'Creating softies' – Patrick Lefevere shoots down Grand Tour innovations

Movistar team boss Eusebio Unzué caused a stir on Tuesday when he floated the idea of ripping up many of cycling's traditions, including shortening the Grand Tours and allowing substitutes during the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España.

Quick to garner the opinion of Unzué's counterparts, Het Laatste Nieuws has spoken to the bosses of Soudal Quick-Step and UAE Team Emirates, Patrick Lefevere and Matxin Joxean Fernández, respectively.

Read more: 15-day Grand Tours and rider substitutes on Movistar manager's wishlist

"Bullshit. I'm already looking forward to the VAR," Lefevere said, referring to the controversial introduction of Video Assistant Referees in professional football across Europe.

"Who is going to determine when an injury or illness is real? It will be absolutely impartial and undoubtedly consist of French doctors," he said with a hint of sarcasm. "I'm not going to stop this, but I'm not going to support it either."

Speaking at a press conference on the eve of the Tour Colombia, Unzué had proposed that in the event of a rider crashing out of a Grand Tour during the opening week, the team should be able to draft in a fresh rider to act as a substitute.

Read more: Fernando Gaviria wins opening Tour Colombia stage ahead of Mark Cavendish

Although Lefevere's retort to this idea jested that the French teams may benefit from this at the Tour, his comments were rooted in a very real concern over how the race's doctors would consider an injury or illness severe enough for a replacement.

UAE Team Emirates' team boss Joxean Fernández held much the same query.

“It's complicated though," he said to Het Laatste Nieuws. "Who is going to evaluate whether a crash is big enough? How serious should an injury be? Do you have to break your kneecap or is pain in your knee enough? And what about fatigue? After two weeks of racing, exhaustion seems very much like being sick.”

Unlike Lefevere, though, the Spaniard is not against Unzué's suggestion in principle.

“Still, I absolutely like the idea in itself. I am in favour of a simple approach, with no medical criteria: I would give each team the right to switch one rider in the last week.”

'You erase the history of the Grand Tours'

However, even the concept of the final week is up for debate at the moment, with Unzué's offering up his own opinion that Grand Tours would be just as competitive and of greater value were they reduced to 15 days apiece.

According to the Movistar boss, this would have no detrimental value to the prestige of each race but would see the world's best riders able to ride all three in the same season and offer greater entertainment to supporters.

Unzué's desire to see the world's best go head-to-head more often is much in line with the philosophy behind the new One Cycling reform project. Lefevere has confirmed Soudal Quick-Step's support of the project in the past, but on 15-day Grand Tours, the Belgian was not behind Unzué's idea.

© Sirotti Stefano

Remco Evenepoel left last year's Giro d'Italia with Covid and fell victim to a bad day on the Col du Tourmalet at the Vuelta a España

“I've known Unzué for a long time. He means well, but he's too sweet sometimes. In this case, I disagree with him. With this rule, you erase the entire history of the Grand Tours. It's just the challenge to hold out for three weeks. The Tour, Giro and Vuelta last 21 days, not 17 or 15.

"It has to remain human, but we aren't going to create softies, right?"

For the Belgian, whose team will head into this summer's Tour de France in support of Remco Evenepoel's podium bid, crashes and sickness are simply challenges of Grand Tours that teams must overcome.

“A large part of your team's success is in resilience, in being able to switch to a plan B. Those are the moments when the big champions get up and fire back after a setback – that's what people want to see."