The 33-year-old Belgian looked back with fondness on his time with the team.
“I have a lot of beautiful memories from these three years with Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl. To have been part of one of the best teams in the world and in the history of this sport, to have made friendships that will last forever – these are things that I will always treasure and carry with me in the years to come.
When I was just a small kid, I was a fan of this team and used to go to the races with my flag to support the riders, so you can imagine how it was when I got a phone call asking me if I would like to join the squad. I was on cloud nine and accepted it immediately.
Due to the pandemic, I missed a lot of races and experiences – like Down Under, Argentina or Colombia – but I got to live so many great moments that I will always remember with fondness. One of the best memories is the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. In 2020, that was my first race with the team, and before the last stage Fabio was upset that he got beaten in the previous sprint by centimeters. We were roommates and we had a long and relaxing talk about it in the evening, then the next day the entire team did a flawless work and a perfect lead-out, and he won.
It was such a beautiful moment, followed by a nice dinner, the kind of small but meaningful things that forever stick with you.
The Wolfpack isn’t just a name, it’s something real, and I could see that multiple times, including after my crash at the Six Days of Gent last month. All my teammates contacted me, they were genuinely interested in how I felt, and I could feel again what it means to be part of this team. I am quite ok at the moment; I already did my first training session on the rollers and hopefully everything is going in the right direction.
I’m sad that my time there is over, but I’m happy I’ve made many friends and people were satisfied with the way I rode and gave everything. That’s why I want to thank the entire squad – riders and staff – for their work and the atmosphere they created. During my three years with the Wolfpack, I could see that the mentality and the friendly environment are the factors that make this team one of the best to ride for. Everybody is connected and cares for each other, and that’s only one of the reasons I will always support the Wolfpack.”
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