French riders satisfied with staying on a Belgian team
Quick Step boss Patrick Lefevere has confirmed today that both Sylvain Chavanel and Jérôme Pineau will remain on the team next season. The Frenchmen have been the stand out riders for the Belgian squad at this year’s Tour de France, having secured both the yellow and polka dot jerseys along with two stage wins thus far.
“It is 99%, I would say 100% if Sylvain and Jérôme had signed their contracts, but they are men of their word, they will do it later,” Lefevere told Reuters before the start of stage nine.
Team captain Tom Boonen was expected to carry the squad through July, but knee problems resulting from crashes in the Tour of California and the Tour de Suisse force him out of the race, and the team questioning how successful their Tour might turn out.
Lefevere refrained from criticizing Chavanel during the spring when his performances were lacklustre compared to his first year with the team. He then looked to be getting back on track in the Ardennes, but was derailed by a crash in the final kilometer of Liège-Bastogne-Liège that resulted in a skull fracture. The Frenchman came back determined and strong from injury to capture the second and eighth stage of the Tour de France, each resulting in a day wearing the maillot jaune.
While Chavanel has been the man winning stages and taking yellow, Pineau secured the King of the Mountains jersey on the heels of his stage five victory in Novi Ligure at the Giro d’Italia in May. He also finished third place in stage seventeen of the Italian race.
The two close friends arrived at Quick Step together in 2008 from two of France’s biggest teams, Cofidis [Chavanel] and Bbox Bouygues Telecom [Pineau]. Both riders were rumored to be in talks with several teams, but it appears that they have found their groove riding for the Belgian squad.