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

[KoopaCycling]

What would be the difference if there's 100 km of flat TT? Let me remind you Pogacar finished on just 16 seconds after 30 flattish kilometers. But even if he'd lose 5 minutes in the TT, he'll easily regain that in the mountains on a guy like Evenepoel. He'd just have to ride even more dominantly and try to win even more stages than he already does. Making the race even more boring.

You need to be good at both obviously. I think Remco can beat anyone not named Pogacar and Vingegaard.
Sure Roglic, Lipo, ... can make it a battle. But i'm confident he can beat them when in form.

I disagree with the weird notion Remco is not a GT guy and a terrible climber just cause he isn't as good as Vingegaard and Pogacar. last i checked Lipo, who is sitting third is already on 9 minutes with the 2 hardest stages still to come, and losing time on Pogacar and Vingegaard every big mountain stage. No one is saying weird stuff like Lipo and Roglic can't climb. Remco can climb, is a GT guy, but isn't as good as Vingegaard and Pogacar.

Some people suggest that if Remco hadn't crashed he could have taken those extra steps to reach Pogacar and Vingegaard. And that he needs to stay healty for a prolonged period of time to reach that level. Now i do think Remco can still improve but i don't think he'll ever be as good as Pogacar (and possible Vingegaard) in the mountains. That's okay. He won the Vuelta in the TT. Whilst more or less equalling the field in the mountains. And it remains to be seen if Pogacar can maintain his current level. a Level i find beyond what i think humans are capable of. I'll leave that as is. As saying more is frowned upon.

Remco needs to get healthy, build a base, and then compete. And once he is healthy we'll see were the chips fall. See what stuff he loses and wins through competition.

 

[Charlyghoul]

You need to be good at both obviously. I think Remco can beat anyone not named Pogacar and Vingegaard.
Sure Roglic, Lipo, ... can make it a battle. But i'm confident he can beat them when in form.

I disagree with the weird notion Remco is not a GT guy and a terrible climber just cause he isn't as good as Vingegaard and Pogacar. last i checked Lipo, who is sitting third is already on 9 minutes with the 2 hardest stages still to come, and losing time on Pogacar and Vingegaard every big mountain stage. No one is saying weird stuff like Lipo and Roglic can't climb. Remco can climb, is a GT guy, but isn't as good as Vingegaard and Pogacar.

Some people suggest that if Remco hadn't crashed he could have taken those extra steps to reach Pogacar and Vingegaard. And that he needs to stay healty for a prolonged period of time to reach that level. Now i do think Remco can still improve but i don't think he'll ever be as good as Pogacar (and possible Vingegaard in the mountains). That's okay. He won the Vuelta in the TT. And it remains to be seen if Pogacar can maintain his current level. a Level i find beyond what i think humans are capable of. I'll leave that as is. As saying more is frowned upon.

Remco needs to get healthy, build a base, and then compete. And once he is healthy we'll see were the chips fall. See what stuff he loses and wins through competition.

He can indeed beat anyone else, just not prepared to fight for his third place it seems.

 

[houtdffan]

What would be the difference if there's 100 km of flat TT? Let me remind you Pogacar finished on just 16 seconds after 30 flattish kilometers. But even if he'd lose 5 minutes in the TT, he'll easily regain that in the mountains on a guy like Evenepoel. He'd just have to ride even more dominantly and try to win even more stages than he already does. Making the race even more boring.

Or, Pog may decide to show up 1-2kg heavier to limit his TT losses, which would reduce his effectiveness in the mountains.

The old trade off we used ot see

 

[houtdffan]

I don't believe heat stroke fits at all with coming back from getting dropped after the Soulor and then fighting back on Hautacam as well.

he seemed to be able to get his temp under control on the Soulor.

I think the full on heat stroke occurred on Hautacam. He went from something like 10-15s behind Lipo to finishing 90 seconds off in about 5km. Don't think he kept his body cool on the final climb (that shows why having a teammate is very important. A teammate would have been able to get him the needed ice).

 

[KoopaCycling]

He can indeed beat anyone else, just not prepared to fight for his third place it seems.

You saw him fight for it during stage 12. You saw him fight for it during stage 13. and you saw him completely empty, and crying his heart out for not having anything left in the tank in stage 14.

Yet you would post this and claim to have no dislike.. Did you even see the footage of those 3 stages?

 

[Lequack]

So what is he doing nowadays?

 

[Charlyghoul]

You saw him fight for it during stage 12. You saw him fight for it during stage 13. and you saw him completely empty, and crying his heart out for not having anything left in the tank in stage 14.

Yet you would post this and claim to have no dislike.. Did you even see the footage of those 3 stages?

I saw most of it, as I said to you, even he has said his shoulder is not an issue, he had worse crash at Lombardy and came back just fine, power to him. personally think he cannot handle mentally being unable to compete for the tour and that’s affecting him more than anything .
I apparently dislike him, not at all, i wish someone else can challenge Pogacar to make things more fun.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Do you truly think every crash is the same? It should be clear by now that he did not come back fine from Lombardi crash. it took him over a year to reach his previous level. End of '20. Whole of 21', winter of '22.

The basque crash he came back from well.

Winter crash so far has resulted in another more or less lost year so far.

 

[Charlyghoul]

Are you being intentionally obtuse? Or truly think every crash is the same. Though i think you purposely ignore things we say only to rehash the same. It should be clear by now that he did not come back fine from Lombardi crash. it took him over a year to reach his previous level. End of '20. Whole of 21', winter of '22.

The basque crash he came back from well.

Winter crash so far has resulted in another more or less lost year so far.

Then he doesn’t have the powers of recovery of , say, Vingegaard, another issue in his ambition to win the tour.
I say again if it was Remco that had that crash and those injuries in April we can never hear the end of it. I’ve said to you several times that even Remco said the shoulder is not an issue.

 

[theyoungest]

I think part of the problem for Evenepoel is the huge expectations in his home country. He seems to thrive on attention but it also clearly hampers him, causing some of that weird behavior you can see when things don't quite go his way. Like the great Evenepoel isn't supposed to get dropped, he has to find an excuse because it can't simply be that he just wasn't good enough. From the outside it seems that kind of stuff costs him a lot of energy. That's what I would tell him if I were his sports psychologist: it's okay dude, you can have a bad day. Move on.

I think that's an advantage Dutch riders have over Evenepoel: if Van der Poel wins, great, if he doesn't, okay as well. nobody cares. Someone said recently that Van der Poel is the happiest Belgian in the world because he has a Dutch passport, and I think they're right.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Then he doesn’t have the powers of recovery of , say, Vingegaard, another issue in his ambition to win the tour.
I say again if it was Remco that had that crash and those injuries in April we can never hear the end of it. I’ve said to you several times that even Remco said the shoulder is not an issue.

And again i tell you Remco was involved in the same crash and finished 3rd. 1 crash is not the same as another. Roglic crashed hundreds of times. But I bet Bernal would gladly swap those crashes for what he was involved in. I could give other names as example like Beloki, ... . This has nothing to do with 'powers of recovery'.

And again i tell you that Remco also has said some worrisome things about his shoulder. Be that as it may, that is probably not the main reason for this season performance. The lack of a winter is. Something said a dozen of times.

 

[dobrien]

That Remco lit the flames of passion was a given, given the title of this thread, but anyone with a head on their shoulders has reserved a critical mind towards him. I don't think the accolades levied upon him denies that. His temperment at times has been called into question, his bike handling as well. The crashes and the way they were managed undoubtedly added to his problems. Yet he came third in his first Tour and you don't do that if you aren't an outstanding climber. Of course, there were two much better, but given Belgium's hopes and an underprepared and underfunded team the outcomes were destined to fall short of the cosmic expectations with the actual level of all involved. Too many ups and downs on a kids shoulders and inevitably something breaks. Something has broken, so now it's time to rehabilitate the person, which may or not involve a new environment. One thing is for sure, he needs to pull the plug, reboot and move forward focussing on a mens sana in corpora sana. Otherwise, he'll never get the best out of himself in the Tour. Surely getting dropped on the first climb of this Tour is not his real level. How this is to be done, I don't know, only that it must be done for him not to become a victim of the expectations placed upon him. It would be a shame for the sport if it sees one of his talent drop into early retirement.

Great post.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Jonas Vingegaard

- Broken collarbone, 7 ribs, sternum - Collapsed lung (pneumothorax) - Pulmonary contusion - Broken finger, severe road rash - Internal bleeding, coughed up blood

Remco Evenepoel

- Broken collarbone - Broken right scapula (shoulder blade) - No reported lung or internal injuries

Rider	Hospitalization	Return to Training	Return to Racing
Vingegaard	12–14 days; 8 days in ICU	~1 month after crash	~late June 2024
Remco	1–2 days; no surgery reported	~3–4 weeks after crash	~late May 2024

What are you talking about?

Remco third in Tour, Jonas second

Remco crash comparison Basque vs Winter:

Crash	Injuries	Recovery Duration	Impact on Season	Remco's View
Basque Country (April 2024)	Cracked collarbone, broken scapula	~6–8 weeks	Missed Ardennes classics & Giro d'Italia	Painful but "manageable"
December Training Crash (2024)	Fractured ribs, scapula, hand; dislocated clavicle; torn ligaments; bruised lungs; nerve damage	3+ months (with surgery, rehab)	Delayed training & 2025 prep	“Hardest battle of my life”

 

[Charlyghoul]

Jonas Vingegaard

- Broken collarbone, 7 ribs, sternum - Collapsed lung (pneumothorax) - Pulmonary contusion - Broken finger, severe road rash - Internal bleeding, coughed up blood

Remco Evenepoel

- Broken collarbone - Broken right scapula (shoulder blade) - No reported lung or internal injuries

Rider	Hospitalization	Return to Training	Return to Racing
Vingegaard	12–14 days; 8 days in ICU	~1 month after crash	~late June 2024
Remco	1–2 days; no surgery reported	~3–4 weeks after crash	~late May 2024

What are you talking about?

Remco third in Tour, Jonas second

Remco crash comparison Basque vs Winter:

Crash	Injuries	Recovery Duration	Impact on Season	Remco's View
Basque Country (April 2024)	Cracked collarbone, broken scapula	~6–8 weeks	Missed Ardennes classics & Giro d'Italia	Painful but "manageable"
December Training Crash (2024)	Fractured ribs, scapula, hand; dislocated clavicle; torn ligaments; bruised lungs; nerve damage	3+ months (with surgery, rehab)	Delayed training & 2025 prep	“Hardest battle of my life”

The main point is you are arguing that a December crash of broken bones with some never damage is worse than an April crash of broken bones with a collapsed lung, we’re not going to agree. I maintain that if Remco had Jonas crash when he did he wouldn’t even be at the tour.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Look, if you don't understand how building your base in winter works that's fine. Failure to research and obtain knowledge for your talking points is a bit weird but okay.

Even when being told they both resumed training around the same time, you want to claim remco would not have raced the tour that year. Despite him showing him up at the giro of 21 without proper prep...

It's clear you don't like Remco. Just want to say negative things about a cyclist. And refuse to even consider anything but your own viewpoint. So i'm putting you on ignore. Before the mods decide i'm taking things to far in responding to you. Even though i'm trying to remain civil.

 

[Charlyghoul]

Look, if you don't understand how building your base in winter works that's fine. Failure to research and obtain knowledge for your talking points is a bit weird but okay.

Even when being told they both resumed training around the same time, you want to claim remco would not have raced the tour that year. Despite him showing him up at the giro of 21 without proper prep...

It's clear you don't like Remco. Just want to say negative things about a cyclist. And refuse to even consider anything but your own viewpoint. So i'm putting you on ignore. Before the mods decide i'm taking things to far in responding to you. Even though i'm trying to remain civil.

I don’t care about the giro 21.
Apparently he just can’t turn up at a race without proper prep, Pogacar and Vingegaard can despite also having bad injuries.
I don’t need to research we just disagree on this point, that’s what forums are for sometimes. I understand about winter conditioning I was not the best cyclist I raced as second cat in the uk for three years and done other sports to a reasonable level.
I think Jonas injury was worse when he had it and he didn’t have fans like you droning on and on about how it ruined his season.
You disagree, it’s ok

 

[peterfin]

Remco's parents are still following the TdF with friends. We happened to be watching the final of the stage in the same cafe just before the Mt Ventoux climb.

I heard his father say that they are currently doing tests in the hospital to assess what's going wrong with Remco. So the team really has no clue what happened or are just making sure they check everything.

What catched my attention was the lack of interest in the SQS win by his father. Maybe he is not that interested in the race anymore, I get that, but he clearly showed interest when Vingegaard attacked. It gave me a gut feeling that Remco will indeed leave.

 

[red_flanders]

What catched my attention was the lack of interest in the SQS by his father. Maybe he is not that interested in the race anymore, I get that, but he clearly showed interest when Vingegaard attacked. It gave me a gut feeling that Remco will indeed leave.

He's gone, it's been several weeks that I think it's been pretty clear. They're reforming the classics squad as you can see by the recent signings.

 

[Ripper]

Remco's parents are still following the TdF with friends. We happened to be watching the final of the stage in the same cafe just before the Mt Ventoux climb.

I heard his father say that they are currently doing tests in the hospital to assess what's going wrong with Remco. So the team really has no clue what happened or are just making sure they check everything.

What catched my attention was the lack of interest in the SQS win by his father. Maybe he is not that interested in the race anymore, I get that, but he clearly showed interest when Vingegaard attacked. It gave me a gut feeling that Remco will indeed leave.

Interesting.

I heard reports of "allergies". If even close to true, the dude should see an allergist.

Otherwise, I would not be surprised if he has gotten himself into an energy deficient state, like RED-S. I think they have been following an old weight loss strategy (similar to Sky), but that ain't gonna work no more, and he would be digging himself into a big hole

 

[Berniece]

I don’t care about the giro 21.
Apparently he just can’t turn up at a race without proper prep, Pogacar and Vingegaard can despite also having bad injuries.
I don’t need to research we just disagree on this point, that’s what forums are for sometimes. I understand about winter conditioning I was not the best cyclist I raced as second cat in the uk for three years and done other sports to a reasonable level.
I think Jonas injury was worse when he had it and he didn’t have fans like you droning on and on about how it ruined his season.
You disagree, it’s ok

It’s all about timing and how you trained. In the winter your training isn’t extremely intensive, you build a base. Vingegaard had that base when he crashed in April. So even though his crash was more severe he had a base to build on, which helps in being competitive over a long period (3 week GT) of time.

Evenepoel on the other hand didn’t have that base, trained and peaked too hard for Ardennes classics, to go and train for TDF afterwards. Resulting in not being able to be competitive for a longer period.

That’s all. Has nothing to do with the severity of the crash. It’s about timing and training.

 

[KoopaCycling]

News coming out Jurgen Foré does not want to help a transfer to red bull cause specialized would want out of their soudal contract when remco leaves. Name of Merida is floating around as a replacement for the specialized bikes.

From that, t I think they're working out the final kinks, before a transfer is announced.
At least that's my gut feeling. could be completely wrong.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

specialized would want out of their soudal contract when remco leaves.

This is where a merge with Alpecin should come on the table!

 

[Wyndbrook]

News coming out Jurgen Foré does not want to help a transfer to red bull cause specialized would want out of their soudal contract when remco leaves. Name of Merida is floating around as a replacement for the specialized bikes.

From that, t I think they're working out the final kinks, before a transfer is announced.
At least that's my gut feeling. could be completely wrong.

Well Merida own 49% of Specialized so possible.

 

[Charlyghoul]

It’s all about timing and how you trained. In the winter your training isn’t extremely intensive, you build a base. Vingegaard had that base when he crashed in April. So even though his crash was more severe he had a base to build on, which helps in being competitive over a long period (3 week GT) of time.

Evenepoel on the other hand didn’t have that base, trained and peaked too hard for Ardennes classics, to go and train for TDF afterwards. Resulting in not being able to be competitive for a longer period.

That’s all. Has nothing to do with the severity of the crash. It’s about timing and training.

If the crash is not so severe, then he has enough time to build a base for the tour, it’s his fault if he trained instead for the classics. He’s not Pogacar, he can’t do it all, nobody can like Pogacar,
I get what you’re saying, but look at it this way- You wouldn’t be here saying these things if Pogacar or Vingegaard had that crash, it would be forgotten about by now and not used as an excuse.

 

[Charlyghoul]

We’ll see next if Remco has a ‘good preparation’ what can he do. Problem is he finds a way to mess things up somehow.
Much of this discussion is pointless, he can be on the best of season of his life and he’s finishing third , for now, at the tour, he can have a terrible season and still finish potentially third.