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

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I'd like an official statement from the team though. Today he lost 7 minutes again. Clearly something is wrong, or is he just saving himself for the final ITT? Unless he thinks he can podium there, i don't see the point in that.

There were two stageraces where he wanted to see how he would do against top contenders, UAE and Romandie. Both down the drain due to crashes caused by the race organization.

 

[yaco]

How did UAE cause Evanopoel's crash ?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re:

How did UAE cause Evanopoel's crash ?

IIRC it was an official motorbike that stopped on the wrong side of the road that he crashed into.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

I'd like an official statement from the team though. Today he lost 7 minutes again. Clearly something is wrong, or is he just saving himself for the final ITT? Unless he thinks he can podium there, i don't see the point in that.

There were two stageraces where he wanted to see how he would do against top contenders, UAE and Romandie. Both down the drain due to crashes caused by the race organization.

Its not really important. First off, he won't win or even come close to winning against this field, so a top-10 or top-15 or whatever is really not a big deal. He can still get to compare himself on the two last crucial stages, the hard MTF and the ITT and show that kind of level that we want to see despite the timeloss.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Assuming there is no physical problem. That's what i'd like to know.

 

[Jancouver]

He lost time today because he wants to pull a DeGendt® on Saturday and without those extra minutes, he would not be allowed into the breakaway.

 

[Panda Claws]

Re:

I'd like an official statement from the team though.

Not good to put even more pressure on him by drawing attention to it in my opinion.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re: Re:

I'd like an official statement from the team though.

Not good to put even more pressure on him by drawing attention to it in my opinion.

I'm not talking about a press release. But if they can tell the media that he can show himself, test himself every chance they get, they can also let us know what's going on when it's not going as planned. I'll settle for a tweet. Especially if it's due to that crash.

 

[SafeBet]

Re: Re:

Jesus the pressure on the poor kid ....if on here is anything to go by
Wish he stayed amateur a few more years and didnt have these expectations on himas so young an age

If people dont let up he may never win big races

I'm positively surprised by how Remco is doing in his first year as a pro. He's been consistent in all of the races he has raced, which is outstanding at such a young age.

That being said, coping with pressure at young age should be expected from elite athletes. They all endure this at some stage of their careers. Michael Phelps was touted to become the greatest swimmer ever when he was 16. LeBron James featured on Sports Illustrated cover as a high schooler. And there are many other examples.

If he can't do it (and mind, I really have no idea wether this is the case) he better learn soon.

I dont know what you were doing at 19 ...I was at uni ,concentrating on having a ball and where I could, getting money to go drinking...I certainly wasnot carrying the expectation of a nation that I was going to be as good if not better than the greatest cyclist ever

Yes all sportsmen need to handle pressure but in good time and after they have had time to mature away from the spotlight

I'm not saying it's fair.
But it's what most child prodigies have to endure (in sports like in many other fields). The ability to handle pressure is a crucial skill for their future success.

Back to the race, I don't think there's anything particularly shocking in his performance here. We all knew Romandie is a race of a different caliber compared to San Juan and Turkey. Might be for the crash, but he's struggling. Which is a good learning experience.

 

[Salvarani]

Why would they make a press release during a race or make tweet about it? Especially if he has set a target for upcoming stages, and is feeling fine.

"I MUST KNOW WHY HE LOST 7 MINUTES"

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I specifically said i was not talking about a pressrelease
But when a rider that has brought them immense amounts of buzz, who was supposed to ride for GC as his big test, loses 17 minutes, i think it wouldn't hurt to give some feedback, especially if he's feeling fine.

 

[Salvarani]

I said press release and tweet... I also didnt quote you specifically. I just added to the conversation in the thread that was going on.

Information will probably be given after the race anyway and not during.

Things dont always go to plan. Crash and a puncture probably shifted the target from GC, to going for a stage and riding a strong ITT in the end.

No need to be demanding information in that way or that it should be given when everything dont work out

Even though it SEEMS to be a special rider with a lot potential, that people are very interested to follow and see his results.

If he is feeling really good then better to be coy about it so he could have really good day? And if he is not feeling good why openly say it. Better to wait after the race and say it, if questioned about the race in an interview.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Haven't seen anybody here, that was "demanding" anything. I just think that it's funny that there were months (especially in Belgium) were media was reporting what Remco had for breakfast every day and what his favorite color is (as a manner of speaking), but now both the team and the media apparently can't be bothered to give (/ask) some feedback why he lost 17 minutes. That's all. And i'm certainly not saying he can't have a bad day, or change his plans or that he has to live up to certain expectations.

 

[Bolder]

Re:

I specifically said i was not talking about a pressrelease
But when a rider that has brought them immense amounts of buzz, who was supposed to ride for GC as his big test, loses 17 minutes, i think it wouldn't hurt to give some feedback, especially if he's feeling fine.

Agree 100 percent. It's a typical PR miscalculation -- it only invites speculation when there's no information given out.

 

[Mavic]

Remco seems to have a hard time staying upright, was involved in a crash again. We can forget about Romandie being the race where he can show his full potential

 

[Jancouver]

Re:

Remco seems to have a hard time staying upright, was involved in a crash again. We can forget about Romandie being the race where he can show his full potential

He is new to cycling and having the physical talent and a big engine does not automatically translate into success.

For some reason, he reminds me of the gold Olympic medal speedskater Sablikova.

During small races, she would simply ride away from the field and would TT to the finish line with several minutes advantage. She was also capable of training with male pros in high mountains without getting dropped and everyone had high expectations because of her physical ability.

Unfortunately, she didn't know how to ride a bike very well and crashed too many times including the WC road race. She gave up on bike racing soon after.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

https://sporza.be/nl/2019/05/04/evenepoel-ik-heb-deze-week-vooral-wat-pech-gehad/

https://sporza.be/nl/2019/05/04/van-slycke-evenepoel-heeft-de-test-heel-goed-doorstaan/

Bad luck, two crashes, legs not a 100% but improving. Team is happy with what they are seeing (which we can not see on tv). The level is very high, still learning a lot (and paying for mistakes).

 

[Big Doopie]

15th today.

very respectable.

and even good considering he was in the break all day yesterday.

 

[Salvarani]

15th was really good today.

 

[Jancouver]

Seems like the next "Merckx" is not living up to the hype. Let's hope that his disappointing Romandie was only a temporary setback related to his crashes.

Truthfully, if injuries did not somehow limit him, even the 15th place at the TT was disappointing to me.

At least, based on all the previous hype related to his TT capabilities.

... but perhaps, this TT was not suited to his "diesel engine," and the wind was again blowing in the wrong direction.

 

[movingtarget]

He's only been on the world tour for three months and the Eddy comparisons were tongue in cheek..........I hope.

 

[Merckx index]

Re:

even the 15th place at the TT was disappointing to me.

He finished 7 seconds slower than the defending TDF champion, who was fighting for a podium spot.

 

[Mavic]

Re:

Seems like the next "Merckx" is not living up to the hype. Let's hope that his disappointing Romandie was only a temporary setback related to his crashes.

Truthfully, if injuries did not somehow limit him, even the 15th place at the TT was disappointing to me.

At least, based on all the previous hype related to his TT capabilities.

... but perhaps, this TT was not suited to his "diesel engine," and the wind was again blowing in the wrong direction.

This would be true if people actually took the Merckx comparisons seriously and not for what it was intended to be; tongue-in-cheek. Those comparisons were grounded in the fact that he was unstoppable on junior level with unprecedented winning margins. Thus, one can understand the level of hype that goes along with it, especially in a cycling-crazy nation like Belgium. However, from what I've read on here the comparisons with the cannibal have been nuanced on several occasions though it might not reflect popular opinion.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Re: Re:

It would have been better if his TTing and climbing had been on a somewhat more similar level in this race, but they were seemingly miles apart.

His schedule as per PCS:

24.05 Hammer Stavanger
more
28.05 Tour of Norway
more
07.06 Hammer Limburg
more
12.06 Baloise Belgium Tour

Not much to look forward to, for those who are primarily interested in his climbing. No big climbs in any of those races, of course.

 

[Salvarani]

I never expected any big results this year.

Next year though.