Patrick Lefevere used to be an sudden visitor on the UAE Excursion Ladies on Friday. He’s not group supervisor of Soudal-QuickStep however used to be combining a vacation with a shuttle to peer the race. He has retired and in all probability mellowed however nonetheless has reviews at the game.
Lefevere is not any stranger to controversy, particularly on the subject of ladies’s biking. The 70-year-old Belgian as soon as made outrageous feedback about ladies’s salaries and handiest have shyed away from a positive from the UCI for feedback that have been ‘disparaging toward women’ via making a proper apology.
Lefevere adopted the report breaking high-speed echelon 2d level of the UAE Excursion Ladies race within the AG Insurance coverage-Soudal group automotive, observing Lorena Wiebes win after the level used to be raced at a median pace of 48.4km/h.
“There are no secrets out there, there is so much wind, either you are in the front or you are dropped. There are only two possibilities and it depends on who you are.
“It is also since the ladies regularly do not have the revel in to make echelons, and it used to be echelons from kilometre 1 so it used to be excellent to peer within the automotive.”
Lefevere turns out in actuality inspired and sought after to position the report immediately after being criticised for in the past criticising ladies’s racing.
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“I want to tell the truth as I did an explanation and some English-speaking people took it the wrong way,” Lefevere stated.
In an interview revealed within the Krant van West-Vlaanderen, Lefevere used to be quoted as announcing that the ladies’s biking had no longer but stepped forward sufficient for the entire riders to earn a minimal salary, in the similar manner as the boys do. The ones feedback have been deemed derogatory.
As used to be reported on the time, Lefevere stated that he requested some riders how a lot they earn in a month, to which they instructed him between €200-250.
“I told them that this is a scandal,” Lefevere defined.
“I said I wouldn’t run a women’s team if I had to pay that, I didn’t want to be this sort of organisation, if I made a women’s team I wanted to do it well.”
In 2024 AG Insurance became the sponsor and owner of the women’s cycling team AG Insurance-Soudal and Lefevere is adamant that this investment in the sport has been pivotal for progress.
“I had giant, giant lend a hand from AG insurance coverage, who believes in ladies’s biking with out limits. With out their lend a hand, we’d no longer be right here as of late,” stated Lefevere.
“I introduced the €250,000 funds as much as €4 million. I did what I needed to do, and each sponsor and this group, I introduced it. So, I believe everyone is worked up.”
“Now we have a development team too and we tell the agents to start chasing the riders when they are younger.
“We see a large number of ability in our building group so I believe the long run is good, if we will be able to stay the cash in biking.”
