Quick-Step Floors the Tour de France, taking two stage wins. Bettini defended his world championship in Stuttgart. In 2008 Gert Steegmans took the final stage of the 2008 Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées. Paolo Bettini retired after the world championship in Varese. In both 2008 and 2009 Stijn Devolder took the Tour of Flanders and Tom Boonen, Paris–Roubaix. After two seasons of disappointment, a resurgent Omega Pharma–Quick-Step and Tom Boonen, took four major Spring classics victories, including the four cobblestone courses E3 Harelbeke, Gent–Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders, Paris–Roubaix. In October 2012, the team fired their veteran rider Levi Leipheimer after he
Green Apple Quick Step lead vocals for one song, "Buying Milk", on their album "Pest Control", released in 1996 on Loosegroove Records. Green Apple Quick Step then signed with Columbia Records and spent over a year writing songs for their new album, prior to which, guitarist Ross left the band to later, along with Kempthorne, form The Briefs, under the pseudonym Steve E. Nix and Daniel J. Travanti. Guitarist Dana Turner took Ross' place, and they recorded their third album in Los Angeles at Ocean Way Studios with producer Matt Wallace. GAQS' drummer Geoff Reading noted in a March 2010 issue of his regular