Lefevere received the trophy, a sculpture by Willem Vermandere, from sports journalist Roland Lebuf. It was also honored on Friday itself. Thirty years ago, 86-year-old Lebuf was at the cradle of the Flemish Giant and only recently passed the torch.
After a short career as a professional cyclist (1976-1979), Lefevere has already had a long successful career as a team leader and manager. The 69-year-old West Flemish native guided riders such as Johan Museeuw, Tom Boonen, Paolo Bettini, Gianluca Bortolami and Evenepoel to the top and was nicknamed the ‘Godfather of the Race’. Soudal – Quick-Step saw him collect 55 victories last season, with a second victory in a row against Evenepoel in Liège-Bastogne-Liège as an outlier.
The Flemish Giant is the distinction with which the Flemish Association of Sports Journalists Flemish sports figure of the year award. Since this year, it is no longer the journalists who vote, but the laureate is chosen by a jury from names submitted by the journalists. This does not only look at sporting performance. By paying attention to people from the sports world who have a story or who have demonstrated a great personality, the Flemish Giant differentiate themselves from the country’s other major sporting trophies.