Lefevere questions Belgian selection

Quick-Step manager Patrick Lefevere hasn't got too many good words to say about Belgian selector José De Cauwer lately. "De Cauwer's on his own; we'll make the bill in Madrid, after the finish," Lefevere was quoted in Het Laatste Nieuws.

Tom Boonen will only have two teammates - Nick Nuyens and Wilfried Cretskens - on his side in the World Championships race, and Lefevere thinks that is not enough. It is feared by some in the Belgian camp that the three Davitamon-Lotto riders in the selection, who are teammates of Australian Robbie McEwen, will benefit more from seeing their sprinter win. McEwen had said after winning Paris-Brussels that it would be good to have his Belgian teammates with him in Madrid, as they are the best in leading out a sprint. "We'll see who works for who," Lefevere commented.

Lefevere openly questioned the selection of Björn Leukemans and Mario Aerts (both Davitamon-Lotto). "It's a huge disaster," he said. "On which basis has De Cauwer made his selection? In Overijse, he was present, but we didn't see him in the Vuelta at all. There was no communication with Boonen. Just on Monday morning, a few hours before the selection was made public De Cauwer called him. What good does that do? De Cauwer just wanted to cover his arse!"