Lefevere with mixed emotions

Patrick Lefevere looks back on his team's performance in the Belgian cobblestone Classics this year with mixed emotions. The Quickstep manager told the Gazet van Antwerpen, "I have no bad words for Tom Boonen," but he was disappointed with Gert Steegmans and Peter Van Petegem.

"In the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Boonen was still handicapped from a fall near the start," Lefevere noted. "Sunday [in Paris-Roubaix] he was very good."

"I'm not complaining. Overall I am satisfied," continued Lefevere, who has seen to eight Paris-Roubaix wins. "Many people forget that the team is no longer the same. [Nick] Nuyens and [Filippo] Pozzato are gone," as are Luca Paolini and Cristian Moreni. "Of course I would have gladly kept all of them. But financially it was simply not feasible."

"We have already won 16 times this season and we took part in all the Classics. And don't forget that we have not been able to start any race with the eight riders that we had planned," he added.

Lefevere admitted that he had expected more from Van Petegem and Steegmans. "I was disillusioned with Peter on Sunday, and he was, too. If he had jumped with Wesemann on the cobblestones at Cysoing then he could have won."

Concerning Steegmans, Lefevere said, "He was strong in the Ronde, but was nowhere in Paris-Roubaix. We still have work to do there, because Steegmans has too little faith in himself."