Life after Tom. It was never going to be easy.
"Everyone knows what Tom meant to our team and to me," Patrick Lefevere says ruefully, sitting down with Cyclingnews as Quick-Step Floors gather in Calpe for their 2018 team presentation.
Tom Boonen retired last April on the Roubaix velodrome, bringing an end to an illustrious 16-year career, 15 of which were spent riding under Lefevere at Quick-Step. With seven monuments, a world title, and much more besides, Boonen was the poster boy for the Belgian team, his charisma and star quality extending far beyond the cycling fandom and into the mainstream.
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"In life, you can never replace somebody - every single person is unique," says Lefevere. "Johan Museeuw was unique, or Cipollini, or Ballerini. All these big guys I never had in my mind I will replace him. Everyone is irreplaceable."
The task for the 62-year-old manager is to ensure there's always new talent ready to step in, to ensure - to borrow a Flemish adage - that the tributary never runs dry.
"When Cipollini stopped everyone said: 'What now? You will fall into a black hole'. And Tom Boonen was there. When Bartoli broke his knee, Bettini was there."
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via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/life-after-boonen-quick-step-juggernaut-rolls-on
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