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

[42x16ss]

The annoying thing is that when he then finishes on the podium, people who write stuff like this beforehand never acknowledge that they were wrong (apart from Ilmaestro and his LBL win) and instead just carry on and probably find other faults with him instead.

The guy is a pure bulldozer, there is absolutely no reason that he shouldn't be able to win this race.

If I'm wrong I'm more than happy to admit it, you can even save the link to this quote for posterity if you don't believe me.

Evenepoel is already a fantastic rider, but it takes a phenomenon to finish on the podium the first time you complete a GT. He's probably physiologically capable, but even his one day wins don't show a rider who is ruthless and conservative enough to truly contend over 3 weeks... Yet.

 

[Extinction]

Nobody is denying his talent, just the ability to race 21 consecutive GT stages. He still doesn't have that racing in his legs. Sure, Pogacar came third in his first GT but Nobody genuinely expected close to that.

I will be very, very surprised if Evenepoel finishes on the podium of this Vuelta, if he completes the race my prediction is 8-12 with a stage win or two.

Wait and see. And I never said he'd finish on the podium, but only tried to explain, with legitimate reasons, why he is considered amongst the favorites. Of course he could have a bad day and loose massive time at some point in the race. Only time will tell, but even so at 22 he still has a whole career to chase his dream of winning a GT. Not every rider explodes on the GT scene like Bernal, Pogacar or even now Vingegaard. And only time will tell for them too whether or not they shall dominate the Tour for the next decade. Whatever the case, I'm willing to go out on a limb and say if he is with the best on Thursday and smashes the TT he'll fight for victory in Madrid.

PS. Indurain was 27 when he won his first Tour. Totally different career trajectory, I realize, however, the point is that Evenepoel still has years ahead if necessary to develope into a GT winner. Although if QS prooves inept at preparing him for GT victory or can't build a team fit for the task, he may end up having to go elsewhere.

 

[Extinction]

If I'm wrong I'm more than happy to admit it, you can even save the link to this quote for posterity if you don't believe me.

Evenepoel is already a fantastic rider, but it takes a phenomenon to finish on the podium the first time you complete a GT. He's probably physiologically capable, but even his one day wins don't show a rider who is ruthless and conservative enough to truly contend over 3 weeks... Yet.

That's a fair analysis. In fact we don't know if he has the third week in him, however, there is no reason (unless he simply doesn't) why a rider of his talent would not. Perhaps not yet, as you inquire, but in 2 or 3 years of development why not? At any rate, even his team has officially approached the race with this very unknown and is waiting to see where he is on GC deep in the race to make final plans.

 

[Extinction]

It might be better for his development if he top 5s rather than wins.
The Belgian press will heep an absurd amount of pressure on him to go to the tour and compete withTP and JV, and they are different beasts entirely.

I can't help but jibe that your analysis here is totally in keeping with your avatar name. Even if you are probably right. I don't think, however, Patrick is so stupid as to think that if he wins this Vuelta they bring him to next year's Tour for the win, but with further development in mind.

 

[tobydawq]

Yeah there's deffo a lot of arguing in bad faith in this thread.

Oh, please stop this habit of yours.

Especially considering you're the forum's worst perpetrator in this regard when you always tell us how crap most races will be because of their design, yet when proven wrong, there's never an "Oh, I guess it wasn't too bad after all" to see from you.

 

[42x16ss]

Wait and see. And I never said he'd finish on the podium, but only tried to explain, with legitimate reasons, why he is considered amongst the favorites. Of course he could have a bad day and loose massive time at some point in the race. Only time will tell, but even so at 22 he still has a whole career to chase his dream of winning a GT. Not every rider explodes on the GT scene like Bernal, Pogacar or even now Vingegaard. And only time will tell for them too whether or not they shall dominate the Tour for the next decade. Whatever the case, I'm willing to go out on a limb and say if he is with the best on Thursday and smashes the TT he'll fight for victory in Madrid.

PS. Indurain was 27 when he won his first Tour. Totally different career trajectory, I realize, however, the point is that Evenepoel still has years ahead if necessary to develope into a GT winner. Although if QS prooves inept at preparing him for GT victory or can't build a team fit for the task, he may end up having to go elsewhere.

I'll be astounded if Evenepoel pans out never winning a GT in his career, just not yet.

 

[spalco]

However, no under-23, no Tour d'Avenir, no Baby Giro, in other words, no parameter to judge GT potential.

Neither of those races has a particular great record in predicting GT winners, races like Romandie and Algarve probably have more future GT winners in their winners' list (I'm too lazy too cross-check).

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Neither of those races has a particular great record in predicting GT winners, races like Romandie and Algarve probably have more future GT winners in their winners' list (I'm too lazy too cross-check).

Back in the day Avenir was not restricted by age iirc. You could have 28 year olds competing with 19 year olds. Not sure when exactly it changed, but looking at the winners since 2000, you have Mensjov, Quintana, Bernal, Pogacar. Then there is also Lopez, Chaves, Mollema, Gaudu. Expanding to top 10 finishers, you also get names like Hindley, Arensman, Almeida, Van Wilder, Lambrecht, Vlasov, Hart, Haig, Oomen, G Martin, De Plus, Latour, Buchmann, Yates twin, Konrad, Formolo, Cattaneo, Barguil, Bardet, Kelderman, Caruso...

But recently, the Norwegian winners took their final chance in the U23 before being too old to compete, in order to beat contenders up to 3 years younger than them. In that case (as big talents leave u23 sooner) i don't think it's that much of a reference when you win as a 22 year old against 18 and 19 year olds.

 

[red_flanders]

I think that was quite a good result today. Lost no time, never was going to compete with the group in a sprint like that.

 

[Big Doopie]

I think that was quite a good result today. Lost no time, never was going to compete with the group in a sprint like that.

yup, a little unclear what the plan was there.

which QS rider came up on the left hoping to bring up Loulou? it looked like remco but a few of them do look alike. then the rider saw that Loulou couldn't follow and they dropped through fairly precipitately. however, then remco seemed to come back up on the right to the finish. so was that remco initially or vanwilder or...?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

yup, a little unclear what the plan was there.

which QS rider came up on the left hoping to bring up Loulou? it looked like remco but a few of them do look alike. then the rider saw that Loulou couldn't follow and they dropped through fairly precipitately. however, then remco seemed to come back up on the right to the finish. so was that remco initially or vanwilder or...?

Van Wilder.

Ilan has a sharper chin, straighter shoulders and usually is leaning over his handlebars like a cat ready to jump on its prey while climbing.
He has bib 137. Remco has 134.

Sometimes they have different colored shades as well, but i haven't checked that yet.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Van Wilder.

Ilan has a sharper chin, straighter shoulders and usually is leaning over his handlebars like a cat ready to jump on its prey while climbing.
He has bib 137. Remco has 134.

Sometimes they have different colored shades as well, but i haven't checked that yet.

So Remco just dieseled it up taking 7 seconds from the Portuguese Diesel?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

So Remco just dieseled it up taking 7 seconds from the Portuguese Diesel?

The climb was long enough for Almeida to get dropped, but too short to get back.

 

[Sciatic]

The climb was long enough for Almeida to get dropped, but too short to get back.

Perfect

 

[red_flanders]

So Remco just dieseled it up taking 7 seconds from the Portuguese Diesel?

I think Remco has gotten a fair bit quicker than he was in his first year or two. Don't think he's going to be winning any uphill sprints against the top guys, but clearly he can hang when on form. I was surprised by his sprint in Norway. I think he's just really strong right now which makes him less tired and finishing much easier. Seeing him up in the first group today I think is a great result.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

 

[Riek s]

Marginal gaines


He and van Wilder were ok, the other teammembers dropped the ball a bit. Hopefully Julian will grow a bit in the Vuelta, because QS seemed to hope he could minimize the boni seconds for Roglic.

Personally i think Remco was a bit too far back on the climb, but maybe the narrow finish with lots of shoulder banging is not something Remco enjoys.

 

[Big Doopie]

Van Wilder.

Ilan has a sharper chin, straighter shoulders and usually is leaning over his handlebars like a cat ready to jump on its prey while climbing.
He has bib 137. Remco has 134.

Sometimes they have different colored shades as well, but i haven't checked that yet.

so was it also van wilder who attacked the downhill so aggressively?

the commentators seemed to think it was remco though they also were kind of "general" in their commentary.

i kinda hope it was not remco on the downhill and that he had taken a strict tactic not to put his nose in the wind at all today...

 

[red_flanders]

What the hell is this?

so was it also van wilder who attacked the downhill so aggressively?

the commentators seemed to think it was remco though they also were kind of "general" in their commentary.

i kinda hope it was not remco on the downhill and that he had taken a strict tactic not to put his nose in the wind at all today...

Pretty sure that was Remco. I think he's feeling it right now, and it's gonna be hard to hold him back. Tomorrow makes for some interesting choices. Seems built for a Remco attack, but is it too soon?

 

[Frobisher Bay]

DQS not helping Remco today I think. They tried to bet on Alaphilippe for the stage win (which was in my eyes always impossible given his recent COVID-issues just after his comeback). Van Wilder coming to the front without Evenepoel in his wheel was also a weird thing to see. If they can bring him to the front in the last 500 metres, he's certainly top-5. Nevertheless not really any harm done, but they need to tune down Alaphilippe's ambitions or Remco will be isolated too soon. Also, the best rider in the peloton Masnada was nowhere to be seen.

 

[Prim]

so was it also van wilder who attacked the downhill so aggressively?

the commentators seemed to think it was remco though they also were kind of "general" in their commentary.

i kinda hope it was not remco on the downhill and that he had taken a strict tactic not to put his nose in the wind at all today...

I´m pretty sure it was Remco who was in front on the descent and Ilan that advanced quite hard on the right side on the tv pictures at the start of the final climb.

 

[peterfin]

From his interview with Sporza:

Remco Evenepoel summed up the 4th day of the Vuelta. "I didn't lose a second. Or at least: bonuses, but that's the fate of a big round."
"I don't attach too much importance to it. I would also have preferred bonuses, but you can't want everything in life. The most important thing is that I didn't lose extra seconds."
"It was a kilometer uphill: intensive and specific. I hadn't trained for that for a long time. But I just had to keep up with it and not lose any time."
"Behind me there was also a hole (7"). That is the danger of such an arrival. I think the mission was accomplished."
"We wanted to win with Julian (Alaphilippe), but if you don't have the legs anymore... It was warm and the riding was fast. It was certainly not an easy day and that can weigh on the coming days. An ice bath was welcome."
In the descent after the last mountain, Evenepoel took command. "We were there after that sprint anyway and we knew it was fast and technical."
"Then you are better at the front. At the back you have to sprint and accelerate, at the front you lose less energy. I was just safe there."

 

[Riek s]

tried so see remco before roglic attacked, and he isn't even in the top20 by then.

The first shot he is seen is when roglic is at the front and he is barely on screen, seems to be at the back of that group. So i think he needed to close the gap between the two groups that was their before...

remarkable he still made it 8th.. he came from behind yates and co

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

so was it also van wilder who attacked the downhill so aggressively?

the commentators seemed to think it was remco though they also were kind of "general" in their commentary.

i kinda hope it was not remco on the downhill and that he had taken a strict tactic not to put his nose in the wind at all today...

You could see the plate on his bike with number 134. It's possible at the beginning of the descent it was Van Wilder and Evenepoel took over, but i don't think so.

 

[peterfin]

The group was breaking up during the decent with a guy crashing so while Remco played it safe, he didn't really spare his legs for the final km either. He went clearly all out for Julian (for the win and bonies).