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Teams & Riders The Remco Evenepoel is the next Eddy Merckx thread

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A broken scapula and clavicle 2,5 months before the Tour never helps to perform at the highest level in that Tour. But..... turn it around. It happens way too often that riders unhindered by illness, injuries, (long) inactivity, having a perfect preparation (or think they have), having a (almost) perfect weight, overdo. Being in shape too early, having drawn too much in the reserves for the Tour...... start strong the first days of the Tour and fade later..... or not even perform the first stages of the Tour. As we could see about several riders being in (top)shape during the Dauphiné. Already during the first (hilly) stage of the Tour, some good (subtop)riders lost time (while not climbers and even alround sprinters were still at the front). On the San Luca, the likes of Roglic, Vlasov, Rodriguez, Jorgenson etc were already dropped. While the "bad" prepared, crashdiet Evenepoel lost only seconds and even came back at the end.
So, without that nasty crash, Evenepoel would have been better prepared. But I'm not sure that would have resulted in a better endresult, or even the same result. It would have in the case of Vingegaard. While Vingegaard really couldn't start his specific training in time. Unlike Evenepoel who gets into (top) shape just in time.
That’s just guess work though, it could also be in a better result since everything went as planned and he wouldn’t burn out
 
That’s just guess work though, it could also be in a better result since everything went as planned and he wouldn’t burn out
We'll never know in the case of Evenepoel. But we do know several topriders underperformed (much or little) being "ideal" prepared and some already performing in the Dauphiné. Which I predicted during and after the Dauphiné. Which led to some people reacting mockingly. Unfortunately, these members have never admitted their wrong since then.
 
We'll never know in the case of Evenepoel. But we do know several topriders underperformed (much or little) being "ideal" prepared and some already performing in the Dauphiné. Which I predicted during and after the Dauphiné.
That’s always the case. But when you prepare like Evenepoel and Vingegaard this is much more a perfect science. They know how to peak
 
That’s always the case. But when you prepare like Evenepoel and Vingegaard this is much more a perfect science. They know how to peak
Vingegaard and his staff already proved they could peak from start to finish in the Tour. In the case of Evenepoel, we are not 100 % sure. Evenepoel performed well and regularly during the Vuelta 22. He started strong the first day(s) of the Giro 23, but we have no idea how it would have ended. But considering that old Thomas only lost the pink jersey at the very end, I think Evenepoel would have won easily... Evenepoel wasn't bad during the Vuelta 23, but not perfectly prepared. So, I guess we'll have to wait till the Giro or the Tour next year. Hoping Evenepoel will be prepared perfectly and hoping he will not crash during one of those GT's.
 
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Vingegaard and his staff already proved they could peak from start to finish in the Tour. In the case of Evenepoel, we are not 100 % sure. Evenepoel performed well and regularly during the Vuelta 22. He started strong the first day(s) of the Giro 23, but we have no idea how it would have ended. But considering that old Thomas only lost the pink jersey at the very end, I think Evenepoel would have won easily... Evenepoel wasn't bad during the Vuelta 23, but not perfectly prepared. So, I guess we'll have to wait till the Giro or the Tour next year. Hoping Evenepoel will be prepared perfectly and hoping he will not crash during one of those GT's.
Sure, but I expect SOQ staff to know what they are doing. Wasn’t that also your mantra before the Tour?
 
Sure, but I expect SOQ staff to know what they are doing. Wasn’t that also your mantra before the Tour?
Absolutely. Evenepoel is well supervised. He has a good nutritionist and a good trainer. Although we could read other things about that after the Dauphiné:D. But that does not guarantee that Evenepoel's body will respond perfectly to this, as is certainly the case with Vingegaard. What we do know is that Evenepoel, when good prepared, can last his form for a long time. F.i in 2022 from (or before) the Clasica San Sebastian over the Vuelta till the worlds in Australia. This year from (or even before the Tour) till the olympics. That's always a good sign.
 
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So his second part of the season will be:

Renewi Tour or Tour of Britain
ECC ITT
Worlds
Lombardia

Anything else? I guess doing the ECC ITT excludes the Canadian classics. Maybe some more Italian classics between Worlds and Lombardia but that's about it I suppose?
 
If Evenepoel truly wants to focus 100 percent on GC. he is probably right putting his main focus on the big mountains. Even if Evenepoel loses a bit on TT, he'd probably still be better on a flat TT than most GC riders. Only Pogacar might possible beat Evenepoel on a flat TT from the GC riders should Evenepoel lose some margin.
 
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A broken scapula and clavicle 2,5 months before the Tour never helps to perform at the highest level in that Tour. But..... turn it around. It happens way too often that riders unhindered by illness, injuries, (long) inactivity, having a perfect preparation (or think they have), having a (almost) perfect weight, overdo. Being in shape too early, having drawn too much in the reserves for the Tour...... start strong the first days of the Tour and fade later..... or not even perform the first stages of the Tour. As we could see about several riders being in (top)shape during the Dauphiné. Already during the first (hilly) stage of the Tour, some good (subtop)riders lost time (while not climbers and even alround sprinters were still at the front). On the San Luca, the likes of Roglic, Vlasov, Rodriguez, Jorgenson etc were already dropped. While the "bad" prepared, crashdiet Evenepoel lost only seconds and even came back at the end.
So, without that nasty crash, Evenepoel would have been better prepared. But I'm not sure that would have resulted in a better endresult, or even the same result. It would have in the case of Vingegaard. While Vingegaard really couldn't start his specific training in time. Unlike Evenepoel who gets into (top) shape just in time.
Next year I’m going to throw grease on the tarmac at an early season race so he won’t overtrain.
 
Thinking Evenepoel would have won without TTs is laughable. He'd have a buffer of 43" after the first week and he lost 42" alone on Sierra Nevada.
Mas and MAL weren’t a threat, yes due to the TT and TTT, but Roglic was the only threat despite the time gap Evenepoel had on Roglic before the Sierra Nevada stage. Evenepoel and Roglic were only concerned about the other, if Mas and MAL were actually closer and a threat they wouldn’t have been given free rein.
 
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Guys (Red Rick & Netserk) sometimes it's better to look at races rather than look at results on pcs...

Mas was not stronger than Evenepoel on Sierra Nevada. You could argue that Mas' performance was indeed not as good as Evenepoel's
Screenshot-2022-09-04-at-20.08.06.png

Evenepoel let Mas go with superman because he was like almost 3 mins behind. Evenepoel was only focused on Roglic (which wasn't the best tactic at the time i think but anyway), and of course Mas wasn't a threat anymore because of TT's, but that was the situation at the time otherwise Evenepoel wouldn't have let him go.
 
Guys (Red Rick & Netserk) sometimes it's better to look at races rather than look at results on pcs...

Mas was not stronger than Evenepoel on Sierra Nevada. You could argue that Mas' performance was indeed not as good as Evenepoel's
Screenshot-2022-09-04-at-20.08.06.png

Evenepoel let Mas go with superman because he was like almost 3 mins behind. Evenepoel was only focused on Roglic (which wasn't the best tactic at the time i think but anyway), and of course Mas wasn't a threat anymore because of TT's, but that was the situation at the time otherwise Evenepoel wouldn't have let him go.
I watched that race just as I watched Lo Port, and Evenepoel wasn't the better climber just because he pulled more.
 
Was Vingegaard stronger than Pogi on Couillole? He did bigger numbers!
Sorry but it's a *** argument.
The situations are completely different, but let's assume they are not and that Mas could have done better. Then you think Mas didn't pull more because he didn't care about take time back ? It's ridiculous....

But i guess it's all good, we got a couple of empty answers. Good night.
 
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Sorry but it's a *** argument.
The situations are completely different, but let's assume they are not and that Mas could have done better. Then you think Mas didn't pull more because he didn't care about take time back ? It's ridiculous....

But i guess it's all good, we got a couple of empty answers. Good night.
Had Mas pulled Superman all the way, he'd have done bigger numbers but been slower. No one races in order to put out the biggest numbers possible.
 
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I just don’t get why people are completely ignoring the crash on top of MAS and Superman not being seen as threats
For the same reason that when discussing what Rogla could have done in the Tour if not for the crash caused by Lutsenko, you don't start by also hypothesising what would have been different if Pogi hadn't done the Giro or Rogla hadn't changed team or no injuries had been sustained in Itzulia.
 
For the same reason that when discussing what Rogla could have done in the Tour if not for the crash caused by Lutsenko, you don't start by also hypothesising what would have been different if Pogi hadn't done the Giro or Rogla hadn't changed team or no injuries had been sustained in Itzulia.
Completely different. This is picking specific things out of a race to make it seem as if there were other possible outcomes. “If there were no TT’s Remco wouldn’t have won.” Ignoring that the race tactics would be completely different and that the kid crashed right before the most important stages.

In later mountain stages Mas didn’t show he was the better climber. Only after Evenepoel just crashed. So even without TT’s and without a crash, Evenepoel would have won that Vuelta.
 
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