Deceuninck-QuickStep workforce supervisor Partrick Lefevere has unveiled that Sam Bennett’s knee dilemma could mean he misses the Tour de France, with Mark Cavendish unlikely to change him unless a new, much better paid, deal can be agreed for the relaxation of the period and for 2022.
Planet Winner Julian Alaphilippe will have the liberty to journey aggressively at the Tour de France with a massive block of the Deceuninck-QuickStep squad created all around encouraging Bennett in the sprints with the purpose to repeat last year’s two phase wins and victory in the eco-friendly jersey competition.
Having said that, Bennett was pressured to miss out on the Baloise Belgium Tour and Lefevere is worried that the Irishman will not get well in time for the start out of the Tour de France on June 26. Bennett is envisioned to depart Deceuninck-QuickStep at the close of the year but was named as the team’s sprinter for the Tour.
Cavendish replaced Bennett for the Baloise Belgium Tour but Lefevere discovered the Manxman logically required a better deal if he were to be the team’s lead sprinter and face the pressures and expectations of the Tour de France. Lefevere has secured new sponsorship from Specialised but is even now to finalise a new title sponsor for 2022. He has prolonged the contracts of Alaphilippe, Remco Evenepoel and Tour of Flanders winner Kasper Asgreen but turned down a possibility to indicator Peter Sagan and is nevertheless doing the job on his roster for 2022.
He faces some difficult conclusions in advance of the begin of the Tour de France.
“The dilemma is that he (Bennett) suffers from swelling of the patellar tendon and which is a persistent damage,” Lefevere wrote in his weekly column for Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad.
“We’ve been through it prior to with Tom Boonen, Zdenek Stybar and Andrea Bagioli, all of whom even had medical procedures. Will Sam make the Tour? At the instant we never know. He has to relaxation right until at minimum Monday.”
Lefevere is certain that Cavendish has refound his sprinting type but spending budget restraints could scupper any hope of observing Cavendish trip the Tour de France, forcing Deceuninck-QuickStep to scrap strategies to goal the dash levels. “There is no authentic system B as a sprinter,” Lefevere discovered, perhaps all over again participating in his contract negotiation game by using his newspaper column.
“I went to supper with Mark Cavendish on Sunday evening and the query came up: Do you want to do yet another Grand Tour? Mark replied: ‘Not at this salary, no.’
“That may well seem cynical, but I comprehend his level of look at. Mark was 35 many years old and joined us at the past minute. At that time, the Tour was completely out of the dilemma. He signed a minimal contract for the reason that we experienced nominal expectations.
“The cards are distinctive now. His stage is a great deal better than predicted. The Tour of Turkey is only the Tour of Turkey, but he received 4 levels. Mark was also freewheeling in the Scheldeprijs and in the Elfstedenronde he was at the very least as rapid as Tim Merlier in the sprint on Sunday. Mark even now has his pace.
“But I realize him about the Tour de France. For him, that indicates racing with force, below the magnifying glass of the media. If he even comes near to a win, everyone instantly begins talking about Eddy Merckx’s report. Merckx has gained 34 phases in the Tour, Mark is now at thirty.
“It’s not good to have a rider with a bare minimum contract as a Deceuninck-QuickStep direct sprinter, with all the pressure and expectations that arrive with it. I agree with Mark on that. All the a lot more so due to the fact we have never ever been able to present him a complete, uninterrupted (race) programme this yr.
“It’s something I am thinking about right now: extending Cavendish for the Tour, on superior phrases. At minimum to get that issue out of the way. With the amount he has now, Mark would like to keep on for at least one more calendar year. We are likely to at minimum talk about it jointly.”
Lefevere celebrated Remco Evenepoel’s return to achievement at the Baloise Belgium Tour after his struggles at the Giro d’Italia and the close of the team’s dry spell. Alaphilippe did not acquire a phase at the Tour de Suisse and will quickly grow to be a father but Lefevere is persuaded the Frenchman is on monitor for the Tour de France.
“Remco Evenepoel place an conclude to a complicated thirty day period for our workforce on Thursday. Among May possibly 8 and June 10, we did not earn a solitary race,” Lefevere admitted.
“It’s really abnormal and I would be lying if I explained it failed to make me nervous. The animal can’t support it, if it would not gain races, it truly is not satisfied.
“I’m fairly absolutely sure there will not likely be an additional thirty day period without wins. Remco has cleared his head in the Tour of Belgium and Julian Alaphilippe will also be great. In the Tour of Switzerland he has not received for the time remaining and will not occur again. The prepare is to get out of the race today (Saturday) simply because his baby is generally born on Monday.”
“Julian was no match for Mathieu van der Poel in the very first phases, but I am not far too fearful about that. He will have a dilemma if the Tour starts tomorrow, but we nevertheless have two months. I see Julian racing in Switzerland like in final year’s Tour: Wild, without having consultation, but constantly à fond. Past 12 months the Tour was his planning for the Entire world Cup. Now Switzerland is making ready for the Tour.”