Because nobody is talking nonsense about Pidcock being the second coming. It's the absurd overselling of Remco that causes the over reaction and push back in the opposite direction.
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While I can see where you're coming from I can also understand why he's under more scrutiny than any other potential GT rider. It's the inevitable, and quite logical result of Remco's uber-talent and the hype that comes with it. It's the nature of the beast. Look at Mbappe and Haaland in football, they are the heirs presumptive to Messi and Ronaldo, and as such, get held to a higher level of scrutiny and standards while other very talented players get more leeway. It's not exactly "fair" but it is a result of their own exploits. It's a sign that they are indeed the greatest talents in their respective sport.
The same applies for Remco. It's not always fun, but it's all about perspective. Personally I think Remco will do just fine as far as recovery goes in GT's. Bike handling can be worked on to a certain extent, the rest is all mental.
I'll keep an eye out for folks doing that. Certainly the thread title doesn't help.
He is naturally under more scrutiny because of the depth of talent. He should be. I don't personally think that explains all of it, however. I think Big Coward's reaction above is instructive.
In racing news. tough to lose the Belgian TT championships, that's a jersey I'm sure he really wanted, and would have been well motivated to get. Gotta sting a bit. Sounds from his comments like he didn't have it at the end. Seems the fitness is still wanting a bit in longer efforts.
Anyone have a good sense of the course Sunday? Looks very hilly but they don't look like super difficult ones. Is that fair? Never seen any of these climbs myself.
Anyone have a good sense of the course Sunday? Looks very hilly but they don't look like super difficult ones. Is that fair? Never seen any of these climbs myself.
Well yes, but often times when that same "overselling" argument is used it is countered with "but he has earned that hype". Circular argument. Pointless.
That's the profile of this year's World Championships, not the Belgian national championships. The profile this weekend will a lot less selective.In racing news. tough to lose the Belgian TT championships, that's a jersey I'm sure he really wanted, and would have been well motivated to get. Gotta sting a bit. Sounds from his comments like he didn't have it at the end. Seems the fitness is still wanting a bit in longer efforts.
Anyone have a good sense of the course Sunday? Looks very hilly but they don't look like super difficult ones. Is that fair? Never seen any of these climbs myself.
Today was basically a repeat of 2019 with Remco finishing behind Lampaert and in front of Campenaerts on a similar flat circuit of similar length. Van Aert won that 2019 TT convincingly. He probably would have won today as well although Lampaert was clearly in great shape and hypermotivated to win in his hometown. So it's another indicator that Remco's shape is similar to 2 years ago. He probably needs a few months more to be back at his mid 2020 level.
Well, not exactly. Some bigger talents (Pogacar), doesn't have one third, or a quarter of hype and scrutiny as Remco has. I think it's the result of incredible hype that his fellow countrymen and fans created.
Winning the Tour and placing 3rd in your first GT will remove a lot of scrutiny. And yeah, Pogačar doesn't come from a cycling nation like Belgium, that has to make a difference. And Pogačar didn't destroy the field as a junior in the way that Evenepoel did, and at such a young age, so the expectations weren't there so early. But he delivered and delivered early. Right now he certainly looks like the bigger talent, we'll see where it all ends up.
The hype has to do with Remco's insane Junior results + ridiculous 1st year Pro Tour results at age 19 and pre-crash results in 2020
Realize that Remco hasn't lost 1 week stage rage since Deutschland Tour in 2019.
Sure the Belgium hype is big but had he been a rider from any other country those folks would act similarly.
Hell, look how much hype Almeida has received and he hasn't even won a race at the Pro level in three years.
Maybe that could have something to do with the fact that Slovenia isn't a cycling country? That there is a lot less information about Pogacar to begin with, simply because it's not nearly as interesting for Slovenian media to report about him? That within the cycling world, Slovenian isn't spoken by anybody but Slovenians and that there are a lot less Slovenians on the forum. If Pogacar were a Dutch guy, his topic would probably be twice the size of Evenepoel's.
And yet i don't see how any of that is relevant. Because people want to discuss one rider, cheer for him, praise him for his achievements, how does that stop other people from praising another rider? How is Pogacar's hype or lack thereof, relevant? How is the fact that (more) people talk about Evenepoel more than another rider, triggering people to hate or troll? As if the fact that his thread is longer, somehow invalidates his achievements. Are people that insecure? Are people that jealous? If you browse through this topic, you could list dozens of people who seem to be personally offended, by people praising the achievements of a rider, discussing his strengths and potential. And the funny thing is, these are the people who want to convince people that it's those other people who are emotionally invested. Well i think you need to be invested a lot more emotionally, to hate, dis, tear down a rider, or be offended by the praise he receives by other people, than you need to be in order to praise or discuss a rider in a positive way.
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IMO he reached a way higher level at the Giro. His results in time trials are comparatively lacking, though. Have been since his comeback.
Gotta say he handled yesterday's post race interview very well, BTW.
Big Doopie
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Taking nothing away from yves lampaert, it is clear remco is not even at fall 2019 level yet. At 19 he finished 2nd at the worlds ITT. It does not appear that he is even back to that form. It’s clearly going to be a long road. I hope he makes it fully back…
Are you not giving Lampaert any chance he improved in those 2 years?
Yes, that's what he said after his Giro TT. He was very happy with the result back then (7th), because he lost some weight to improve climbing, but inevitably lost some of his TT skills.
Anyway, I don't really buy that, and imho it's clear he's not at full strength yet. The Olympics are probably coming too soon but let's hope for a strong fall.
The months before having been vastly different, it's hard to compare them directly and say a lot.
What is weird to me is that he dropped out of the Giro due to fatigue and was back racing this quickly.
Big Doopie
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Not that weird to me.
He started the Giro with no winter miles, no endurance built up. In a sense the giro ended up being a “training block” of very high intensity. He simply had to rest briefly to allow his body to recover and gain the benefit.
Benefit: Baloise win (but not as convincing even as his 2019 win)
He is still a ways off from pre-accident. That is very clear.
Hoping…
Even though they were big talents, Pogacar was hidden by Roglic, Bernal was hidden by Quintana, Uran w.r.t media. Last Belgian GT winner was in 1978. Last big thing was Boonen. So the media did create the hype especially due to the gap between him and the rest of the younger cyclists. Gouden Greg is close to retirement. There was nobody to take the spotlight as WVA won MSR only in 2020. Just look at what happend to Bernal after his win and the subsequent collapse in 2020 as well as the polemics with G. Pogacar just did Veni, Vedi Vici at the tour. There was not enough time for the media to think and everybody was shellshocked. He is not going to have it his way this time around. He will be scrutinized and questioned to the death. Ineos and JV have handled the media comparatively insulating their riders. QST should have tempered expectations but they decided to go with the flow.
We cannot ignore that about 20% of this thread is "jeez why does this thread have so many pages"
He was clearly very disappointed after yesterday's TT. Imo, even more so than after the Giro. After the Giro he seemed at ease and knew that the scenario that unfolded was a very likely scenario after his injury and short preparation.
Yesterday however he clearly expected much more himself. He immediately said that it was a very big blow for him considering the Olympics in a month. He realised he still has a lot of work to do (more than he expected).
This worries me a little. I fear that he might not perform at the Olympics at his highest level. I just hope we still get to see that level this year.
Yesterday however he clearly expected much more himself. He immediately said that it was a very big blow for him considering the Olympics in a month. He realised he still has a lot of work to do (more than he expected).
This worries me a little. I fear that he might not perform at the Olympics at his highest level. I just hope we still get to see that level this year.
What are you babbling about now? He didn't drop out of the Giro due to fatigue, he crashed and had a swollen elbow.
Yeah, I wouldn't consider him a medal favourite at this point if he can't beat Lampaert who I think has only one pro TT win at the Tour de Suisse a couple years ago (other than Belgian nationals). On the other hand 50+km/h average is pretty good by Lampaert, maybe I'm being unfair to him. And Remco's form curve is clearly pointing upwards.
If I was Lampaert I think I would be pissed at not being picked for the Olympics, especially since it's probably his last chance.
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