Team CEO Patrick Lefevere talked of the squad’s goals for this year, which our team will kick off in just a couple of days.
2019 will mark the 17th season in the history of Deceuninck – Quick-Step, which under the guidance of Patrick Lefevere became one of the most successful teams in the history of the sport, amassing an astonishing 675 UCI victories over the years, including 88 Grand Tour stages, 17 Monuments, 55 stage races and 4 World Team Time Trial Championships.
Sponsors, partners and dozens of journalists and photographs attended the team presentation Tuesday afternoon at the Suitopia – Sol y Mar Suites Hotel in Calpe, where CEO Patrick Lefevere began by talking of the squad’s unforgettable 2018 season, which we concluded with 77 wins and the World Tour Team Classification in the bag, before sharing his expectations for the upcoming campaign.
We can look back with pride on what we achieved last year, it was a tremendous season with a lot of satisfactions.
“We hope 2019 will be another great year, which we start with the same enthusiasm and motivation. I want to thank all our sponsors and partners, who believe in us and stand by our side. I am confident that together we will bring fireworks in the races and create many other brilliant moments with our group of experienced riders and young wolves, all motivated to make an impact”, Patrick Lefevere said at the team presentation.
Deceuninck, a leading designer and manufacturer of window profile systems based in Hooglede-Gits, has joined Patrick Lefevere’s team as main title sponsors for the next couple of years, and Francis Van Eeckhout – the company’s CEO – is looking forward to this partnership.
“We are new in this sport, but have received an extraordinary welcome from this fantastic and very professional team. Cycling is expanding all over the world, as we are doing with our products, which we are selling in a large number of countries. We like the spirit we have found here, very similar to ours. This squad is a family, a really great group of friends who give everything and fight until the very last kilometer for the victory. This gives us a lot of confidence for the upcoming season, which we hope will present us with many beautiful and indelible moments.”
The team, who will race on Specialized bikes equipped with disc brakes during the entire 2019 season, comprises 25 riders representing 11 nationalities: Julian Alaphilippe, Kasper Asgreen, Eros Capecchi, Rémi Cavagna, Tim Declercq, Dries Devenyns, Remco Evenepoel, Philippe Gilbert, Alvaro Hodeg, Mikkel Honoré, Fabio Jakobsen, Bob Jungels, Iljo Keisse, James Knox, Yves Lampaert, Davide Martinelli, Enric Mas, Michael Mørkøv, Maximiliano Richeze, Fabio Sabatini, Florian Sénéchal, Pieter Serry, Zdenek Stybar, Petr Vakoč, Elia Viviani.
Photo credit: ©Sigfrid Eggers
