he does not know what happened at the back of the race.”

What the team manager does know is what conclusions he will draw.