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

[Logic-is-your-friend]

It’s maybe very difficult for him to achieve that, and would ask too much from him mentally. He doesn’t have the same build as Pogacar or Vingegaard

What are we talking about here? Maybe 4 months per year, over 2 periods. If that's taking too much of him mentally, well...

Or Pogacar just decided to play mindgames for no reason at all. I dunno. don't matter. This situation won't happen unless Van Wilder has a crazy day. Evenepoel sounding quietly confident ahead of the race. Hopefully we'll get another spectactle like amstel gold.

So if Pogacar is playing mindgames, and you have extra teammates after Redoute... exactly how is this going to help? Hoping you can wait 90s on your teammates after RaF, and close the gap together in the last 10km?

There is a chance Pog is feeling the length of his spring season, the longer you wait to tear up the race, the more you are playing into his hand.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

He's specifically saying not to make the race hard. If Pog/UAE decide to wait, that means Pog is not feeling it and you just wasted your best chance to hurt him.

But Remco has beaten Van Aert and should be favored in a bunch sprint… I think some people in Remco‘s closer proximity and in Belgium just think he‘s great at everything and really believe in his sprint and punch, and it‘s holding Remco back.

 

[jmdirt]

It’s maybe very difficult for him to achieve that, and would ask too much from him mentally. He doesn’t have the same build as Pogacar or Vingegaard

Let me take this completely out of of top level cycling, and give you a sample of one: me.

I was 165-170 lbs in High School because I loved the weight room (and playing football, basketball, and riding/racing moto). Army basic training slimed me down to 155, but as soon as I got to permanent duty and access to a weight room I was 165 again.

Once I got back to civilian life I was looking for something more fun than running for cardio so I bought a mountain bike. I'm a competitive person so I did a race and was hooked! I started living the life of a mountain biker and by the time I got my first Pro NORBA license I was 145 lbs most of the year (I never got above 151 in Dec/Jan).

My point in boring you with this story about me is that if a pack fill USA dirt racer who was couch surfing can go from 165 lbs to 145 and maintain it, why can't a top level pro? Also, what does 'same build' mean? Have I had 'two different builds' in my life?

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

It’s maybe very difficult for him to achieve that, and would ask too much from him mentally. He doesn’t have the same build as Pogacar or Vingegaard

This. You can see it even see it from the photo of the finish in Amstel how, compared to the other GC rider, he is built like a little tank.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

This. You can see it even see it from the photo of the finish in Amstel how, compared to the other GC rider, he is built like a little tank.

He's built like a tank because he isn't at climbing weight. Check him during last years TDF and the '22 Vuelta. Did he look like he was built like a tank? No. Same person though.

But Remco has beaten Van Aert and should be favored in a bunch sprint… I think some people in Remco‘s closer proximity and in Belgium just think he‘s great at everything and really believe in his sprint and punch, and it‘s holding Remco back.

Ugh, don't get me started. He should have left QS years ago and go abroad. He's surrounded by yes-men all enabling him in whatever they think he needs/wants to hear. That's the impression i get.

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

He's built like a tank because he isn't at climbing weight. Check him during last years TDF and the '22 Vuelta. Did he look like he was built like a tank? No. Same person though.


Ugh, don't get me started. He should have left QS years ago and go abroad. He's surrounded by yes-men all enabling him in whatever they think he needs/wants to hear. That's the impression i get.

No, but he was still muscular and with broad shoulders for a GC guy, Even his GT weight is relatively large when compared to rider of the same height. Pogacar is also a couple of kg over his July weight, but has far less problems uphill

 

[Mayomaniac]

He's built like a tank because he isn't at climbing weight. Check him during last years TDF and the '22 Vuelta. Did he look like he was built like a tank? No. Same person though.


Ugh, don't get me started. He should have left QS years ago and go abroad. He's surrounded by yes-men all enabling him in whatever they think he needs/wants to hear. That's the impression i get.

So you're saying he should adopt more of his wife's traditions and follow Ramadan to keep the weight down?

 

[houtdffan]

evemepoel today said he felt his best of the year on Flesch and is getting better and better. Said this comeback has been better than the one from Pais Vasco last year

Interview on the CN home page

 

[Medvind]

Well, he is a TT specialist and often need a couple of kilos extra on him to really be able to push the power against riders like Ganna. In GT's those extra kilos becomes a problem and therefore he sheds them och looks nearly as lean as other GT riders. If I remember right hes was about 63 kilos when he won Worlds ITT in Scotland.

 

[KoopaCycling]

So if Pogacar is playing mindgames, and you have extra teammates after Redoute... exactly how is this going to help? Hoping you can wait 90s on your teammates after RaF, and close the gap together in the last 10km?

There is a chance Pog is feeling the length of his spring season, the longer you wait to tear up the race, the more you are playing into his hand.

I think I should clarify i was not taking this seriously. Just giving a half tongue in cheek answer. As to your question, maybe Gilbert thinks a teammate can help close down gaps, help bring evenepoel to the finish for a sprint. I dunno. Like i said. Did not really take the whole Gilbert thing seriously. I think Evenepoel only chance (on estimated current form) is to make this a a 1vs 1 battle as quick as possible. Stay in his wheel on the climbs. Attack repeatedly on the flats.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

So you're saying he should adopt more of his wife's traditions and follow Ramadan to keep the weight down?

He could also return to football. Adebayo Akinfenwa made a pretty good career out of being a tank.

 

[Netserk]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1915812626535223758

View: https://x.com/laflammerouge16/status/1915812626535223758

 

[Salvarani]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1915812626535223758

View: https://x.com/laflammerouge16/status/1915812626535223758

The Real Madrid of cycling

 

[YavorD]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1915812626535223758

View: https://x.com/laflammerouge16/status/1915812626535223758

Remco was the most vocal complaining abot the white roads stage as well, was he not?

Although, if it doesn't really add anything to the stage/race I'm also against it.

 

[Berniece]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1915812626535223758

View: https://x.com/laflammerouge16/status/1915812626535223758

I don’t think it’s added for the GC guys, just to have a more exciting final stage. So not sure what the problem is for him.

 

[Berniece]

What are we talking about here? Maybe 4 months per year, over 2 periods. If that's taking too much of him mentally, well...

It’s just that they say it’s hard for him to achieve, and to get there he really has to focus on every single calorie he puts in his body.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Some riders just can‘t hold their weight quite as low without slowly losing power. Remco of course has massive watts so he can even go fast uphill, but his main skill is as a rouleur so you can‘t just assume he‘s capable of riding like a climber. Plenty of riders have had this issue before and mentality and the way their body works both play into it.

 

[Berniece]

evemepoel today said he felt his best of the year on Flesch and is getting better and better. Said this comeback has been better than the one from Pais Vasco last year

Interview on the CN home page

I can see him go to the finish together with Pogacar. That he’s good enough at the moment for this, but I also underestimate Pogacar a lot so…

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Well, he is a TT specialist and often need a couple of kilos extra on him to really be able to push the power against riders like Ganna. In GT's those extra kilos becomes a problem and therefore he sheds them och looks nearly as lean as other GT riders. If I remember right hes was about 63 kilos when he won Worlds ITT in Scotland.

And we saw how that panned out in the Vuelta right after. Maybe his focus should not be on 2 TTs per year, but all those other races.

Some riders just can‘t hold their weight quite as low without slowly losing power. Remco of course has massive watts so he can even go fast uphill, but his main skill is as a rouleur so you can‘t just assume he‘s capable of riding like a climber. Plenty of riders have had this issue before and mentality and the way their body works both play into it.

He became double Olympic champ few weeks after TDF. I don't think power is an issue if he is a bit slimmer. We're not talking about a 70kg rider who needs to drop to 60. We're talking about a 64kg rider dropping to 61. Other climbers his size weigh 58 or less.

Anyway, let's see how it goes on Sunday.

 

[Berflamand]

Regarding his weight I have a feeling they actually tried to keep him at (or near) his climbing weight during the off season so he could maintain it during the whole season.

This is what I wrote in this thread a few days before his crash:

Also, at the risk of starting a new Fatco/Slimco endless discussion, I have a feeling that he's looking leaner/sharper this offseason than during previous offseasons. Maybe he's trying to keep his climbing weight during the whole year with fewer fluctuations. Or maybe it's just the haircut and my eyes are deceiving me.

That plan obviously went out the window the moment he crashed. I think when he's healthy and fit it shouldn't be that much of an issue to maintain his weight but when he has to recover (which he had to do far too often unfortunately) and can't train properly for a while he gains weight rather quickly and it's more difficult to get back to his climbing weight.

I think (the severity of) his crash ruined quite a lot yet again, but if any it's great to see him back at or near his top level.

 

[Medvind]

And we saw how that panned out in the Vuelta right after. Maybe his focus should not be on 2 TTs per year, but all those other races.

Yep, it didn't go well. But Worlds ITT was his big goal that year, he really wanted to win efter coming 3rd two times and 2nd one time. And the course was quite flat. Could he have won weighing only 61 kilos? Maybe, but if he and the team decided for a higher weight I trust they had a good reason for it.

 

[Red Rick]

Some riders just can‘t hold their weight quite as low without slowly losing power. Remco of course has massive watts so he can even go fast uphill, but his main skill is as a rouleur so you can‘t just assume he‘s capable of riding like a climber. Plenty of riders have had this issue before and mentality and the way their body works both play into it.

It's not a problem for him in GTs clearly.

I think he just decompresses way too hard after his targets are over

 

[AmRacer]

The case for Remco tomorrow.

Already in his first races Remco has shown a very high level and shape is improvning. Climbing legs should be quite good after altitude camp in Sierra Nevada.

Pog has had a long and tough spring campaign and should therefore be a bit fatigued.
He probably has one or two extra kilos on him because he needed them in the cobbles monuments. LBL has 4300 meters of elevation gain, so an extra kilo or two will have affect.

Last year Pog he prepared for the Giro-Tour double and did Catalunya ahead of LBL, not RVV, PR, etc. The different preperation this year should mean his climbing shape probably are not as sharp as last year at this time. LBL is not AGR, climbs are longer and steeper.

Soudal Quick-Step will make it a hard race. Because of a hard race and factors mentioned above Pog will be quite fatigued in the end and will therefore not be able to drop Remco, or Remco will claw back any gap Pog's creates on climbs.

Remco will be a bit fresher in the final and will therefore have more sting in his sprint than Pog. So conclusion is he beats Pog in the sprint and wins LBL.

This is based on several assumptions of course.

Anything to it you think?

Post this in the race thread.

 

[Medvind]

Post this in the race thread.

You are right. I delete here and post there instead.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Regarding his weight I have a feeling they actually tried to keep him at (or near) his climbing weight during the off season so he could maintain it during the whole season.

This is what I wrote in this thread a few days before his crash:



That plan obviously went out the window the moment he crashed. I think when he's healthy and fit it shouldn't be that much of an issue to maintain his weight but when he has to recover (which he had to do far too often unfortunately) and can't train properly for a while he gains weight rather quickly and it's more difficult to get back to his climbing weight.

I think (the severity of) his crash ruined quite a lot yet again, but if any it's great to see him back at or near his top level.

For what it's worth. He does look leaner than he did in '23 before LBL. Fingers crossed. Though I'm sure Mr Flanders will tell you I'm imagining things because it's just the lens that makes him look leaner.