Quick Step

Infobox Cycling team
teamname=Quick Step - Innergetic


code=QST
base= BEL
founded=2003
disbanded=
manager=Patrick Lefevere
teammanager=
discipline=Road
status=ProTour
season=2003-2004
2005 2006-2007 2008-
oldname=Quick Step - Davitamon (QSD)
Quick Step - Innergetic (QST) Quick Step - Innergetic (QSI) Quick Step - Innergetic (QST)
kit

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Quick Step ("UCI Team Code:" QST) is a Belgian UCI ProTour cycling team led by team manager Patrick Lefevere. The sports directors are Dirk Demol, Davide Bramati, Wilfried Peeters, Rik Van Slycke and Luca Guercilena. The team mechanics are Jeanick Verstraete and Kurt Roose. The title sponsor [http://www.quick-step.com/ Quick Step] is a manufacturer of laminate flooring that is available in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia.

The new team was created with the name Quick Step-Davitamon in 2003 on top of the old Mapei-Quick Step team that disbanded when their main sponsor retreated from road bicycle racing after nine years of involvement in the sport. The teams greatest victories have been Paolo Bettini winning the UCI Road World Cup in 2003 and 2004 as well as the Athens Olympics road title in 2004. In the 2005 UCI ProTour season, at which point the team was renamed Quick Step-Innergetic, the team won a large number of classics: Tom Boonen won Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix, Filippo Pozzato the HEW Cyclassics, and Paolo Bettini the Züri-Metzgete and the Giro di Lombardia. In late 2005 Tom Boonen won the UCI Road World Championships in Madrid which topped of a fantastic year for both Boonen and Quick Step. In 2006 Boonen retained the Ronde van Vlaanderen and wore the yellow jersey in the Tour de France and Filippo Pozzato won Milan-Sanremo. While Paolo Bettini won the World Cycling Championships in Salzburg and retained his Giro di Lombardia crown. This victory was an emotional one for Bettini who broke down crying at the finish having lost his brother two weeks before the race. In 2007 Tom Boonen finally won the Points classification in the Tour de France, taking two stage wins in the process. Paolo Bettini successfully defended his World Cycling Championships crown in Stuttgart. After a somewhat disappointed 2007 spring campaign, the team regained their classics crown in 2008 taking the Ronde van Vlaanderen with Stijn Devolder and Paris-Roubaix with Tom Boonen.

Doping Accusations

On January 23 2007, the Flemish newspaper "Het Laatste Nieuws" accused Patrick Lefevere and the entire Quick Step-Innergetic-team of having used doping systematically. [ [http://www.cyclingpost.com/team/article_004179.shtml Article on the doping accusations] Retrieved on 17 April 2007] The team would have taken doping on instigation from Patrick Lefevere. The UCI declared on January 27 2007 that there has never been a doping-system in the team. Between January 1 2003 and December 31 2006, the Quick Step-riders have been tested 321 times by eight controllers from five different countries. Never has there been a trace of doping.
Both Lefevere and all the riders on the Quick Step-Innergetic-team have sued the journalist and "Het Laatste Nieuws" with a claim of several millions of euros.

Major results

2007

* Tour of Qatar: Team classification (team); General classification (Wilfried Cretskens); Points classification (Tom Boonen).
* Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne: 1st: Tom Boonen
* Dwars door Vlaanderen: 1st: Tom Boonen
* E3 Prijs Vlaanderen: 1st: Tom Boonen
* Road National Championships: 1st: Giovanni Visconti
* Tour de France:: ): 4 stage wins (2 by Tom Boonen, 1 by Gert Steegmans and 1 by Cédric Vasseur)
* World Championships: 1st: Paolo Bettini

2008

* Tour of Qatar: Team classification (team); General classification (Tom Boonen).
* Paris-Nice: Team classification; 3 stage wins
* Ronde van Vlaanderen: 1st: Stijn Devolder
* Paris-Roubaix: 1st: Tom Boonen
* Tour de France:: 1 stage win (by Gert Steegmans)

2008 Team roster

As of August 1, 2008. [cite web |url=http://www.uciprotour.com/Modules/SUCI/TEAMS/TeamDetails.asp?id=Mg&RefDate=02.02.2008&MenuId=MTY5Ng&BackLink=%2Ftemplates%2FUCI%2FUCI2%2Flayout%2Easp%3FMenuId%3DMTY5Ng |title=Quick Step (QST) - BEL Riders
accessdate=2008-02-02 |publisher=UCI |work=uciprotour.com]

* 2006 Team
* 2005 Team

Future

=Sponsorship [http://qsi-cycling.com/eng/shownews.php?newsid=2691] =

On the morning of June 11th, 2008 Frans de Cock, C.E.O. of Quick Step and Luc Maes owner of Latexco-Innergetic announced they will be prolonging their sponsorship agreement with Patrick Lefevere’s team for the next 3 years (2009-2011). Although not present today, also Specialized (technical sponsor) and Vermarc (sporting/race clothes) renewed their sponsorship with the team.

"This press conference – Patrick Lefevere explained – was originally planned for tomorrow. In light of the events involving Tom we decided to bring the press conference forward. Our sponsors Quick Step, Innergetic, Specialized and Vermarc will be alongside the team for the next three years as well as Tom Boonen."

ignings/Renewals

As of September 8, 2008 [http://www.cyclingnews.com/news] .

Releases

As of August 1, 2008. [http://www.cyclingnews.com/news]
*flagicon|BEL Wilfried Cretskens, to Silence-Lotto
*flagicon|ESP Juan Manuel Gárate, to Rabobank
*flagicon|BEL Gert Steegmans, to Tinkoff Credit Systems
*flagicon|ITA Matteo Carrara, to Nippo-Endeka
*flagicon|UKR Dmitry Grabovskiy, to ISD-Danieli
*flagicon|ITA Giovanni Visconti, to ISD-Danieli
*flagicon|RUS Alexander Efimkin, to AG2R-La Mondiale
*flagicon|ITA Paolo Bettini, Retired
*flagicon|ITA Alessandro Proni, to ISD-Danieli
*flagicon|ITA Leonardo Scarselli, to ISD-Danieli

ee also

*List of teams and cyclists in the 2008 Tour de France
*2008 Tour de France
*Tour de France

References

External links

*Official|http://www.qsi-cycling.com/
*http://www.cyclingnews.com/results/2008/teams2008/QST.shtml