It was a scorching afternoon in late June, the 12th to be precise. At 4:54 p.m. Remco Evenepoel crossed the finish line in Saint-Péray 2025, winning the time trial Dauphiné Tour. This victory, however, was not like the others, at least not for him. It was in fact the 1.000th of his team, the Soudal-Quick StepThe Wolfpack's thousandth.
The first to add to this long list was Servais Knaven, who won the fifth stage of the Tour of Qatar in Doha on February 4, 2003. At the time, the team was called Quick Step-Davitamon. He couldn't have imagined what he had started (photo by Pedersen at the top).
To celebrate this unique achievement, the Belgian team sent a box to all the athletes who contributed to the haul of victories. Inside was a certificate, written in the rider's native language, thanking them for their contribution. An initiative by the Wolfpack that we are talking about with Alessandro Tegner, now Head of Marketing, Communication and Partnerships. He started with Patrick Lefevere and is one of the very few who remained: a pillar of the group, today led by CEO Jurgen Foré.
Alessandro, let's start from the end: the diploma...
It all started because we didn't want to let this thousand-win thing go by like this. It's a milestone that, as far as I know, we're the first team to reach, so we said everyone deserves credit: the riders, the staff, everyone who worked with us. Chasing down the staff to give that box would have been too complicated, given that hundreds of people have passed through. So We decided to focus on the athletes who have won at least one race with us, of which there are 109.
And how did this idea come about?
We made jerseys, created content, but for the athletes we have thought of a special box, with the “1000 and beyond” logo that we specially designed. Inside was the elegant personalized certificate and a Quick Step laminate puzzle.
Why Quick Step?
Because, even if today our first sponsor is soudalQuick Step was the only one who stayed from the first to the last day. A decision we shared with Soudal, who accepted it willingly. And that was also nice: they were aware of the magnitude of this achievement. The puzzle depicted a cyclist and on the wheels was the team logo with the words “1000 and beyond”.
What were the reactions when this operation took shape?
A huge emotion. For everyone, athletes and staff. People like Bramati and Peters, who have been there forever, experienced it with great emotion. Like me, after all...
Speaking of always, you've always been in this group. How did you get there?
With a game of billiards with Frank VandenbrouckeWe were in Frejus for a winter retreat. It was December 2002, and this journey began in 2003. So yes, I've seen it all.
Is there one victory among these thousand that has a special meaning for you?
For those who work in a team, there are victories that are more significant than others that are more well-known and resounding. I think of Paolo Bettini, who won the Giro di Lombardia as world champion a few days after his brother's death. An incredible story, with the team helping him train, Bramati following him on those few hours of cycling he'd done that week, and him telling his parents, "Go to Ghisallo because I'm stopping there. There are so many fans there, and I want to honor this jersey." Instead of stopping, he continued on and accomplished a memorable feat.
It's actually touching…
Another legendary victory for me is that of Wouter Weylandt in Middelburg, in the stage of Tour of Italy 2010, starting in Holland. He had also been criticized by Lefevere for not having raced well in the classics and was told he needed to respond with his pedals. And so he did: in a windy stage, with repeated crashes and various reshuffles, he arrived with a small group and outsprinted them all. I was there: I still remember the hug I gave him. It was a beautiful moment.
As you said, Alessandro, you talk about these successes because you experienced them from the inside. It would be too easy to cite Alaphilippe's Sanremo or Boonen's Roubaix...
For example, dthe Boonen the race that has remained closest to my heart is the 2011 Ghent-Wevelgem, when he was returning from a knee injury. It was a year when, as they say in the trade, we didn't move it. Tom returned and with one of his magic tricks, he won that sprint. If you ask a hundred people, no one will ever point to that victory, but for me it represented his return to the level we expected. More recently, I remember the victory of Alaphilippe in Colombia, with a shot à la Saronni, or that of Kwiatkowski at the Amstel Gold Race. But the first three I mentioned remain the most heartfelt.
Speaking of Boonen: is he the most successful with you?
Yes, with 120 successes. We prepared two blue bikes with gold details: one for the person who would sign the 1000th victory, which therefore went to Remco. And one for Boonen, Our most successful rider ever. Both were happy with this surprise. But everyone was. I tell you: when the riders started receiving the commemorative boxes, seeing their colleagues' social media posts receiving the tribute, some called us to make sure we hadn't forgotten about them.
At the end of the season, Remco Evenepoel will leave you, a giant beacon who obviously requires a certain amount of consideration both in his racing style and in the support of his team. Does it now seem like the Wolfpack's strong team spirit can re-emerge?
The team spirit has never wavered. This team has always relied on the group as a whole, despite having some great individuals. I remember, for example, Addy Engels who once after a race, seeing Bettini sitting in the distance, said to me: "Wow, I pulled all those kilometers for him and it was a pleasure!". You see? There are moments when the team shines. That's the Wolfpack's philosophy. And this has been evident recently.
When did you see him again recently?
At the Tour, on Mont VentouxI think of the sports director (Bramati, ed.) who stops Eeckhorn in the breakaway to let him pull and keep the breakaway at a certain distance. Of a rider like Valentin Paret-Peintre who attacks and Van Wilder comes back and, instead of playing his cards, he gets in front and sets the pace because he knows that that day it's his teammate's turn. Those are beautiful moments. Moments we also had with Remco. Evenepoel ultimately won over 50 races with us.
Now the market takes you back to a new phase…
We have created a balanced team, As you've seen, these signings are significant investments, even strategic ones, in the team's financial situation. Some will help, others will play their cards. The important thing is to continue growing. It's true that we've celebrated a thousand victories, but we're already at 1.016... This is the mentality that counts, and it must never change.
What can you tell us about the transition from Patrick Lefevere to Jurgen Foré?
The spirit that was created in those years with Patrick remains. Lefevere is someone who has always conveyed this grit, this sense of team spirit: he's the man who gave direction to all of this. I actually did nothing more than give a name, Wolfpack, to something I felt, that already existed, and that I experienced firsthand. The great thing is that the Wolfpack has become so deeply felt that it now clearly defines us. It's not a marketing gimmick.
Clear…
The Jurgen and I are always saying these days that the Wolfpack is like a box in the middle of the table and everyone has to put something in it every day. So, this is our reality: to keep growing this thing, to put a little piece in it and protect herAnd I really like the fact that everyone on the team understands this so well. That they understand that this flame must be continually fueled.
