Quick-Step Alfa Vinyl team manager Patrick Lefebvre was quiet and a little sad in Milan-San Remo.

There is also an intra-team rivalry between Fabio Jacobsen and Mark Cavendish for the Tour de France sprinter slot.

Lefebvre has occasionally inflamed the intra-team rivalry to motivate his riders to win, but when Cyclingnews asked if it would be possible to take both riders to the Tour de France, he tried to avoid the topic.

Cavendish and Jacobsen were given separate 2022 race programs, with the Manxman competing in the Giro d'Italia and the Dutchman in the Tour de France. However, both had impressive early-season victories, and Lefebvre admitted that both were on the long list for July.

"Why do you want to talk about the Tour de France? We are in Milan-San Remo. All the English-speaking press keeps making this match. It might be fun to pit Jacobsen against Cavendish. But it doesn't change what we have decided," Lefebvre told Cycling News candidly.

Cavendish won Milano-Torino last week for Milano-Sanremo, but Jacobsen was a late call-up after Alaphilippe missed the race due to illness. Despite little chance of a sprint finish, the Dutchman rode to gain experience for the future and finished in 86th place, 6:01 behind winner Matej Mohoric.

Cavendish, who won Milan-San Remo in 2009, revealed that his team had not even contacted him about competing in La Classissima, implying that he was participating in a race program that did not include "any big races".

Lefebvre denied that the team has an A-race and B-race program that favors certain athletes. Cavendish has been selected for Wednesday's Minerva Classic Brugge-De Pannes World Tour race, while Jacobsen will compete in Sunday's Ghent-Wevelgem and April 6's Scheldepri.

"We don't have a 'B program' or an 'A program'." There is only a "program," Lefebvre insisted to Cycling News.

"Cavendish was not in [the Milan-San Remo plan] from the beginning. He has a cold, he won the other day, but he still has a cold. He came to Belgium with a bruised hip as well. We are hoping he will be at 100% and use his good legs. He's not 100%, but he's still going to win."

Quick Step Alpha Vinyl, like many other teams, has been forced to adjust its race roster and spring goals due to the COVID-19 incident, illness and injury.

Alfalipe had made Milan-San Remo his first major goal of the season, but he crashed heavily at Strade Bianche and fell ill after the cold weather of the Tirreno-Adriatico race. He will return in early April at Iturria-Basque and then aim for the Ardennes Classics.

Yves Lampère fell ill in Paris-Nice and faces a race against time to compete in the cobbled Classics. Major domestique Tim Declercq has not raced since February after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and pericarditis after the Tour of Saudi Arabia. Davide Ballerini was also unable to race Milan-San Remo due to illness, Remi Cavagna just started his season in Italy last week, and James Knox will start his season this week at the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali.

"It's tough for everyone on the team, the riders and the staff, but fortunately they understand that we are not the only ones having problems. There is a virus going around in the group and no one can stop it at the moment," Lefebvre explained.

"Kasper Asgreen has been forced to avoid the Milano-Sanremo race. He is in good form, as we saw at Strade Bianche.

"Florian Seneschal and Zdenek Stybar have also recovered. There is still time. The first big, big race is Ghent-Wevelgem on Sunday."

Lefebvre admitted that Quick Step Alfavinir might not be as aggressive or dominant as usual in the cobbled classic.

"It is not our style to race defensively, but we have to adapt our style. We can't crush steel with our hands and we are not supermen. That's the reality.

"We suffer, but we don't cry ourselves to sleep."