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

[Dekker_Tifosi]

You'd generally be better off with a dad like Adri VdP who saw Mathieu's attacking and riding as 'playing', and just 'let him play'

When they get older they learn themselves some tactics or become so strong it doesn't matter. With Evenepoel it's clear he is just that strong, already.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re:

You'd generally be better off with a dad like Adri VdP who saw Mathieu's attacking and riding as 'playing', and just 'let him play'

When they get older they learn themselves some tactics or become so strong it doesn't matter. With Evenepoel it's clear he is just that strong, already.

Yes, we all agree. The question was that maybe the fact that Remco rides that way, is because he started racing so late. And didn't get "corrupted" by that way of thinking as a child. Which indeed made him discover his strengths.

 

[Flamin]

Re:

How is that different, lol.

Anyway, there are plenty of guys in that age bracket that ride tactically. Vacek for instance, sitting on the wheel, waiting and attacking in the final 1k. But whatever. You believe what you believe.

You don't see a difference between a) drilling a kid from young age to attack less and b) giving advice to a kid to try something else when it's getting more and more frustrated because he can't win while he is the best in the race? Okay then.

And no, we don't really all agree. You say he might race the way he does because he got late into cycling, while I (and some others here as well) say the main reason is that he is just THAT strong. Nothing to do with the lack of 'education'.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

*sigh* We all agree that it was a good thing that he got to race the way he did. Regardless of whether it had anything to do with getting taught not to attack like a mad man or not, or just starting late.

And no, there really is no difference in practice. Because any kid that starts racing will get frustrated at a certain point. Did you think Evenepoel's first year junior is filled with victories like his second year? And "drilled"... is rather relative. These kids usually watch pro racing, and they will talk with their father, brother, coach... about pro racing, and they will understand the benefits of racing tactically, it's just part of the way of thinking in many of these kids' environment.

 

[Flamin]

Chill out dude. With that we can agree, but that's not what you were saying and what I reacted to in the beginning. That's all.

Edit: ok, seems like you edited your post just now and dropped the attitude

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Ok, no problem. Came across like you were perposely missing the point. And to be clear, i do believe that him starting late does have something to do with it. I never said this is a stonecold fact, or that you have to agree.

 

[Flamin]

Re:

Ok, no problem. Came across like you were perposely missing the point. And to be clear, i do believe that him starting late does have something to do with it. I never said this is a stonecold fact, or that you have to agree.

Ah, no, of course not.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

He rides the way he does because it is his temperament and he has a below average sprint. Sure maybe he develops differently if he starts earlier but he’s never going to be confused as a rider who blows up his opponents with diabolical accelerations.

As has been seen he blows others up because he can ride at an extreme pace for long period of time. If he can develop some decent acceleration he can be more devastating as a rider.

As it stands know he’s like a one man train.

 

[Red Rick]

Gotta imagine there's a frantic chase to get his signature for 2021.

 

[Bonimenier]

Re:

Gotta imagine there's a frantic chase to get his signature for 2021.

Ineos probably gonna offer him a s***load of money, but I suppose he's gonna be a top priority for DQS.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Apparently he missed a corner in the Baloise Belgium Tour's ITT, and went slightly off-road for a bit. Considering he lost the ITT with 3 seconds, maybe that's where he lost it. The ITT i mean.

 

[hayneplane]

Does anyone know what his race schedule is for the next part of the season. Binckbank Tour seems well suited and the Italian hilly one day autumn classics could be good level of competition and broaden experience without pushing things too far in terms of number of race days

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Belgian nationals, but other than that, nothing has been decided last i heared.

I know the Belgian manager (Verbrughen) was considering taking him to the WC ITT. Personally, i think he should ride the U23 ITT (which he'd have a big chance of winning) once before going to the pro's. And i think something like the Tour of Poland would be good.

----------------------------

Anecdote, told by Marc Sergeant (Lotto DS) to Sporza, about how he messaged Lefevre to congratulate him on Evenepoel's win. There was some back and forth messaging, and Lefevre said to Sergeant "I don't think i've ever seen anything like it". To which Sergeant replied "I haven't seen anything like it".

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Re:

His results so far seem much more TT and rouleur heavy than anything else.

He's a steam engine, and he doesn't care if there is wind, or a mountain, he just powers through. It's the same way he climbs. He rides the exact same way uphill as how he killed Campenaerts on the semi flat. Puts his *** down, and starts pumping. But his results in UAE and Turkey don't lie. He goes uphill fast too. Don't worry. In the UAE tour, he got dropped very early in the climb, one of the first. And then he just set a pace, and passed maybe 80 or so riders (Porte, Nibali, Sivakov, Lambrecht...) and finished within one minute of Valverde & Gaudu, right behind Dumoulin & Kelderman.

They should put a sticker on his back "keep on trucking".

As good as his climbing was, there was a biggggggg difference between it and his "rouleur" abilities in that race. He was arguably the best rouleur of the bunch in UAE. Probably in Argentina as well.

Does anyone know what his race schedule is for the next part of the season. Binckbank Tour seems well suited and the Italian hilly one day autumn classics could be good level of competition and broaden experience without pushing things too far in terms of number of race days

BinckBank Tour? I hope not. IMO Norway + Belgium Tour is plenty in that regard for a rider who wants to develop into a GT contender / winner.

Today's Ardennes course will be interesting... to see how he performs vs. Wellens, but the result won't be terribly indicative of his GT GC potential, IMO.

Looking at the team's program I guess it's not unlikely that Turkey will have been his last race this season that featured a 1st category climb. Unless they somehow paved a dirt road in the Tatra mountains or whatever I don't think the Tour of Poland will bring it, either. Although it's obviously better than the stage races that feuature only hills instead of medium mountains...

Avenir would be good as an aside, IMO. I don't think he races too much, as he's clearly not getting any weaker. Only the Turkey + Romandie combo was a bit much.

 

[DNP-Old]

Where Jancouver at? Remco toying with Wellens as if he's an amateur as we speak.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Kept so incredibly cool, never a moment's doubt in his mind. Knows he can't follow that initial punch.

 

[Flamin]

It's so obvious when looking at his team mates, that Evenepoel is an amazing leader and highly respected. Capecchi died twice, dropped off the front and somehow fought his way back up to still put in some extra work. Also his hand gesture towards Evenepoel just before he swung off, was kind of remarkable, as if he was apologising.

Basically the whole team absolutely murdered themself for Remco.

 

[SafeBet]

Nobody who watched this stage will keep denying how special he is, right?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re:

Nobody who watched this stage will keep denying how special he is, right?

He won't even come close to the podium of a WT race! (And Turkey doesn't count!)
</Jancouver>

 

[Squire]

Re: Re:

Nobody who watched this stage will keep denying how special he is, right?

He won't even come close to the podium of a WT race! (And Turkey doesn't count!)
</Jancouver>

To be fair, in a proper WT race, there are several Wellenses who can outkick him and then cooperate to bury him. But yeah, he's quite amazing. I mean, this was within the range of possible scenarios for his first season, but definitely not what I most expected.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Kid has done nothing but impress all year. Even in Romandie, if only for his ITT.

 

[Red Rick]

Don't know how to rate Campenaerts in hilly road stages though, and Wellens is obviously not in great shape

We need the RaF climbing times.

 

[spalco]

Re:

Nobody who watched this stage will keep denying how special he is, right?

I mean I already thought he was special before, but yeah. He looked close to dropping Campenaert again today imo and he was clearly the strongest man on the road today. Driving his group for 15km or whatever not even considering for a moment asking the others to join in the wind (wouldn't have mattered, but still he just didn't care).

Even if he was 25 I would say that was pretty impressive.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

It’s too bad that we can’t see him in the TDF this year. The Belgian TT and Roadrace championships are going to be wild.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re:

It’s too bad that we can’t see him in the TDF this year.

Not sure if serious.