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

[Berniece]

two brains are better than one...most of the time

I think they did it for 2 reasons:
1. Help him, and persuade him to come to RBH by showing they care
2. Checking if it isn’t too bad so they don’t pay someone an exuberant amount when he would never be able to get to the required level

 

[KoopaCycling]

source ?

Bobby Traksel

“Er werd al tijden met elkaar geflirt. En misschien wel meer dan dat. Na het ongeluk van Evenepoel in de winter bood Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe hem een privé-vliegtuig aan om hem in hun sportcentrum te laten onderzoeken. Dat doe je niet zomaar, dan ben je als ploeg serieus bezig om iemand zijn handtekening te laten zetten”

 

[Andre]

I think they did it for 2 reasons:
1. Help him, and persuade him to come to RBH by showing they care
2. Checking if it isn’t too bad so they don’t pay someone an exuberant amount when he would never be able to get to the required level

good thinking...

 

[Oldman]

I momentarily read this as "Red bull offered to have Remco examined in the medical center, but he crashed into the door". 😂

Which unfortunately sounds about par for the course...

But actually pretty interesting they would do that. Yet another overture, or maybe things had moved along much further at that point than anyone knew.

You may have benchmarked the date RBH truly confirmed interest, as in: "better come in for a physical check or no BEEEEG check later."

 

[KoopaCycling]

Well, one thing by all accounts will definitely imrove when remco makes his move to red Bull.

 

[Berniece]

Apparently he left to train on altitude 2 days ago. Would mean he does 3 full weeks of altitude before going to Tour of Britain.

 

[Andre]

Apparently he left to train on altitude 2 days ago. Would mean he does 3 full weeks of altitude before going to Tour of Britain.

isn't that a bit too excessive?

 

[Charlyghoul]

Seems a terrible route for the tour of ‘Britain’, Suffolk to Cardiff via Milton Keynes and Warwickshire…

 

[Berniece]

isn't that a bit too excessive?

Isn’t 3 weeks the standard?

 

[Andre]

Isn’t 3 weeks the standard?

I thought it was 2 weeks

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Isn’t 3 weeks the standard?

I think it depends on the goal. A lot of CX riders do shorter altitude training during winter, i think even shorter than 2 weeks. While GC riders do multiple stints of 3 weeks.

 

[Berniece]

I think it depends on the goal. A lot of CX riders do shorter altitude training during winter, i think even shorter than 2 weeks. While GC riders do multiple stints of 3 weeks.

But is that because they almost have to race every weekend? So they can’t miss too many races.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

But is that because they almost have to race every weekend? So they can’t miss too many races.

That obviously plays into it, but if it would be pointless i assume they wouldn't go at all.

 

[Berniece]

That obviously plays into it, but if it would be pointless i assume they wouldn't go at all.

Yeah, but what should Evenepoel do for this last part of the season? Maybe training 3 weeks at altitude isn’t good for his body knowing how he was drained at the TDF.

 

[veganrob]

isn't that a bit too excessive?

Agree. Three weeks at altitude is excessive for Tour of Britain.

 

[Berflamand]

If there isn't any downside to training that long at altitude and he has the means to do it, I would also do it in the current circumstances even if there's no clear physical benefit to it.

After his DNF at the Tour and his transfer to Red Bull-Bora probably every (Belgian) journalist is on his tail right now.

Get some peace of mind and good training sessions at altitude away from the stress and hassle in Belgium.

For example, it was already an excuse to not turn up at his fan ride today where the press would definitely have been waiting for him.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Well, Remco did blew up at the Tour, apparently due to the lack of base, and the remainder of the season is packed. Transfer was already negotiated and hence this isn't a burden any more. So if he wants to leave SOQ with a bang then he will need it, long prep on altitude.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Guys it says to me we are on the 1337 page of this thread and now that is indeed eleet.

 

[red_flanders]

Look, we're just not going to see 2024 Remco in 2025. That much seems obvious. I would not expect him to hit any goals other than the Worlds TT, and depending on who's going, while he's the favorite, he's not unbeatable when he's not at his best.

I'm confident there will be a huge return to form next season.

 

[peterfin]

Look, we're just not going to see 2024 Remco in 2025. That much seems obvious. I would not expect him to hit any goals other than the Worlds TT, and depending on who's going, while he's the favorite, he's not unbeatable when he's not at his best.

I'm confident there will be a huge return to form next season.

I think he can do well at the EC TT and EC RR too. I expect one month of a good enough shape to battle for gold. The competition is neither in top shape after a long season and he has not that many days of racing in. Of course, this does not apply to Pogacar. Wherever Pogacar starts, gold will be difficult, even in the hilly TTs.

 

[HashRouge]

Agree. Three weeks at altitude is excessive for Tour of Britain.

It will be for world champs, no?

 

[HashRouge]

Sorry are you saying Pogacar didn’t improve a lot since 2024? Just because he was the world’s best cyclist before 2024, doesn’t mean he automatically wins LBL. Did he win TDF those years?

Honestly? I think people overstate Pogacar's 2024/ 2025 improvement. He had an incredibly dominant spring in 2023, winning Amstel, Flèche, Flanders and Paris-Nice. I think his crash at Liege and collapse in the third week of the Tour shape how we view his season as they make him look less dominant than he did in 2024. But if you take a step back, he was brilliant in the spring and finished things off well with a third at the world champs and another win at Lombardia. Basically, I think he was already outstanding in 2023, it's just that in 2024 we got to see him have one of those perfect seasons where everything goes right.

 

[Links2003]

As Remco will now apparently be the best-paid cyclist behind Pogacar, this is of course a lot of pressure again. It won't be enough to finish 3rd in the Tour like Lipowitz or win a few time trials.

It can also quickly lead to tensions in the team. If he delivers victories right from the start, it will probably work well. But if that doesn't work, it can quickly destroy the team structure. The others in the team who also feel strong should work for the new member of the team and put their own ambitions on the back burner. He might even bring "half" the coaching staff with him. That can quickly divide the team. So I think it would have been better for Remco to bring along a trusted person or a team colleague so that he could integrate better into the team right from the start. That helps both sides and helps even if the sporting successes don't come straight away.

 

[peterfin]

Honestly? I think people overstate Pogacar's 2024/ 2025 improvement. He had an incredibly dominant spring in 2023, winning Amstel, Flèche, Flanders and Paris-Nice. I think his crash at Liege and collapse in the third week of the Tour shape how we view his season as they make him look less dominant than he did in 2024. But if you take a step back, he was brilliant in the spring and finished things off well with a third at the world champs and another win at Lombardia. Basically, I think he was already outstanding in 2023, it's just that in 2024 we got to see him have one of those perfect seasons where everything goes right.

The performance data shows that people are right. It's not an overstatement at all. He made an incredible jump in improvement vs his level from 2020 to 2023.

Tadej Pogačar - Performance level, year-by-year analysis, watts estimations

The ultimate database of cycling performance

watts2win.eu

 

[Berniece]

As Remco will now apparently be the best-paid cyclist behind Pogacar, this is of course a lot of pressure again. It won't be enough to finish 3rd in the Tour like Lipowitz or win a few time trials.

It can also quickly lead to tensions in the team. If he delivers victories right from the start, it will probably work well. But if that doesn't work, it can quickly destroy the team structure. The others in the team who also feel strong should work for the new member of the team and put their own ambitions on the back burner. He might even bring "half" the coaching staff with him. That can quickly divide the team. So I think it would have been better for Remco to bring along a trusted person or a team colleague so that he could integrate better into the team right from the start. That helps both sides and helps even if the sporting successes don't come straight away.

There is 1 coach that might join, and that’s not even sure