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

[Samu Cuenca]

Along with the super tuck and firearms on bars, I’d like to suggest that UCI ban all injured or recovering-from-injury riders from giving the “thumbs up” sign. I got so tired of seeing all of Froome’s thumbs-up pics starting from his hospital bed and then on ad infinitum. It’s the visual equivalent of the old “I’m tranquillo” to investigators & reporters. Though sometimes I’m sure it really does mean”Hey, it’s going really well and had a great training session today,” but at it also acts as a type of coverup or sweeping under the rug of reality. Unfortunately, we can never know which it is.

I’m guessing some team PR people tell them to do it, but can’t they just go with a bright smile and get rid of the half-Fonz act?

And yes, this is a lame post—too lazy to delete.

ed. My autocorrect is really going to town on me today. So although the UCI may also be in favor of banning “firearms on bars” that was supposed to read “forearms.”

I remember reading about riders, who threatened civilians with weapons during the first editions of the Tour de France, so I would have thought they were already banned

I fully agree about the thumbs up usage. Froome has really gone overboard with it.

 

[red_flanders]

Remco now stating that the Giro and the Olympics are his main goals this season. I certainly hope that means he thinks he’ll be on form, but it will still be his first race back. Should be...interesting.

 

[Extinction]

I was rueing the day that Remco was not riding Strade Bianche today.

 

[red_flanders]

I was rueing the day that Remco was not riding Strade Bianche today.

Not much to be done against MVdP today, but would have been cool to see him there for sure.

 

[Extinction]

Not much to be done against MVdP today, but would have been cool to see him there for sure.

Well, and I realize you can't change the past, but let us say Remco didn't crash in Lombardia (winning it of course), went on to win the Giro d'Italia and then the Worlds, came into this season on the wave of last...you see my point?

 

[red_flanders]

Well, and I realize you can't change the past, but let us say Remco didn't crash in Lombardia (winning it of course), went on to win the Giro d'Italia and then the Worlds, came into this season on the wave of last...you see my point?

I hear ya but...no one was beating MVdP today.

 

[Extinction]

I hear ya but...no one was beating MVdP today.

But if one cyclist in the world could have, it is Remco Evenepoel under the conditions I imagined.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

But if one cyclist in the world could have, it is Remco Evenepoel under the conditions I imagined.

He can't ride on gravel. He could never match that attack uphill. Only way he would ever have won today, was to practice all winter on gravel and attack 40k from the finish. If there is one race i could not see him win with his current skillset, it's Strade.

 

[Extinction]

He can't ride on gravel. He could never match that attack uphill. Only way he would ever have won today, was to practice all winter on gravel and attack 40k from the finish. If there is one race i could not see him win with his current skillset, it's Strade.

What evidence do we have that he "can't ride on gravel?" Has he ridden poorly on gravel before? True all in the break till VDP's attack with 24 klicks to go have experience in either cross or mountain biking. Remco, however, seems to have a skillset and motor for the type of climbs and fatigue of Strade Bianche, thus if he can ride on dirt (more than gravel) and was in the form he displayed before his accident, I don't see why he could not fight for victory. Unless of course there is evidence that he can't ride the strade bianche.

In any case, mine was complete conjecture and I was imagining not only the Remco pre-accident, but one even better with last year's Giro in his legs, a Worlds too, etc. His crash was such a pitty, if only to see where he would be today otherwise.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

What evidence do we have that he "can't ride on gravel?" Has he ridden poorly on gravel before? True all in the break till VDP's attack with 24 klicks to go have experience in either cross or mountain biking. Remco, however, seems to have a set skills and motor for the type of climbs and fatigue of Strade Bianche, thus if he can ride on dirt (more than gravel) and was in the form he displayed before his accident, I don't see why he could not fight for victory. Unless of course there is evidence that he can't ride the strade bianche.

He lost a good deal of time at the Ioncia in 2019 on similar roads.

 

[F_Cance]

even crashed multiple times on the section (all more or less flat) iirc

 

[Extinction]

Ahh, well, Remco 2019 and Remco today (bar the incident of course and all the rest), would surely be much better.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Ahh, well, Remco 2019 and Remco today (bar the incident of course and all the rest), would surely be much better.

I'm not debating his power or endurance, i'm saying he can't ride on gravel/dirt. Why would you think he would have improved since then on such terrain? Has he ever practiced on that, because i doubt it.

 

[Netserk]

Don’t let reality get in your way. If not for his crash, Remco would have won the 2020 Paris–Roubaix.

 

[tobydawq]

I'm not debating his power or endurance, i'm saying he can't ride on gravel/dirt. Why would you think he would have improved since then on such terrain? Has he ever practiced on that, because i doubt it.

I really think you are severely overestimating the difficulty of riding on gravel...

 

[Extinction]

Let's not get all bent out of shape. I'm not saying he can ride gravel, but I think he is determined as hell and, let's say he really was bad at it, I bet just to proove us wrong he would do anything to contrast the weakness. And he's got Alaphillipe on his team to school him.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I really think you are severely overestimating the difficulty of riding on gravel...

In that case, yes, he can win!

Seriously though, as a kid a crashed hard on gravel a few times, so it's possible i'm overestimating it, but it's clear from what happened and from what his teammates said, that he didn't have the best time during that stage. He can prove me wrong.

 

[tobydawq]

In that case, yes, he can win!

Seriously though, as a kid a crashed hard on gravel a few times, so it's possible i'm overestimating it, but it's clear from what happened and from what his teammates said, that he didn't have the best time during that stage. He can prove me wrong.

If he gets ready for the Giro we will see how he fares on the Montalcino stage.

 

[Bonimenier]

In that case, yes, he can win!

Seriously though, as a kid a crashed hard on gravel a few times, so it's possible i'm overestimating it, but it's clear from what happened and from what his teammates said, that he didn't have the best time during that stage. He can prove me wrong.

Surely there are other races where he didn't have the best time of his life, but that he still should be able to win in the future. Lombardia perhaps.

 

[tobydawq]

Surely there are other races where he didn't have the best time of his life, but that he still should be able to win in the future. Lombardia perhaps.

If he won't be off chasing pheasants.

 

[Bonimenier]

If he won't be off chasing pheasants.

That might have been the highlight of that day for him.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Remco now stating that the Giro and the Olympics are his main goals this season. I certainly hope that means he thinks he’ll be on form, but it will still be his first race back. Should be...interesting.

Where did you read the Giro was a season goal? Last week he said the Giro would be more some sort of practice to get into shape towards the OG, that he went in with zero expectations and didn't expect to ride for GC.

 

[Big Doopie]

In any case, mine was complete conjecture and I was imagining not only the Remco pre-accident, but one even better with last year's Giro in his legs, a Worlds too, etc. His crash was such a pitty, if only to see where he would be today otherwise.

indeed. indeed. i so hope we do not look back at this and say "what might have been"...

 

[red_flanders]

Where did you read the Giro was a season goal? Last week he said the Giro would be more some sort of practice to get into shape towards the OG, that he went in with zero expectations and didn't expect to ride for GC.

Cyclingnews, so really the most accurate information possible.

Remco Evenepoel: Nothing is holding me back anymore

Belgian cleared to prepare for 2021 season after new scans

www.cyclingnews.com

...set to prepare for his 2021 season targets, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Olympic Games.

certainly you ask a good question, this is hardly definitive. I was getting maybe overly excited.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Cyclingnews, so really the most accurate information possible.

Remco Evenepoel: Nothing is holding me back anymore

Belgian cleared to prepare for 2021 season after new scans

www.cyclingnews.com

certainly you ask a good question, this is hardly definitive. I was getting maybe overly excited.

They only got that from the instagram/twitter post he made, there was no additional info. Basically all that he said was "nothing holding him back to start his preparation/season". That means the latest relevant info is still the long article/interview i posted a few pages back, with some follow up interviews. There he doesn't outright say he won't go for GC, but they are aware there is a very large possibility that it won't be possible to go for GC, and that he'll just look at it day by day, try to pick a few days to show himself. If that should be the case, he would gladly help Almeida. If he should still be somewhat in contention, he thinks it's possible he'll have to mimic Froome's 2018 Giro raid in order to be successful (meaning he assumes he'll have lost substantial time by week 3 in any case).