The CEO of Belgian window manufacturer Deceuninck has ended his sponsorship of Patrick Lefebvre's World Tour men's team and instead will support Mathieu Van Der Pol's Alpecin Phoenix and the women's team Plantur-Pura. He explained the reasons for his decision to support them.

Francis Van Eekhout posed for a photo with Van der Poel, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, and other players when the deal was announced; the Deceuninck logo will be painted on the back of the rider shorts and a larger investment in the future possible.

In contrast, Lefebvre shrugged off Deceuninck's decision to move its support to Alpecin Phoenix and said little in appreciation for its important title sponsorship for three years. That irritated Van Eckhout.

"I'm a little disappointed in Patrick. He says he had a good few years as a sponsor, but he forgets that we saved him," Van Eekhout told Het Nieuwsblad. 'Now that he's had success with Even Paul, Alaphilippe, and Asgreen, he's disappointed that we're so quick to forget that. Well, that's life."

Van Eekhout explained why his company is now supporting Alpecin Phoenix and Plantur Pla. He said, "A number of factors came together to change the team.

"We were impressed with the plans of the Roodhout brothers, who manage Alpecin Phoenix, Planteur Pla, and several cyclocross teams. We also discussed it at Quick Step, but Patrick is Patrick."

Lefebvre drew criticism earlier this year when he dismissed the idea of creating a women's team in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws Sportscast. He is concentrating on targeting the Grand Tours for the next few years, with Remco Evenpole likely to be the team leader.

The team has signed a new six-year sponsorship deal with Quick Step and will rebrand to Quick Step Alfa Vinyl starting in 2022. Belgian media reported that Soudal will leave Lotto at the end of next season and become the title sponsor of the Lefevere team starting in 2023, although the two teams have not confirmed this.

"Patrick is determined to win Grand Tours. The budget of a team that aims to do that is $20 million more than that of a team that doesn't," Van Eckhout suggested.

"And there are no guarantees. Jumbo Visma ran cleanly on the right side of the road at the Tour until fans held up cardboard signs. Primoš Roglic has won the Vuelta three years in a row.

Van Eekhout prefers to use the Van der Pol factor to invest in sponsorships that seem less risky. The Dutchman is once again targeting world titles in classics, Tour de France stages, cyclo-cross, mountain biking, and road racing. Alpecin Phoenix is not a WorldTour team, but by topping the ProTeam rankings, he has once again secured entry into the Tour de France and WorldTour calendar.

"He is popular in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Those are three important countries for us. Not many riders have this combination. I got to know him and he seemed like a modest and sincere young man," she said of van der Pol.

"Cycling is not a global sport, but we can sponsor one rider for 12 months. Right now we are starving (for visibility) from September to February. Cyclocross can do that."