One of Patrick Lefevere's greatest strengths is certainly his straightforwardness. You may or may not agree with his statements, but his reflections are never banal—certainly provocative and undoubtedly sharp.

Once again in the sights of the Belgian team manager, whose Column rubric in Het Nieuwsblad is one of the most anticipated moments of the cycling week in Belgium, is the UCI with what is not a simple jab but rather a veritable swarm of stinging darts: "The UCI is truly so zealous in banning things. Socks that reach too high? Banned. Urinating in a water bottle? Banned. The Gravaa system that instantly inflates tires? Banned, right before Paris-Roubaix. Celebrating when a teammate wins? Banned. Handlebars narrower than 40 centimeters? Banned. Yellow, green, or white jersey with red polka dots? Banned. Often they ban things for good reason, but the list of banalities they concern themselves with is embarrassingly long".

But who knows if anyone at Aigle will truly be embarrassed...