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

[lenric]

so, claiming he'd win a Giro without having proved nothing on a GT seemed a bit of an exaggeration.

 

[topt]

What is even stranger, the overwhelming majority of his time loss was when Alaphilippe was pacing him up the climb. He was dangling just off the back prior to that. Maybe Alap hurt more than helped today?

this excuse is the best one yet, keep it coming guys; its also not true

 

[Netserk]

I think even his Zoncolan effort was way better, 2 weeks into the Giro. Today he got dropped early on a much shorter climb by no-names.

It was certainly weird that he let go on the first ascent.

 

[Red Rick]

I think even his Zoncolan effort was way better, 2 weeks into the Giro. Today he got dropped early on a much shorter climb by no-names.

Maybe. Bernal was 6.1 IIRC.

Andalucia this year looked a lot better than this even if the W estimates there were hilariously low

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

so, claiming he'd win a Giro without having proved nothing on a GT seemed a bit of an exaggeration.

Based on today? He finished 7 minutes ahead of that Giro winner who had ''proved nothing'' himself.

 

[Netserk]

Thought he was 1:30 down at the top of the second climb and 2 min behind at 1 lap to go?

We saw him at the top of the first ascent and over the finish line both times (well, all three). We didn't see him over the second ascent. Ignoring Simmons and Bilbao the gaps were:

First finish line: 0'00''
First KOM banner: 1'02''
Second finish line: 1'30''
Second KOM banner: ???
Third finish line: 4'01''

 

[Lequack]

I think the cold got to him, and Lopez as well. Still fought good.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1502704162756337670

View: https://twitter.com/EvenepoelRemco/status/1502704162756337670

 

[Ilmaestro99]

I'm sure he can win plenty of Baloisse Belgium Tours, Volta Algarves and Tour of Polands.

But he is not a gc rider on proper stage races, even if he has the ego of one.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

We saw him at the top of the first ascent and over the finish line both times (well, all three). We didn't see him over the second ascent. Ignoring Simmons and Bilbao the gaps were:

First finish line: 0'00''
First KOM banner: 1'02''
Second finish line: 1'30''
Second KOM banner: ???
Third finish line: 4'01''

GPS time seemed quite accurate, looking back. At the top of the 2nd Carpegna, he was ~2m30s behind the group Vingegaard/Landa. So he lost 1m the first time and 1m30 the second time on the best, Pogacar excluded. Everytime we got a glimps of his group after Ala had dropped, he was pacing and working. He wasn't dangling at the back. He then proceeded to drop them at one point, i assume after the descent, and rode away. So he did lose more time during the second ascent but i think we might know more if we had the actual climbing times.

Very peculiar.

 

[Netserk]

We saw him at the top of the first ascent and over the finish line both times (well, all three). We didn't see him over the second ascent. Ignoring Simmons and Bilbao the gaps were:

First finish line: 0'00''
First KOM banner: 1'02''
Second finish line: 1'30''
Second KOM banner: ???
Third finish line: 4'01''

Pogi	Vingegaard	Evenepoel
First KOM banner	+0'00''	+1'02''
Finish line, second time	+0'00''	+1'30''
15 km to go, halfway of second ascent	+0'33''	+2'54''
Second KOM banner	+1'27''	(4'19'', according to GPS)
Finish	+1'03''	+4'01''

 

[Netserk]

GPS time seemed quite accurate, looking back. At the top of the 2nd Carpegna, he was ~2m30s behind the group Vingegaard/Landa. So he lost 1m the first time and 1m30 the second time on the best, Pogacar excluded. Everytime we got a glimps of his group after Ala had dropped, he was pacing and working. He wasn't dangling at the back. He then proceeded to drop them at one point, i assume after the descent, and rode away. So he did lose more time during the second ascent but i think we might know more if we had the actual climbing times.

Very peculiar.

The GPS seemed within 5-10 seconds for Evenepoel, but it was quite unreliable for Vingegaard.

For the estimate of the gap at the second KOM banner, you should use the GPS time for when Evenepoel were expected at the top (that was 4'19''), not when Pogi was there.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

@Netserk His Strava shows he was 21s faster the second time on the last 5k section of the climb ''Cippo da tornante 1 a 22.''

EDIT: he also has the KOM on the 2nd part of the descent

Tirreno stage 6 🥴 | Strava

View Remco Evenepoel's ride on March 12, 2022 | Strava

www.strava.com

this excuse is the best one yet, keep it coming guys; its also not true

Except that it is true.

 

[Netserk]

@Netserk His Strava shows he was 21s faster the second time on the last 5k section of the climb ''Cippo da tornante 1 a 22.''

Tirreno stage 6 🥴 | Strava

View Remco Evenepoel's ride on March 12, 2022 | Strava

www.strava.com

Except that it is true.

With some assumptions then:

Carpegna, ammattipyoraily's segment:	Pogi	Vingegaard's group	Evenepoel
First ascent	20'53''	20'53''	21'55''
Second ascent	18'46''	20'13''	21'34''

Which I think matches well with the hand clocked time gaps. And it makes the GPS time seem quite correct for Evenepoel.

 

[Flurk1982]

Just a bad day at the office + cold.

He's just 22 and this was only his 3rd WT GC. Too early to judge his climbing abilities. We'll know more after the vuelta.

 

[Mayomaniac]

It was certainly weird that he let go on the first ascent.

I think once he was gapped it was also a bit of a mental blow and he took some time to digest it and keep pushing to limit his losses after realizing that he wouldn't be fighting for the win rather early.
I have some doubts about Quickstep being the right team to develop a young gc rider (they did a good job with Mas, I have to say that), but let's wait until the Vuelta is over.

 

[Red Rick]

Seems to me that the first climb was fast enough to take the legs of the Vingo group while Pog recovered from it much more easily. Seems to be Pogs thing honestly.

 

[hayneplane]

A lot of good things today despite the bad result. Most impressed that mentally he didn’t let go and was still driving all the way to the line overtaking at least 25 riders who were still in the group or break when he was dropped. TGH dropped at almost exactly the same time and finished a further 7 and a half minutes back.

climbing the 2nd ascent faster than the first showed he managed his effort ok but just didn’t have what was needed today.

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

Eddy Merckx is often considered the best cyclist ever. Merckx himself says about Pogacar that Pogacar is the new Merckx.

Eddy Merckx also scolded Remco Evenepoel many times. According to Merckx, Remco gets too much money, is hyped too much, and is just a mediocre bike racer.

After today, one can understand Merckx: Pogacar was the best of the best, and Remco was so much slower.

Remco is so much weaker than Pogacar that I fear that Remco will never win big, important races…

 

[gregrowlerson]

Maybe he's just not the next Eddy Merckx. Just a young lad who is good at some races and not so good at others.

Maybe. But we'll never really know just how much Lomardia crash took away from him, will we?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Just a bad day at the office + cold.

He's just 22 and this was only his 3rd WT GC. Too early to judge his climbing abilities. We'll know more after the vuelta.

Interestingly Pogacar at 22 had won... well lets stop there

Also, this is Arensman 2nd time he tries a world tour GC and he's in 6th. (after previously 11th or something in Romandie).. and he's 22 as well. Makes you think. Evenepoel is a much better rider, much much much better, but it does seem he has little too much offdays in WT class climbing stages

 

[gregrowlerson]

Suffering in the cold?

These Simon Spilak comparisons make me sick.

 

[lenric]

Based on today? He finished 7 minutes ahead of that Giro winner who had ''proved nothing'' himself.

Also based on today.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Nah, Remco proper still.

 

[Open Horizon]

I consider today's events far more concerning than any of his previous letdowns.

Last month's gravel climb in the Tour of Valencia. His bleak return to Lombardia. His slow-motion implosion at the Giro. Even the 2020 Lombardia crash -- each disappointment was expertly framed by a soothing narrative. About Bad luck. Recovery. Improvement. Hope. Better preparation. Finetuning. Potential. Mental lessons. Getting used to gravel. Dangerous descents. Bike handling.. Youth. Eagerness. More time.

But today, I sense something different among many cyclist followers and even his fans. It's the dawning realization: this is what it is.

 

[topt]

@Netserk His Strava shows he was 21s faster the second time on the last 5k section of the climb ''Cippo da tornante 1 a 22.''

EDIT: he also has the KOM on the 2nd part of the descent

Tirreno stage 6 🥴 | Strava

View Remco Evenepoel's ride on March 12, 2022 | Strava

www.strava.com

Except that it is true.

"the overwhelming majority of his time loss was when Alaphilippe was pacing him up the climb"
Give me a break