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

[Extinction]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Roglič had a less than optimal preparation for the Vuelta unlike Remco and as mentioned by other posters the Giro is a different beast due to the high mountain passes.

Last year's worlds are not LBL or Il Lombardia and Tadej already won 3 of these, if Remco is not at his best, he can't drop Tadej that will beat him in a sprint.

Remco might be one of the strongest riders in the world but let's not start assuming that he is some sort of god that will win every single race...

I was so disappointed that Pog wasn't at Liege last year, after his UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, TA, Ronde performances. Although what Remco did was simply superlative. As Nibali said:"I tried to get his wheel, but it was impossibile, because he was going three times as fast as everyone else." And this from one who has won all 3 GTs.

 

[tobydawq]

There sure were. Pais Vasco is, by all accounts, the stage race with the highest level outside of the Tour de France, and there he was good, but certainly not the strongest rider in the race.

By major races, I meant monuments, Grand Tours and Worlds (RR).

 

[Extinction]

There sure were. Pais Vasco is, by all accounts, the stage race with the highest level outside of the Tour de France, and there he was good, but certainly not the strongest rider in the race.

Arguably the Dauphine is the highest level outside the Tour

 

[Big Doopie]

Some people have already answered it here. However, there is a false narrative that keeps getting repeated. That Rog would have dropped Remco and continue to drop him had Remco never crashed.

At very best, one can wonder whether Rog would have been able to put in any kind of challenge at all in the third week.

Until Remco crashed, Remco had dropped/beaten Rog on longer, gradual climbs, on short very steep climbs and in the time trial. Basically, everywhere, but in short sprints.

And the fact is, once Remco recovered from the crash he was a match for and better than Mas, the rest of the way. it is unlikely that without the crash, Remco would’ve had any dip in form and likely would’ve beaten back any challenge fairly easily. He already had a commanding lead before the crash.

 

[Extinction]

Some people have already answered it here. However, there is a false narrative that keeps getting repeated. That Rog would have dropped Remco and continue to drop him had Remco never crashed.

At very best, one can wonder whether Rog would have been able to put in any kind of challenge at all in the third week.

Until Remco crashed, Remco had dropped/beaten Rog on longer, gradual climbs, on short very steep climbs and in the time trial. Basically, everywhere, but in short sprints.

And the fact is, once Remco recovered from the crash he was a match for and better than Mas, the rest of the way. it is unlikely that without the crash, Remco would’ve had any dip in form and likely would’ve beaten back any challenge fairly easily. He already had a commanding lead before the crash.

The crash definitely affected him, but how much and to what consequences remains speculation. But I'm willing to bet that, without the incident, the time losses to Roglic would have been negligent and so the Slovenian would not have potentially gotten back on terms for victory.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

I was so disappointed that Pog wasn't at Liege last year, after his UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, TA, Ronde performances. Although what Remco did was simply superlative. As Nibali said:"I tried to get his wheel, but it was impossibile, because he was going three times as fast as everyone else." And this from one who has won all 3 GTs.

I wonder if Nibali would have been able to hold onto Remco's wheel if he was in his prime and not 45 years older than him and at the end of his career.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

The crash definitely affected him, but how much and to what consequences remains speculation. But I'm willing to bet that, without the incident, the time losses to Roglic would have been negligent and so the Slovenian would not have potentially gotten back on terms for victory.

I wonder how the race would have happened if Roglic had come into the Vuelta with perfect prep like Remco and Remco didn't have his little slip up during the race.

 

[theyoungest]

Some people have already answered it here. However, there is a false narrative that keeps getting repeated. That Rog would have dropped Remco and continue to drop him had Remco never crashed.

Who says this? I didn't. Just as a reaction to 'Evenepoel is the Giro favourite by far and doesn't have a rival' I dropped the name Roglic, and why he certainly wasn't at this best in the Vuelta but still offered up a challenge to Evenepoel once he found a bit of form.

 

[Berniece]

I wonder how the race would have happened if Roglic had come into the Vuelta with perfect prep like Remco and Remco didn't have his little slip up during the race.

We’ll never know. I would also like to know how the TDF of 2014 would’ve went if Froome and Contador wouldn’t have dropped out. I would like to think Nibali still would’ve won it.

 

[houtdffan]

We’ll never know. I would also like to know how the TDF of 2014 would’ve went if Froome and Contador wouldn’t have dropped out. I would like to think Nibali still would’ve won it.

after the first uphill finish where Contador looked like he got out of the shower and Nibali was about to vomit blood?

Contador may have been leading by the time they exited the Vosges

 

[Extinction]

I wonder if Nibali would have been able to hold onto Remco's wheel if he was in his prime and not 45 years older than him and at the end of his career.

You exaggerate, for Nibali was neither 45 years old nor trying to win the Tour. In a one day race, even an aged rider can have the legs to make the difference.

 

[Extinction]

I wonder how the race would have happened if Roglic had come into the Vuelta with perfect prep like Remco and Remco didn't have his little slip up during the race.

The one without the other surely would have been a royal battle. But I don't think Primoz would have been significantly better in the mountains, while arguably still would have lost ground in the TT. Although it would have been close, with perhaps Roglic getting the better, but racing isn't based on ifs, ands or buts. At any rate, Remco will be stronger this year, bar incident.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

In La Vuelta Remco was losing time to Roglic who had 2 weeks training before the race and an injured shoulder.

He was also barely gaining time on Mas who crashed out of the TDF.

And Remco meanwhile spent the year finetuning his form for that Vuelta, peaking, he arrived fresh and strong.

It was not a good route, there were barely 4 mountain stages and the final week was all mickey mouse u23 criterium courses in the hills in Extremadura or somewhere like that.

To say therefore that Prince Remco is the huge favourite for Giro, with proper route and stages, in early January, is very silly guys. For sure he is one of the main contenders, but he might not even be the strongest guy on his own team.

 

[DNP-Old]

This schtick is so boring.

 

[Extinction]

In La Vuelta Remco was losing time to Roglic who had 2 weeks training before the race and an injured shoulder.

He was also barely gaining time on Mas who crashed out of the TDF.

And Remco meanwhile spent the year finetuning his form for that Vuelta, peaking, he arrived fresh and strong.

It was not a good route, there were barely 4 mountain stages and the final week was all mickey mouse u23 criterium courses in the hills in Extremadura or somewhere like that.

To say therefore that Prince Remco is the huge favourite for Giro, with proper route and stages, in early January, is very silly guys. For sure he is one of the main contenders, but he might not even be the strongest guy on his own team.

You seriously underestimate Roglic and Jumbo-Visma. He pulled out of the Tour, with no broken bones and after having done effective work on the Galibier for Vingegaard (which you can't do without having begun in top form, considering what the dislocated shoulder cost him), to rest up and the peak again for the Vuelta. Thus his "two weeks prep" is a false narrative, as he simply worked on getting back to the form in which he entered the Tour. And within 2-4 percent variation, did just that. It's not as if he fractured bones, was out for 6 weeks, and then started back again from scratch, which is disingenuous. Besides, look at the level Contador and Froome obtained from similar, if not arguably worse, falls at the 2014 Tour, but then went on to shred the Vuelta.

You are either not serious or cognitively deficient.

 

[Lequack]

He is now Belgian of the year. All other Belgians better luck next year

https://twitter.com/x/status/1608915710612484097

View: https://twitter.com/EvenepoelRemco/status/1608915710612484097

Now he is not only the best Belgian of the year, but best Belgian Sportsman of the Year. A double whammy.
No Belgian can come close, not even Jean Claude Van Damme.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1611465529364979718

View: https://twitter.com/EvenepoelRemco/status/1611465529364979718

 

[Big Doopie]

Who says this? I didn't. Just as a reaction to 'Evenepoel is the Giro favourite by far and doesn't have a rival' I dropped the name Roglic, and why he certainly wasn't at this best in the Vuelta but still offered up a challenge to Evenepoel once he found a bit of form.

lol. Defensive much?

if u read up there were two or three posts. And there have been many in the past, simply ignoring that the only two times Remco was in any way challenged was in two days when he was most affected by his crash. In fact on the second of those days, despite an all out jumbo attack, Rog ended up literally following Remco’s pacing up the entire climb to of Sierra Nevada only to take 15 secs from him in his usual acceleration in the last km. And he was dropped by Mas. Mas who Remco matched and beat in the final week when he had recovered.

from San Sebastián all the way thru to the Worlds, the only blip in Remco’s transcendent form was precisely days two and three after his crash (which is notoriously when riders are most affected by such things). Had those stages not been two of the hardest, we likely would never had seen that he was hurting.

to extrapolate from there that Rog would have challenged or beaten him on the merits is the definition of a false narrative.

 

[Salvarani]

It is still Lukaku for me. He would have my vote, if I was Belgian.

 

[Big Doopie]

after the first uphill finish where Contador looked like he got out of the shower and Nibali was about to vomit blood?

Contador may have been leading by the time they exited the Vosges

leading Nibali sure, but likely 4 mins in arrears of Froome, so…

 

[Big Doopie]

I wonder if Nibali would have been able to hold onto Remco's wheel if he was in his prime and not 45 years older than him and at the end of his career.

read the quote. He doesn’t just say “he was going three times faster than me”. He says he was going three times faster than everyone.

 

[Extinction]

leading Nibali sure, but likely 4 mins in arrears of Froome, so…

Nah, as Froome couldn't have been much better than pre-Dauphine crash. In any case, we missed quite the confrontation, maybe the greatest loss in cycling history. And I don't say that lightly: peak Contador vs. peak Froome all the way to Paris...

 

[Cookster15]

Still people underestimating 2014 TdF winning Nibali I see. There has never been a stronger Nibali than 2013 to 2014.

As for Remco, he looks very ominous. I am rather frightened by what could be possible in the years ahead. For possible weaknesses, what is the quality of Remco's descending?

 

[Extinction]

Still people underestimating 2014 TdF winning Nibali I see. There has never been a stronger Nibali than 2013 to 2014.

As for Remco, he looks very ominous. I am rather frightened by what could be possible in the years ahead. What is the quality of Remco's descending?

I have thought about this seriously and, as far as I can tell, Contador and Froome had a higher condition at that Tour than Nibali, who in any case had incredible form. The Paris-Roubaix stage did huge damage, but Froome was already out and Contador suffered a mechanical. Only Alberto remained in the race with Nibali, but his +2 minute loss on the cobbles may indeed have been too much to compensate for in the mountains. But verily that season Contador was stronger than peak Nibali and probably Froome as well, judging by how the subsequent Vuelta went between them.

 

[tobydawq]

It is still Lukaku for me. He would have my vote, if I was Belgian.

Not Eden Hazard? Won both La Liga and the Champions League.

 

[Salvarani]

Not Eden Hazard? Won both La Liga and the Champions League.

He gets an honorable mention and if I was looking for a guide to a good restaurant he would be my first call.

Lukaku just brought me more joy and Im sure many others as well. I would like to thank him for that and therefore he deserves the award, in my humble opinion on the matter.