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

[Charlyghoul]

At first i wrote a whole answer, only to realise at times it is better to just ignore some comments.

It’s completely overblown, so overblown he can’t even carry anything with his right shoulder. Don’t we basically all have that?

It might be affecting him a bit, I don’t know. I’ve had a lot of bad injuries and it’s only you who knows how much they affect you.
But it’s not like he’s had a bad season is it ?.
He’s still winning classics, national time trials and Tour de France time trials…but wants us to believe he can’t hold an apple out in front of him?
His shoulder injury may be a factor , I’m not saying it isn’t, but it also isn’t what’s getting him dropped by the best in the high mountains.

 

[fenns]

Chronic pain is unpleasant and debilitating. If this is what he's got he can basically forget grand tours.

 

[Charlyghoul]

It certainly is, the mental factor is also huge. I don’t dislike Remco I wish there was more competition for Pogacar but I think he just knows he can never compete with those guys in the tour, and obviously the shoulder is just going to make that even harder mentally as well as physically to deal with.

 

[Berniece]

Are we basing "the 3rd best" on a single performance?
I mean, for what we know 2024 may be the outlier, not the general rule for his GT abilites.

The others have clear reasons why they went bad. His succes are when everything goes to plan.

It might be affecting him a bit, I don’t know. I’ve had a lot of bad injuries and it’s only you who knows how much they affect you.
But it’s not like he’s had a bad season is it ?.
He’s still winning classics, national time trials and Tour de France time trials…but wants us to believe he can’t hold an apple out in front of him?
His shoulder injury may be a factor , I’m not saying it isn’t, but it also isn’t what’s getting him dropped by the best in the high mountains.

That’s not what he said. Remco said the shoulder doesn’t affect him during riding the bike. Others are saying it might have an impact.

 

[YavorD]

The others have clear reasons why they went bad. His succes are when everything goes to plan.

Yeah, but when "everything goes to plan" is like once every 2 years, then you are a big if.
Not hands down the 3rd best.

 

[Lequack]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1946996467064836124

View: https://x.com/Domestique___/status/1946996467064836124

 

[KoopaCycling]

It might be affecting him a bit, I don’t know. I’ve had a lot of bad injuries and it’s only you who knows how much they affect you.
But it’s not like he’s had a bad season is it ?.
He’s still winning classics, national time trials and Tour de France time trials…but wants us to believe he can’t hold an apple out in front of him?
His shoulder injury may be a factor , I’m not saying it isn’t, but it also isn’t what’s getting him dropped by the best in the high mountains.

He's having a less than stellar bike season actually.

 

[Ancalagon]

Yeah, but when "everything goes to plan" is like once every 2 years, then you are a big if.
Not hands down the 3rd best.

If we look at the past 24 months, I’d place Remco at 5th or 6th among the best climbers in the world. Taking into account peak level, average level, floor level, consistency and accomplishments. It would be silly to judge him only based on the three days before his withdrawal from this Tour — just as it would be silly to judge him solely based on his exceptional performance at the 2024 Tour.

 

[KoopaCycling]

I have nothing against realism. But quite many just want to bring people down. And usually it's obvious when that's the case.
You don't see me posting and spamming about human limits and strange achievements when discussing other riders.

 

[Charlyghoul]

He's having a less than stellar bike season actually.

Less than brilliant, I would say pretty good, not near bad enough that you’d say he seems to have a major problem/injury if you didn’t know about his shoulder.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Less than brilliant, I would say pretty good, not near bad enough that you’d say he seems to have a major problem/injury if you didn’t know about his shoulder.

Aside from 2021 he's having the worst season of his career. Brabantse Pijl and TT are keeping things respectable. But from Remco you'd except far more in a normal season. Now i personally hope he shuts it down till october. Try and win UEC and Lombardy and accept that the rest is a wash. And it's more important to get right right again.

 

[Charlyghoul]

Aside from 2021 he's having the worst season of his career. Brabantse Pijl and TT are keeping things respectable. But from Remco you'd except far more in a normal season. Now i personally hope he shuts it down till october. Try and win UEC and Lombardy and accept that the rest is a wash. And it's more important to get right right again.

I agree but he’s been there or thereabouts in the races he’s entered, it hasn’t been bad.
If he won a worlds and Lombardy it will be a very good - excellent season and he’s quite capable of doing that. I just don’t think he can win the tour that’s all.

 

[Karl Merckx]

Aside from 2021 he's having the worst season of his career. Brabantse Pijl and TT are keeping things respectable. But from Remco you'd except far more in a normal season. Now i personally hope he shuts it down till october. Try and win UEC and Lombardy and accept that the rest is a wash. And it's more important to get right right again.

Obviously he's not gonna have a great season when his first race is in april. Also, it's a bit hard to judge his season when he started just 3 months ago.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Of all the explanations i read so far i feel that the McDonalds one sounds the most plausible, malnutrition.

 

[Charlyghoul]

One of the numerous posters who "don't dislike Remco" and yet spend copious amounts of time on this thread doing him down. Slightly bizarre.

I’m not doing him down I just think he can’t beat the favourites at the tour because of the high mountains.
I dont really have a favourite of cycling , Pogacar is almost getting boring with how good he is but stilll miles better than lance, froome and the constant trains going up the mountains , at least he is an exciting rider and doesn’t just live for the tour. Vingegaard i don’t mind either way , it’d be nice if he were closer to Pogacar. My last favourite rider that I liked and wanted to win was probably Nibali because I liked his style of riding and he was always an underdog to the froomes and contadors.

 

[greyclouds]

Remco is an amazing rider but he needs to be managed in a professional way. Sometimes I get the impression that he’s staff and coaches manage him with the same mentality than some posters here - Remco’s the best ever, god on earth and he’s always ready to win any race. His physical condition hardly seems to be known properly and his targets adjusted to meet that - since 2021.

If he’s overall condition going to this Tour was still being affected by the crash, why did they take him with GC ambitions? Sure, maybe take him but making clear that you’re not targeting GC. He could chase a few stage wins in the first week, then the ITT and then quit before the high mountains. No shame in that, the team could balance the squad lineup and he could take it easy on the ‘off’ days. This way he pretty much screwed what little he could do with his season.

But then I guess that SOQ is so depleted of tier 1 and 2 talent that taking Remco even if just to win the ITT is better than not taking him.

Amateur stuff.

 

[Charlyghoul]

Remco is an amazing rider but he needs to be managed in a professional way. Sometimes I get the impression that he’s staff and coaches manage him with the same mentality than some posters here - Remco’s the best ever, god on earth and he’s always ready to win any race. His physical condition hardly seems to be known properly and his targets adjusted to meet that - since 2021.

If he’s overall condition going to this Tour was still being affected by the crash, why did they take him with GC ambitions? Sure, maybe take him but making clear that you’re not targeting GC. He could chase a few stage wins in the first week, then the ITT and then quit before the high mountains. No shame in that, the team could balance the squad lineup and he could take it easy on the ‘off’ days. This way he pretty much screwed what little he could do with his season.

But then I guess that SOQ is so depleted of tier 1 and 2 talent that taking Remco even if just to win the ITT is better than not taking him.

Amateur stuff.

Maybe the last part is the truth, they know they have a chance of winning stages with him, especially tt so may as well just do it. In a sense maybe not such a bad idea as he did win the tt ?

 

[Rob5091]

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/it...-and-the-cause-of-his-tour-de-france-abandon/
If Remco's been feeling bad since the Dauphine, then something's seriously wrong. I hope they find out what is wrong because the guy can still win a GT ITT stage when ill, so imagine how good he should be.
Hope the team or himself don't rush back to racing before they find the root of the problem.

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/it...-and-the-cause-of-his-tour-de-france-abandon/
If Remco's been feeling bad since the Dauphine, then something's seriously wrong. I hope they find out what is wrong because the guy can still win a GT ITT stage when ill, so imagine how good he should be.
Hope the team or himself don't rush back to racing before they find the root of the problem.

From the article: Evenepoel suggested that despite his time trial form, he entered the Tour in poor training condition. "After the Dauphiné, I haven't been able to do a single training session either," the Olympic champion said. "I couldn't handle any intensity. Fatigue, my body simply not being good enough this year... It could be anything, I just can't pinpoint one thing."

Honestly I can't believe they took him to the Tour like this. I was already worried when he mentioned in the Dauphiné that he was just sapped of Energy at the end of the mountain stages, not knowing what was going on. Sure they probably did it to win the TT and hope for the best, but seriously: if the dude can't train how do you expect him to ride the *** Tour? Who knows how long this was an issue in reality. I am actually amazed how well he did considering this information. Like he had no real base from winter for the season AND he can't train properly before the Tour because and he still wins a stage. WTF.

 

[houtdffan]

From the article: Evenepoel suggested that despite his time trial form, he entered the Tour in poor training condition. "After the Dauphiné, I haven't been able to do a single training session either," the Olympic champion said. "I couldn't handle any intensity. Fatigue, my body simply not being good enough this year... It could be anything, I just can't pinpoint one thing."

Honestly I can't believe they took him to the Tour like this. I was already worried when he mentioned in the Dauphiné that he was just sapped of Energy at the end of the mountain stages, not knowing what was going on. Sure they probably did it to win the TT and hope for the best, but seriously: if the dude can't train how do you expect him to ride the *** Tour? Who knows how long this was an issue in reality. I am actually amazed how well he did considering this information. Like he had no real base from winter for the season AND he can't train properly before the Tour because and he still wins a stage. WTF.

Remco himself should have made the decision to not go for the GC, but target stages. Lost 10 mins when dropped on stage 1 for example, then target a couple of the hilly stages. Win 3-5 stages, ride in the groupetto the other days.

As I said, he is the most talented of anyone, but not the most intelligent

 

[AmRacer]

Remco himself should have made the decision to not go for the GC, but target stages. Lost 10 mins when dropped on stage 1 for example, then target a couple of the hilly stages. Win 3-5 stages, ride in the groupetto the other days.

As I said, he is the most talented of anyone, but not the most intelligent

Tadej is so talented, he goes for both satages and GC. No way Remco could win 3-5 stages.

 

[Cookster15]

but not the most intelligent

This seems harsh. How can he know his true level until he races? He was strong in the 2024 Tour I think he could expect be at least that good in 2025 assuming similar preparation and being one year older. More questions than answers. I wonder if he's carrying a virus? This paragraph suggests so ...

After the Dauphiné, I haven't been able to do a single training session either," the Olympic champion said. "I couldn't handle any intensity. Fatigue, my body simply not being good enough this year... It could be anything, I just can't pinpoint one thing

 

[Berniece]

From the article: Evenepoel suggested that despite his time trial form, he entered the Tour in poor training condition. "After the Dauphiné, I haven't been able to do a single training session either," the Olympic champion said. "I couldn't handle any intensity. Fatigue, my body simply not being good enough this year... It could be anything, I just can't pinpoint one thing."

Honestly I can't believe they took him to the Tour like this. I was already worried when he mentioned in the Dauphiné that he was just sapped of Energy at the end of the mountain stages, not knowing what was going on. Sure they probably did it to win the TT and hope for the best, but seriously: if the dude can't train how do you expect him to ride the *** Tour? Who knows how long this was an issue in reality. I am actually amazed how well he did considering this information. Like he had no real base from winter for the season AND he can't train properly before the Tour because and he still wins a stage. WTF.

He does have a tendency to exaggerate. On his Strava there are trainings after Dauphine. Not many decent ones though, only col de la loze was a good training. But why did he do an extra 55km’s after NC… Protect him from himself

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

He does have a tendency to exaggerate. On his Strava there are trainings after Dauphine. Not many decent ones though, only col de la loze was a good training. But why did he do an extra 55km’s after NC… Protect him from himself

Yes, I guess he meant he couldn't do high intensity in training. But that's serious enough if you fatigue overly fast in stages and it's already an issue at the Dauphiné as well. You've got to take stuff like this more seriously, it's not that a body is a machine where you could exchange parts or repair it.

Steels also said after he left the race, that he advised him to get out so not as to jeopardize the entire season. I'd say that's a very very very late point in the race to come up with this idea, knowing full well in his case that Remco's body isn't doing what it needs to do, or would be supposed to do if healthy.

Of course as @Cookster15 said he can't know his true level before he goes, but given the run up, including winter and the crash, starting the season late and with full knowledge that your body isn't reacting properly, I find it wild to go to the Tour and say: well let's go for GC!

It's a huge goal so I understand that they at least want to try, but looking at the result, except for the TT, was it worth it? I guess his recovery will tell us if it was.

 

[Berniece]

Yes, I guess he meant he couldn't do high intensity in training. But that's serious enough if you fatigue overly fast in stages and it's already an issue at the Dauphiné as well. You've got to take stuff like this more seriously, it's not that a body is a machine where you could exchange parts or repair it.

Steels also said after he left the race, that he advised him to get out so not as to jeopardize the entire season. I'd say that's a very very very late point in the race to come up with this idea, knowing full well in his case that Remco's body isn't doing what it needs to do, or would be supposed to do if healthy.

Of course as @Cookster15 said he can't know his true level before he goes, but given the run up, including winter and the crash, starting the season late and with full knowledge that your body isn't reacting properly, I find it wild to go to the Tour and say: well let's go for GC!

It's a huge goal so I understand that they at least want to try, but looking at the result, except for the TT, was it worth it? I guess his recovery will tell us if it was.

They could’ve just try building a wide base during spring, and increase training intensity in June-July, and go for Vuelta/WC. Foresight is 20-20 of course, but why keep pushing him to win every major race and skipping steps. This so dumb again.

If I don’t do any sports for years and I want to start again. Do I start by running 20km or do I slowly build it up with running and walking and making sure my heart rate stays low? That’s just basic knowledge.