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

[LesDiablesRouges]

As for winning the 2020 Giro. I think it's also hard to ignore that the two biggest favorites went home after a crash and COVID respectively.

Neither were favorites. I have no idea why people keep perpetuating the idea that Kruijswijk or Geraint are/were legitimate grand tour contenders.

Kruiswijk = Bobby Julich
Thomas = guy whom won because he was in the form of his life and his team was well beyond any other team.

 

[DoYouEvenRideBruh]

In honour of the constant flame wars going on here, I propose we rename the thread to The Flamenco Evenepoel thread:



Sorry, this was just my attempt at lightening up the mood.

 

[ppanther92]

i am one who actually thinks remco would have walked away with the giro in 2020 without the crash, and I still think that would have happened. he was in perfect shape, dominating TTs and had the base. there was absolutely no evidence that he would not be a great GC rider.

however, once the accident happened -- and it was no joke -- everything should have been recalibrated, everything. all effort should have been simply on slowly recovering what was lost. with absolutely no other expectations.

the only reason that this year has been disappointing is because it was 1. mismanaged and 2. because nothing was done to lessen expectations. many are taking this year's performance as being Remco's ceiling as opposed to realizing that he is way under 2020 and arguably under 2019 when he rode away from everyone in San Sebastian and finished second in the worlds ITT. His present performances have absolutely no relation to what he was doing at age 20 or even 19.

this is not his natural progression. this is the natural regression from a horribly mismanaged recovery.

Agree largely (although less sold on if he would indeed have already won the Giro in 2020).

 

[lenric]

Still don’t quite understand how people can believe a guy who has never ridden a gt (last year) could very well win one, even when he hasn’t won by now a dauphine, paris-nice or whatever, but I guess remco is kind of a religious topic, so this thread resembles discussions about faith.

 

[Valanga]

Still don’t quite understand how people can believe a guy who has never ridden a gt (last year) could very well win one, even when he hasn’t won by now a dauphine, paris-nice or whatever, but I guess remco is kind of a religious topic, so this thread resembles discussions about faith.

It's the vicious Remco circle.

Then you dig deeper and deeper and end up with 251 pages before he has even unleashed his full potential. However big that may be ;-)

 

[red_flanders]

Still don’t quite understand how people can believe a guy who has never ridden a gt (last year) could very well win one, even when he hasn’t won by now a dauphine, paris-nice or whatever, but I guess remco is kind of a religious topic, so this thread resembles discussions about faith.

The faith comment is silly and trollish. Every rider who won their first GT had never won one before. Some not having won the Dauphine or Paris-Nice. It’s not unreasonable for people to think a rider who won every stage race he entered last year was a top candidate for a GT win later that same year.

Not unreasonable to disagree with that view either. Not one bit. But calling it faith is just an attempt at an insult and gets the discussion nowhere.

 

[BigCoward]

Neither were favorites. I have no idea why people keep perpetuating the idea that Kruijswijk or Geraint are/were legitimate grand tour contenders.

Kruiswijk = Bobby Julich
Thomas = guy whom won because he was in the form of his life and his team was well beyond any other team.

Because Thomas had just done an excellent WCTT and when he rides Grand Tours and doesn't crash/actually finishes he normally does very well.

 

[Andre]

João Almeida has signed with UAE. Personally I don't like the move, as I was hoping that he would be a good domestique for Remco.

 

[Pinot's goat]

Neither were favorites. I have no idea why people keep perpetuating the idea that Kruijswijk or Geraint are/were legitimate grand tour contenders.

Kruiswijk = Bobby Julich
Thomas = guy whom won because he was in the form of his life and his team was well beyond any other team.

Thomas has literally won the TDF and finished 2nd as well, how was he not a legitimate grand tour contender? In the 2018 TDF he was undroppable and in the 2019 he would of won again if not for that early crash (often the issue with him) which he did not fully recover from.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Because Thomas had just done an excellent WCTT and when he rides Grand Tours and doesn't crash/actually finishes he normally does very well.

I’m still amazed he finished 15th overall and only a couple seconds back when he crashed into a pole on a descent in 2015 I think.

 

[tobydawq]

I’m still amazed he finished 15th overall and only a couple seconds back when he crashed into a pole on a descent in 2015 I think.

But that wasn't really what broke him, was it? The crash was on stage 16 on the infamous descent to Gap. He did ride the following two mountain stages without weaknesses until he finally cracked on the stage to La Toussuire (stage 19).

 

[SHAD0W93]

But that wasn't really what broke him, was it? The crash was on stage 16 on the infamous descent to Gap. He did ride the following two mountain stages without weaknesses until he finally cracked on the stage to La Toussuire (stage 19).

I don't remember the specifics, I just remember him crashing into the pole hard and thinking he was going to lose a lot of time and injured bad but he was only like 20 seconds back.

 

[Rackham]

Neither were favorites. I have no idea why people keep perpetuating the idea that Kruijswijk or Geraint are/were legitimate grand tour contenders.

Kruiswijk = Bobby Julich
Thomas = guy whom won because he was in the form of his life and his team was well beyond any other team.

The (logical) assumption is the fact G Thomas is a stronger rider than Tao Geoghegan Hart, whether it's this year or last October. Ergo without crashing, it's also not a stretch to believe he would have finished ahead of his own teammate.

So it's not a question of whether G Thomas has (had) to be in the form of his life like in the 2018 Tour to win last year's Giro, but whether he could beat TGH & Hindley.

I say yes.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

The (logical) assumption is the fact G Thomas is a stronger rider than Tao Geoghegan Hart, whether it's this year or last October. Ergo without crashing, it's also not a stretch to believe he would have finished ahead of his own teammate.

So it's not a question of whether G Thomas has (had) to be in the form of his life like in the 2018 Tour to win last year's Giro, but whether he could beat TGH & Hindley.

I say yes.

Except that he literally can't stop crashing. Geraint has achieved a lot, but people need to be realistic.

 

[Red Rick]

Except that he literally can't stop crashing. Geraint has achieved a lot, but people need to be realistic.

The difference between Evenepoel and Thomas > Evenepoel doesn't crash in hypotheticals.

 

[lenric]

The faith comment is silly and trollish. Every rider who won their first GT had never won one before. Some not having won the Dauphine or Paris-Nice. It’s not unreasonable for people to think a rider who won every stage race he entered last year was a top candidate for a GT win later that same year.

You should have read better what I wrote, which was that he has never ridden a gt until this year, not that he has never “won” one.
Apart from that, whatever suits your faith, don’t really care.

 

[red_flanders]

You should have read better what I wrote, which was that he has never ridden a gt until this year, not that he has never “won” one.
Apart from that, whatever suits your faith, don’t really care.

I suggest re-reading what I wrote, and your post to which I was responding. Maybe a careful re-read will help your confusion. Good luck.

 

[lenric]

I suggest re-reading what I wrote, and your post to which I was responding. Maybe a careful re-read will help your confusion. Good luck.

I'm not emotional about Remco, so I'm not the one confused.
Either way, luck must be wished for Remco and I'll triple that wish of yours, as Pogacar will need competition over the next few years and faith alone won't create another competitor apart from Roglic.
If that guy will be Evenepoel then I'll be quite happy, as I find his personality refreshing.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

It seems to me that the Bennett situation - where it now looks as if great pressure was put on him to ride the Tour injured - might cast some new light on Evenepoel‘s comeback.

 

[Open Horizon]

I don't think so. Lefevre didn't have to push Remco anywhere; Evenepoel showed more than enough eagerness and over-confidence of his own.

Then again, if I had my own PR-manager here posting daily treatises about my supreme abilities, perhaps I'd start to belief in my self a bit too much as well.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Anyone else think the team is a overly cautious about Evenepoel's GC chances in Denmark?

"We'll take it day by day" (paraphrased)

lmao, who are you kidding?

His TT at the Olympics was more than fine - especially on the flat, but now he's supposedly a question mark for the GC in freaking Denmark. Sorry, not buying it. Not saying he'll necessarily win this one, but come on now. A podium is almost a given.

 

[Tinnekeisabella]

Anyone else think the team is a overly cautious about Evenepoel's GC chances in Denmark?

"We'll take it day by day" (paraphrased)

lmao, who are you kidding?

His TT at the Olympics was more than fine - especially on the flat, but now he's supposedly a question mark for the GC in freaking Denmark. Sorry, not buying it. Not saying he'll necessarily win this one, but come on now. A podium is almost a given.

I think it has to do with the profile of the race. Basically all flat stages with only a 10 km TT at the end.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

Surely he's one of the favourites for next years Giro if he wins this monster.

 

[Tinnekeisabella]

Surely he's one of the favourites for next years Giro if he wins this monster.

I still think he should have done the Vuelta, mainly as training. Then he could def play a big role in the giro (if it has enough TTs.

 

[Red Rick]

I still think he should have done the Vuelta, mainly as training. Then he could def play a big role in the giro (if it has enough TTs.

Maybe, maybe not.

The main goal was the Olympics, and it's hard peaking for that en route to La Vuelta. It's not a training race either. What are you gonna do there?

He's mainly aiming for the Worlds it seems, but I wouldn't have minded seeing him in some more climbing races, though La Vuelta is very likely too much.

Also, for the Giro having enough ITTs, it depends much more on his climbing than the route. You need to be within ~2 minutes for 30km ITT more or less to make a huge difference.

Is he planning on doing the Italian fall classics?