Patrick Lefevere has been in cycling for just over 30 years now and its safe to say he knows how to run a successful team. His current team is Omega Pharma-Quick Step, where he is the CEO, home of giants of the sport such as Boonen, Cavendish, Martin, Kwiatkowski, Terpstra, Uran and Stybar. They have by far and away the world’s best team and they currently lead the professional peloton in terms of both wins and WorldTour points.

Yet just before the Classics, Lefevere revealed to Velonews that he was unhappy with the way the team had been going.

“I was a little bit disappointed after Paris-Nice and Tirreno, because we have a little situation. [Michal] Kwiatkowski had the leader’s jersey, lost it last day, we had no points. [Zdenek] Stybar was third in Paris-Nice, lost it last day,” Lefevere said. “So, I said, yeah … taking back 150 points will be very, very difficult. But okay — today we are leading the WorldTour. We have the most victories, and we are running one of the most beautiful classics, so I have to be a happy man.”

His anger was deepened after the Tour of Flanders where the team put three riders in the top 10 but fourth was the best they could manage. But Niki Terpstra then saved the day for his team in Paris-Roubaix, winning Omega’s first Classic for 2 years. Lefevere was proud as punch.

“Of course. Of course. Niki, a few years ago, he could go to Rabobank, to Argos, to other teams. And he chose our team because he knew that he could make some nice progressions. Tom Boonen takes a lot of attention away from his teammates, and they can have the profits of it,” Lefevere said.

But this year the team has taken another step up, with a successful Ardennes Classics campaign too, spearheaded by wonder kid Michal Kwiatkowski. Before Liege-Bastogne-Liege, he was fifth in Amstel and third in Fleche Wallonne, to go with his fourth in Amstel and fifth in Fleche last year.

“He was a little bit earlier on condition than we thought for these [Ardennes] races. He was winning already in Mallorca, Algarve. And when a rider is in good shape you cannot say to him: Stop. So we tried after Tirreno to bring him a little bit down, and have him rest. You saw in the Basque Country he was second in the general classification. I think he likes these kind of races today. Liège, he should perform.”

Lefevere was more tightlipped about his team’s chances for the Tour de France, where they won four stages last year.

“I think we will be there when the moment is right. Where we have to be,” he said.