Not possible to judge this right now. He's only 21 years old.Remco will never win a grand tour.
Very special rider though.
Not possible to judge this right now. He's only 21 years old.Remco will never win a grand tour.
Very special rider though.
The whole BeNeLux being annexed by Denmark.So, in the last two races he's done there has been a fire, and his competitors have been lead astray.
What will happen at Benelux Tour? Earthquake? Meteor-strike?
Would that necessarily have any impact on the race?The whole BeNeLux being annexed by Denmark.
He'd have to stop up and learn Danish.Would that necessarily have any impact on the race?
He would be allowed to wait until after the stage in question.He'd have to stop up and learn Danish.
I wish good luck to the national coaches, who'll have to get a lot of egos to work together in Leuven.The whole BeNeLux being annexed by Denmark.
And I thought just selecting among the Danes would be difficult enough!I wish good luck to the national coach, who has to get a lot of egos to work together in Leuven.
CrashSo, in the last two races he's done there has been a fire, and his competitors have been lead astray.
What will happen at Benelux Tour? Earthquake? Meteor-strike?
It will depend on whether they'll be limited to 8 or 9 riders.And I thought just selecting among the Danes would be difficult enough!
Or among the Belgians!
Or among the Dutch!
Not sure about the Luxembourgers.
Would be 8, surely. Unless we also annex France, which - I guess - was the original plan.It will depend on whether they'll be limited to 8 or 9 riders.
France can wait until later, just before next year's Tour.Would be 8, surely. Unless we also annex France, which - I guess - was the original plan.
If one of the BeNeLux riders wins the EC, wouldn't it be 9 then?Would be 8, surely. Unless we also annex France, which - I guess - was the original plan.
His form does indeed seem to be pre-incident level. If he can land a major victory during the end of the season races, I'm thinking Words and Lombardy, against top tier competition, then he should be back on track towards meeting the buildup/expectations that have accompanied his precocious career thus far.
He better stay away from that or there'll be consequences!
Don't worry. You're still the undisputed Word Champion in my heart.He better stay away from that or there'll be consequences!
Thank you! If he does try to challenge me, I might cut his rakes.Don't worry. You're still the undisputed Word Champion in my heart.
Nowadays, Evenepoel, even in good shape, has few chances to win a timetrial against Ganna (in good shape) and even against Van Aert on a flat course. In 2019 (Europeans) he has beaten Ganna on a flat course, but that wasn't the Ganna of 2021. Because Ganna has an important advantage in power and watts. But an Evenepoel in top shape, on a hilly course, could beat Ganna and other riders. On a difficult course, including real climbs, he doubtless would defeat Ganna. But not Pogacar and Roglic.Would guess he's a huge underdog vs Ganna in a pan flat ITT.
It's near impossible to take many conclusions from his last few results tbh. Even judging by his ITT results are they even really better than say his Giro prologue?
Now I mostly wonder what sort of hilly terrains are best suited for him and at what levels. I would guess it gets harder when you get Lombardia sized climbs cause the climbs basically dominate the racing situation whereas in Liege you might still find a weak spot in the domestiques on the flats.
He'll get marked much better at races like the Worlds though, and he's not gonna outkick anyone important uphill, so basically it takes one rider to neutralize him
A nice analysis that I can fully agree with.His form does indeed seem to be pre-incident level. If he can land a major victory during the end of the season races, I'm thinking Words and Lombardy, against top tier competition, then he should be back on track towards meeting the buildup/expectations that have accompanied his precocious career thus far.
I think some have been too quick to write him off as a grand tour contender, because on the one hand he entered his first Giro coming back too quickly from a major injury, without proper time to prepare and with no prior racing to boot. In hindsight that was pure folly, at least in terms of having any expactations for GC. Even so, after 10 stages Remco was lying second overall. It all went south after that, but, apart from bike handling issues, he simply didn't have the training/racing in his legs to maintain form. With a proper buildup, perhaps he will be good over three weeks. Time will tell.
On the other hand, as Remco faltered in his first grand tour, another youngster would go on to win his second consecutive Tour. All of a sudden, the Belgian looked like an amateur in comparison to Pogacar, but I don't think the final verdict is out on this account. The Slovenian has indeed set a very high bar and whatever the outcome a rivalry between them could be an epic history maker, which would be great for the sport.
Remco needs to prove himself in the high mountains in a grand tour and ultimately at the Tour, but I don't think his performance at this year's Giro gives a fair indication of whether or not he is capable. If he falters after having a proper buildup to a grand tour, then it will seem more unlikely that his qualities are cut out for GC. Although he is still so young that perhaps he just needs more time to mature into full potential. Not everyone progresses at the same rate.
I really like Ganna, but two years ago Evenepoel was a better time trialist. Then the Belgian got sertiously injured, whilst the Italian came into his own with the support of a state of the art preparation. I think we need to see after a couple of seasons, without injury, how things stand. Ganna has the physiscal prowess to become unbeatable in a TT, but will he limit himself to this specialty or will he also target other obectives that may diminish his purity against the clock?Nowadays, Evenepoel, even in good shape, has few chances to win a timetrial against Ganna (in good shape) and even against Van Aert on a flat course. In 2019 (Europeans) he has beaten Ganna on a flat course, but that wasn't the Ganna of 2021. Because Ganna has an important advantage in power and watts. But an Evenepoel in top shape, on a hilly course, could beat Ganna and other riders. On a difficult course, including real climbs, he doubtless would defeat Ganna. But not Pogacar and Roglic.