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

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Question is whether QuickStep and/or the riders (Lampaert, Asgreen e.g.) are willing to sacrifice their spring for the Giro. They should if you ask me, but it remains an issue that's on the table. That being said, they got Hirt specifically for Remco, so he's 100% in barring injury or bad form.

Remco, Hirt, Asgreen, Lampaert, Bagioli / Ballero, Serry, Van Wilder, Vervaeke.

I don't know if i would forfait Asgreen and Lampaert's spring here. There are other riders who could guide Evenepoel and work on the flat. I do think Ballerini is a good shout, because he is a workhorse who could be very useful in tricky finales as well, he climbs better than the real sprinters, and he might get his own chances to win a stage. Cerny and/or Cavagna could do the same job as Asgreen/Lampaert for the most part. There is also Steimle/Declerq to consider.

Knox wants to help... but i don't know if Knox is even good enough to make this team anymore. I think he has to prove himself in 1 week races prior to the Giro. I'd rate him below Vansevenant for the moment.

Evenepoel, Hirt, Van Wilder, Serry, Masnada, Ballerini. Personally i would bring Cattaneo who was initially also contracted to guide Evenepoel. If they don't bring him to the Giro i'd wonder why they actually signed him. If not, then one of Vervaeke, Vansevenant and Knox. And one of Cerny, Steimle, Cavagna, Declerq.

I think Schmid and Bagioli might be good for the TDF this year.

 

[Berniece]

He didn't say he won't ride the TDF but apparantly many news sources are jumping to that conclussion. His focus will be on the Giro but I still expect a TDF entry as well (to gain experience ... or more if he feels he's good but without much team support so with muted expectations).

Makes more sense to rest after the giro and go back in the mountains for WC, if he wants to win the WC TT

 

[houtdffan]

He didn't say he won't ride the TDF but apparantly many news sources are jumping to that conclussion. His focus will be on the Giro but I still expect a TDF entry as well (to gain experience ... or more if he feels he's good but without much team support so with muted expectations).

If he does the tour, there should also be a sprinter and a couple of sprint doms, with the understanding that if he is in contention after the second rest day, or leading by a few minutes at the top of Puy de Dome, the sprinter team becomes donkeys for Remco

 

[Pippo_San]

So much talking about Le Tour.
WHO CARES.

The point is: can he and will he win Paris-Roubaix?
Else thread title must be changed.

 

[houtdffan]

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/remco-evenepoel-to-race-giro-ditalia-in-2023

Despite the announcement, team manager Patrick Lefevere was quick to quash any speculation, and said that he was ruling out nothing for the Belgian with the Tour de France also in the team’s thinking.

“Over the next few weeks we’ll take a closer look at everything and make a final decision. Remco has proven that he can also go uphill,” he said. “In the Giro, in addition to the three time trials, there are also mountain stages.”

“I don’t rule out anything for Evenepoel. A good Remco can do well on every kind of course,” Lefevere added.

 

[DNP-Old]

Pelgrim: “Bij de bekendmaking van de parcoursen was het ook snel duidelijk dat de Giro Remco het best moest liggen. In de Giro heb je drie tijdritten, een kleine 70 kilometer alles bij elkaar. Dat geeft een voordeel ten aanzien van de Tour, waar je maar één tijdrit hebt, die dan nog een halve klimtijdrit is. De Tour rijdt Remco zeker niet, tenzij er onderweg iets heel geks zou gebeuren. In het najaar zal de focus ook op het WK liggen en niet op de Vuelta. We houden het dit jaar bij één grote ronde.”

Pelgrim: “When the routes were announced, it quickly became clear that the Giro Remco had to be the best. In the Giro you have three time trials, a small 70 kilometers in all. That gives an advantage over the Tour, where you only have one time trial, which is then half a climb time trial. Remco will certainly not ride the Tour, unless something really crazy happens along the way. In the fall, the focus will also be on the World Cup and not on the Vuelta. We will stick to one big round this year.”

 

[tobydawq]

Pelgrim: “When the routes were announced, it quickly became clear that the Giro Remco had to be the best. In the Giro you have three time trials, a small 70 kilometers in all. That gives an advantage over the Tour, where you only have one time trial, which is then half a climb time trial. Remco will certainly not ride the Tour, unless something really crazy happens along the way. In the fall, the focus will also be on the World Cup and not on the Vuelta. We will stick to one big round this year.”

Pelgrim should focus on his English speaking skills.

 

[DNP-Old]

Pelgrim should focus on his English speaking skills.

Nah.

 

[tobydawq]

So in his fifth season as a pro, he still will not ride two Grand Tours (and yes, I have the same criticism for Pogacar and Vingegaard).

 

[Berniece]

So in his fifth season as a pro, he still will not ride two Grand Tours (and yes, I have the same criticism for Pogacar and Vingegaard).

I also find it a shame that he doesn't ride the Vuelta again. What is he going to do after the WC? Canada and Lombardia?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Velo d'Or winner.

 

[Wvv]

Velo d'Or winner.

Bit surprised that Pogacar only got third, but other than that we got the right number one. Congrats Remco!

 

[Red Rick]

Van Aert 2nd in Velo d'Or is the *** timeline

 

[KZD]

Glad that Remco won, Van Aert ahead of Pogačar is a bit of a joke but I guess it doesn't really matter in the end.

 

[Berniece]

Only one that deserved the win, Wout being second makes sense too. Don’t see why Pogacar should’ve been second. Wout had a better spring and TDF

 

[KZD]

Only one that deserved the win, Wout being second makes sense too. Don’t see why Pogacar should’ve been second. Wout had a better spring and TDF

Wout definitely didn't have a better TDF than Pogačar unless you think winning the green jersey is more valuable than getting second overall. I also struggle to see where did he have a better spring given that Pogačar won UAE, Strade and Tirreno and let's not forget Il Lombardia at the end of the season.

 

[Ricco']

Vingegaard is the only TdF winner (apart from 2006, which is justified by the Landis/Pereiro situation) to miss the Velo d'Or podium since its creation, which also says a lot about the quality of this generation's top performers.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

So in his fifth season as a pro, he still will not ride two Grand Tours (and yes, I have the same criticism for Pogacar and Vingegaard).

Vingegaard? Come on, he did the most, given his issues with media pressure. And then having to deal with the craziness in his home country. Obviously he was emotionally drained.

 

[tobydawq]

Vingegaard? Come on, he did the most, given his issues with media pressure. And then having to deal with the craziness in his home country. Obviously he was emotionally drained.

Yes, and it was the same last year.

 

[Berniece]

Wout definitely didn't have a better TDF than Pogačar unless you think winning the green jersey is more valuable than getting second overall. I also struggle to see where did he have a better spring given that Pogačar won UAE, Strade and Tirreno and let's not forget Il Lombardia at the end of the season.

Spring
For Pogacar UAE Tour and Strade weren't that impressive when you take the competition into account. Tirreno was though, he was amazing there.
In case of WVA, he was basically the best in every cobbled race he started in. He won Omloop, and E3. Single handedly got the Paris-Nice victory for Roglic and finished it off with a 2nd place in Roubaix and 3rd place in LBL.

TDF
How did WVA not have a better Tour than Pogacar? Not only did he win the green jersey, the first stage he won was amazing, and he outclassed the whole peloton with that 10km solo towards the finish. And after he basically won the green jersey, he was the best uphill help for Vingegaard, and for a moment made Pogacar crack on the Hautacam. Knowing how much WVA weighs, that's pretty impressive.

 

[Big Doopie]

So in his fifth season as a pro, he still will not ride two Grand Tours (and yes, I have the same criticism for Pogacar and Vingegaard).

I don’t really get the logic. So the age at which a rider turns pro doesn’t factor?

Let’s say a future rider gets a pro contract at 15. By his fifth season he should still be doing two GTs?

Seems a bit silly.

Let alone the fact that Remco is not Vingo. He can win many many prestigious races that are not GTs.

 

[KZD]

Spring
For Pogacar UAE Tour and Strade weren't that impressive when you take the competition into account. Tirreno was though, he was amazing there.
In case of WVA, he was basically the best in every cobbled race he started in. He won Omloop, and E3. Single handedly got the Paris-Nice victory for Roglic and finished it off with a 2nd place in Roubaix and 3rd place in LBL.

TDF
How did WVA not have a better Tour than Pogacar? Not only did he win the green jersey, the first stage he won was amazing, and he outclassed the whole peloton with that 10km solo towards the finish. And after he basically won the green jersey, he was the best uphill help for Vingegaard, and for a moment made Pogacar crack on the Hautacam. Knowing how much WVA weighs, that's pretty impressive.

Well the if the competition at Strade and UAE was not great the same could be said about Omloop and E3... plus Pogačar was the strongest rider in Flanders still getting 4th and 5th at MSR.

Being runner-up in the Tour > Green Jersey. If Pogačar hadn't done anything else in the Tour I could agree with you given the amazing Tour that Van Aert did but he also own three stages, wore yellow and attacked left and right after he lost it.

If all that I said isn't enough to decide between Pogačar and Van Aert, the fact that Pogačar won a monument and Van Aert didn't (once again) should be enough to put the Slovenian ahead...

 

[tobydawq]

I don’t really get the logic. So the age at which a rider turns pro doesn’t factor?

Let’s say a future rider gets a pro contract at 15. By his fifth season he should still be doing two GTs?

Seems a bit silly.

Let alone the fact that Remco is not Vingo. He can win many many prestigious races that are not GTs.

The thing is that Remco was taking the piss of pro riders when he turned pro at the age of 18 (not to imply anything negative by the way, I just couldn't find a better expression). He is used to the level and has been there for a long time. It seems much more silly to me to liken him to any 22-year-old from ten or five years ago. He has progressed so quickly level-wise that I certainly think he would be capable of a tough programme.

Regarding your last paragraph, I do agree, and that does mellow my feelings a bit.

 

[red_flanders]

The thing is that Remco was taking the piss of pro riders when he turned pro at the age of 18 (not to imply anything negative by the way, I just couldn't find a better expression). He is used to the level and has been there for a long time. It seems much more silly to me to liken him to any 22-year-old from ten or five years ago. He has progressed so quickly level-wise that I certainly think he would be capable of a tough programme.

Regarding your last paragraph, I do agree, and that does mellow my feelings a bit.

One could also take the opposite view, that he's been on a bike only a few years and doesn't have the base of skills and form a rider at his age would have if he'd been riding for a decade. Despite all his wins, the reality is, that barring injury or other mishap, he's at the beginning of his career and has plenty of time for the Tour. When the team is ready, when he's really ready. Yes, he could go this year. No, I don't think the playing field will be very different next year, but his team likely will be. I guess I just don't see the urgency, personally. But I can see your POV as well.

 

[tobydawq]

One could also take the opposite view, that he's been on a bike only a few years and doesn't have the base of skills and form a rider at his age would have if he'd been riding for a decade. Despite all his wins, the reality is, that barring injury or other mishap, he's at the beginning of his career and has plenty of time for the Tour. When the team is ready, when he's really ready. Yes, he could go this year. No, I don't think the playing field will be very different next year, but his team likely will be. I guess I just don't see the urgency, personally. But I can see your POV as well.

That sounds like some academic nonsense a pundit who doesn't know what else to say would say.