Tim Declercq: Lidl-Trek have a stronger Classics team than Soudal Quick-Step

Classics specialist Tim Declercq believes that Lidl-Trek have a deeper and stronger collective of Spring Classics specialists than Soudal Quick-Step, having made the switch to the American team in the off-season.

Declercq spent seven successful seasons on Patrick Lefevere’s Soudal Quick-Step team and was pivotal as a super domestique in the Spring Classics and Grand Tours, often laying the foundations for victories with long hours on the front of the peloton controlling the race and reeling in breaks.

However, Soudal Quick-Step’s Classics armoury has slowly been dismantled over the last two years, with riders leaving as Lefevere builds his operation around Grand Tour hopeful Remco Evenepoel. At the same time, other teams have emerged as Classics superpowers and Soudal Quick-Step have not won a cobbled Monument since 2021.

“Everyone knew that they had to make choices with Quick-Step, let me put it that way, and you saw lots of guys leaving on the Classics team who were out of contract,” Declercq told GCN at Lidl-Trek’s training camp in Calpe, Spain.

“I never really got a ‘no’ from Patrick but he never made me a proposition either. When it came to August it was time to check for other opportunities and I was super happy that a team like Lidl-Trek had interest in me. It’s an ambitious team that’s growing.”

• Read more: Tim Declercq pens two-year deal with Lidl-Trek

Lidl-Trek’s Classics core will be built around former world champion Mads Pedersen, and Jasper Stuyven.

Declercq is clear in regards to which team has the greater firepower for the Classics.

“I’ve not done training with them yet but the Classics team here is better than the Classics team at Soudal Quick-Step," he said.

"Of course, it’s difficult when you don’t have one of the big three,” he added, referring to Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, “but Mads is a guy who comes straight after them and maybe he’s a guy who can put his foot next to them.

"He also has the weapon of his sprint, so it could be exciting times. Also, the atmosphere is very nice and I feel at home here. I don’t think that we’re the big favourites but we have a team that can compete in every race that we start. We need to have that mindset.”

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Tim Declercq is often found on the front of a peloton

Soudal Quick-Step will still be competitive in the Spring Classics, with Kasper Asgreen leading the line, but, with Evenepoel making his Tour de France debut next year, Declercq understands why the focus at his former team has shifted. Evenepoel won the Vuelta a España in 2022 and will start the Tour as a key favourite for the overall win.

“They have to make choices when they have a limited budget, and I understand that. For a guy like Remco, it’s logical that you make choices towards that direction. They still have good guys in the Classics but you can say they’ve done a lot in those races, so it would be epic if they won the Tour,” he said.

“I think it’s possible that [Evenepoel] can win but he’s not the big favourite. Pogačar and Vingegaard are still a step ahead but I can’t say that Remco doesn’t have a chance.”

For Declercq, the move to Lidl-Trek has already paid off. The 34-year-old is settling into his new role and is looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“I’m a guy who doesn't want to change the whole time and when I feel good in one place, I like to stay there. I had some great moments in Soudal Quick-Step," he said.

"For myself, though, it’s good to go out of my comfort zone and to a new team where they have new impulses and I hope that I can maintain the same level."