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

[Sciatic]

Wow, what bike shop or cafe is that?! I’d love to peruse those walls.

 

[jmdirt]

So Merckx misses just 1 big victory to have twice as much as the 2nd? We can't compare generations they say but sometimes the numbers just speak for themselves. Somebody may pass Coppi for 2nd place but Merckx stays on top until cycling as a sport ends.

I'm deleting my post on this topic because its not on topic with RE's thread.

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

Lol that's just a lie.
In fact cycling was much more popular back then than it is today.
Merckx had to face Adorni, de Vlaeminck, Gimondi, Ocana and many more champions.
Riders today get slapped by former skijumper and failed footballer

 

[tobydawq]

Lol that's just a lie.
In fact cycling was much more popular back then than it is today.
Merckx had to face Adorni, de Vlaeminck, Gimondi, Ocana and many more champions.
Riders today get slapped by former skijumper and failed footballer

Lol

 

[Sciatic]

Lol that's just a lie.
In fact cycling was much more popular back then than it is today.
Merckx had to face Adorni, de Vlaeminck, Gimondi, Ocana and many more champions.
Riders today get slapped by former skijumper and failed footballer

Hmm, that’s an interesting supposition I hadn’t thought before. While it’s true that the whole peloton wasn’t at as high a level as today, maybe cycling (in Western Europe) used to get more of the “cream of the crop” of endurance athletes because of the popularity of the sport AND do to the smaller number of ther sports that might siphon off talent from cycling?

 

[jmdirt]

Lol that's just a lie.
In fact cycling was much more popular back then than it is today.
Merckx had to face Adorni, de Vlaeminck, Gimondi, Ocana and many more champions.
Riders today get slapped by former skijumper and failed footballer

I'm deleting my post on this topic because its not on topic with RE's thread.

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

Professionalism is a broad term that doesn't really mean anything. Of course training today is much more advanced, but it's not like Merckx had access to better training than the other top riders. And before anyone mention smoking, Eddy was know to smoke himself in the off-season. And, while some rider were more, let's say lavish in their life stile, other were obsessed with wait and diet. Coppi for example was known to be really scientific in his preparation.
If Merckx had an advantage on todays rider, was that the race back then were generally harder and, as he said, the harder the race, the easier for the strongest rider to win.

 

[peterfin]

Professionalism doesn't determine how good somebody is relative to the others. If the majority has access to similar tools, nutrition etc it's a fair game. Also, it's not that due to professionalism we have a bigger pool of talents. That may slowly change with better tools to identify them (such as Swift) but even the current generation became a cyclist because first and foremost it was their decision to enter the game and climb up the ladder from junior to pro.
The main argument that remains is the level of internationalism: there are now 4 times the number nations involved compared to the 70's so in principle there is a bigger pool of potentials so a general higher level making it more difficult to dominate the sport. However, to be fair, it's still basically the same group of nations that dominate the line-up of the World Tour so there isn't that big of a difference in global reach. Actually, some bigger nations such as Italy where much more involved in the 70's. Also, even if the general level of talent was lower in the 70's it remains very difficult to really stand-out and dominate the sport like Merckx did. I am pretty sure that with the same gear and support as the current generation, he would be a formidable opponent for "the big 6".

 

[jmdirt]

Professionalism is a broad term that doesn't really mean anything. Of course training today is much more advanced, but it's not like Merckx had access to better training than the other top riders. And before anyone mention smoking, Eddy was know to smoke himself in the off-season. And, while some rider were more, let's say lavish in their life stile, other were obsessed with wait and diet. Coppi for example was known to be really scientific in his preparation.
If Merckx had an advantage on todays rider, was that the race back then were generally harder and, as he said, the harder the race, the easier for the strongest rider to win.

I'm deleting my post on this topic because its not on topic with RE's thread.

 

[Big Doopie]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1651642075530575873

View: https://twitter.com/EvenepoelRemco/status/1651642075530575873?cxt=HHwWgoC2gfHt5-stAAAA


Looks like LBL was quite an easy ride compared to his training rides. I've never seen him pull a pain face like that in the race.

Such a shame we can't follow his training rides on Strava anymore.

Looking skinny again. Those white shorts, man…

 

[Riek s]

Looking skinny again. Those white shorts, man…

Depends on how things go, we might see him in pink soon. Not sure if they will go for complete pink, maybe only in the TT...

Will be good to see if pink adds/drops the visual weight .

 

[Netserk]

Depends on how things go, we might see him in pink soon. Not sure if they will go for complete pink, maybe only in the TT...

Will be good to see if pink adds/drops the visual weight .

He will wear the colour of diapers.

 

[Blanco]

You are correct. Pogacar and Evenepoel are amazing with regards winning the big ones. Merckx had 33, Coppi 17, Hinault 16, Binda 14, Bartali 12, De Vlaeminck and Girardengo 11, Van Looy 10, Kelly 9, Van Steenbergen and Moser and Boonen and Anquetil 8. It's almost certain that Pogacar and Evenepoel will win more than 10.

Kelly has 10 big ones, and Anquetil 9.
Pogacar and Evenepoel are certainly on a good path, but you just never know...

 

[Blanco]

And then you have Valverde at 6 wins but a 2nd place when it comes to Podiums in the big races.

Yes, he's 2nd, behind Merckx, with 26 podiums. But if we count podiums without wins he's 1st with 20. Behind him are Poulidor (17), Moser (16) and Gimondi (15).
He's also 2nd at top 10 placings with 49, Merckx has 67.

 

[Panda Claws]

Yes, he's 2nd, behind Merckx, with 26 podiums. But if we count podiums without wins he's 1st with 20. Behind him are Poulidor (17), Moser (16) and Gimondi (15).
He's also 2nd at top 10 placings with 49, Merckx has 67.

Another fun stat to look at is amount op Top-3s/Top-10s in a row without a win. Probably missing some a lot of people here though.

Top-3s
14 - Raymond Poulidor (didn't win one after Vuelta 1964)
10 - Alejandro Valverde (Vuelta 2012 - Lombardia 2014)
9 - Wout Van Aert (and counting), Felice Gimondi (Giro 1970 - Giro 1973)
8 - Frans Verbeeck (never won one)
7 - Rigoberto Uràn (yet to win one)
5 - Aleksandr Kolobnev (never won one), Joop Zoetemelk, Fabian Cancellara, Joaquim Rodriguez

Top-10s
31 - Raymond Poulidor, Frans Verbeeck
19 - Felice Gimondi
16 - Rigoberto Urán
15 - Alejandro Valverde (ended his career at another streak of 11)
13 - Wout Van Aert
12 - Joaquim Rodriguez

 

[Wvv]

Lots of contributors to this thread seem to be banned. Are they trying to create a forum without Remco fans during the Giro?

Thank god I can't stand this little Belgian show-off.

(Go Remco!)

 

[Andre]

Lots of contributors to this thread seem to be banned. Are they trying to create a forum without Remco fans during the Giro?

Thank god I can't stand this little Belgian show-off.

(Go Remco!)

Yes...I feel abused

 

[Berniece]

Training on his TT bike today, in his Belgian jersey. We won't be seeing his rainbow one in the Giro

Yeah he's getting ready for the first stage. I can only see 3 riders getting that jersey. Evenepoel, Roglic or Ganna. Although I don't think that small 1.2km climb at 5% will be enough to withhold Ganna from the pink jersey if he's at 100%.

 

[houtdffan]

cannot see Ganna winning if there is any type of cross or headwind. That favors Remco's aero advantage.

Ganna is going to need a tailwind

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Yeah he's getting ready for the first stage. I can only see 3 riders getting that jersey. Evenepoel, Roglic or Ganna. Although I don't think that small 1.2km climb at 5% will be enough to withhold Ganna from the pink jersey if he's at 100%.

That depends which Ganna shows up. Not sure people have noticed, but Ganna's win ratio has taken a nosedive since last year. The team car not being allowed to ride right behind the rider, stacked with a wall of bikes on top, might have something to do with that. Out his last 6 TT's, Ganna has won... 1.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

I think Remco is going to take it

1. Remco
2. Ganna
3. Roglic

 

[Berniece]

That depends which Ganna shows up. Not sure people have noticed, but Ganna's win ratio has taken a nosedive since last year. The team car not being allowed to ride right behind the rider, stacked with a wall of bikes on top, might have something to do with that. Out his last 6 TT's, Ganna has won... 1.

Yeah that's why I said if he's at 100%. I agree that it could definitely be that Remco just takes it easily. Based on Remco's current form I actually can't see Roglic taking it from him, but you never know.

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

That depends which Ganna shows up. Not sure people have noticed, but Ganna's win ratio has taken a nosedive since last year. The team car not being allowed to ride right behind the rider, stacked with a wall of bikes on top, might have something to do with that. Out his last 6 TT's, Ganna has won... 1.

I think he is actually 2 out of 6 if you count the prologue of the Deutschland Tour.
Anyway, some of his losses are due to his lack of recovery. He often underperforms when the TT is at the end of an hard stage race. So i would give him more chance in stage 1 than stage 9. If we see the same Ganna of Tirreno-Adriatico it's a toss-up between him and Remco in Ortona.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Yeah that's why I said if he's at 100%. I agree that it could definitely be that Remco just takes it easily. Based on Remco's current form I actually can't see Roglic taking it from him, but you never know.

Has he only been 100% once in the last 10 months?

I think he is actually 2 out of 6 if you count the prologue of the Deutschland Tour.
Anyway, some of his losses are is due to his lack of recovery. He often underperforms when the TT is at the end of an hard stage race. So i would give him more chance in stage 1 than stage 9. If we see the same Ganna of Tirreno-Adriatico it's a toss-up between him and Remco in Ortona.

Then it would still be 2 out of 7. And a prologue is not really relevant when discussing chances in a 20k TT, which is why i would not count a 2.6km effort. He was 7th at the worlds and 3rd at the euro's. No recovery arguments to be made there. There simply is a significant decline compared to his 2020-2021 dominance.

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

I understand where you are coming from, still two week later after the WC he set a pretty impressive hour record. That was probably just a bad day in a really strange race ( I surerly did not expect Foss to win). He also lost some TTs in 2021, 3 in a row between Tirreno and Romandie., and he also lost the EC to Kung as he was working toward the WC. So i wouldn't say he is on the decline just yet. Still, getting the best of Remco won't be easy.