Lefevere criticises Seeldraeyers' lack of results and attitude

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Quick Step manager Patrick Lefevere has criticised Kevin Seeldraeyers, saying that he is stagnating. He indicated that he would not have much more patience with the young Belgian. Seeldraeyers responded by calling the comments “demotivating”.

"Kevin made a lot of progress in his first years with us, but now he is stagnating," Lefevere said in Het Niuewsblad. "I think it is time for him to wake up. He must also be 100 percent professional. Previously there were certain things that we let go because he was young. But you cannot keep doing it. "

He cited Seeldraeyers' recurring stomach problems. "If a rider knows that his stomach is a weak spot, he must work on it. Johan Museeuw, for example, could not drink milk, so he drank soy milk. In the team we find that Kevin doesn't pay enough attention to these things.”

Seeldraeyers, 23, still has another year on his contract with the Belgian ProTour team. "It's not nice to read those comments," he said. "For someone who just had a difficult season this year, it's more demotivating than motivating."

He also added that he thinks he has found a solution for his stomach problems. "Since a few days ago it has been much better. At the suggestion of Kevin De Weert, I've been taking natural cramp inhibitors. I have almost no more trouble.”

Seeldraeyers turned pro with Quick Step in 2007. He had a breakthrough year in 2009, winning the best young rider classification in both Paris-Nice and the Giro d'Italia. He finished seventh overall in Paris-Nice and 14th in the Giro.

He was unable to follow up on those results this year, however. He has had no high placings and was 134th overall in his Tour de France debut.