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

[Riek s]

Great news, lets see how he is riding. I'm expecting a lower level than Catalunya though. (barely any training since he stopped from the giro (and not intensive), no altitude adaptation, ..)

 

[KZD]

Great to see Remco doing a proper World Tour stage race instead of the Baloise Tour of Belgium with all the respect for the latter.

He shouldn't be in top shape but with almost 40 kilometers of ITT, I expect him to be on the final podium.

 

[Volderke]

The TdS just got much more interesting.
If Remco isn't doing the Tour, he can go full for whatever (stages, GC).
I would still like to just see him doing TdS and the Tour next, but I guess we need to wait another year (and who knows what will happen in 2024: he can as well come red hot out of TdS this year, and crash in June next year and still not do the Tour...

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

I expect him to win Tour de Suisse and am hoping he will surprise everyone and ride the Tour for GC. Pogi’s form is questionable. Remco should be at our nearing lifetime peak so why not now eh?

 

[Divergence]

Quite disappointing that Remco is not going to ride the Tour this year. Makes zero sense.

 

[Berniece]

I expect him to win Tour de Suisse

What's the known opposition? Ayuso, Fuglsang, Bernal, Pidcock, Higuita, Kelderman and Bardet? If he's in proper form he should definitely finish on the podium, but difficult to say how he's feeling after the short Giro.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Quite disappointing that Remco is not going to ride the Tour this year. Makes zero sense.

Except that it makes perfect sense. He peaked for the Giro, had to recover from covid and just started training a few days ago. If he went to the Tour he would never be in top shape and he could never prolong his Giro peak throughout the Tour and into the WCC. Maybe he could do a top 10 in the TDF, but that's not where his ambitions lie. If he goes, he wants to win or at least contend for victory. Going for stages is a complete waste of time, they will automatically come whenever he goes in the future. Especially since winning a WCC (RR or TT) easily tops a stagewin in the Tour. Even more so because in that scenario he could still realistically ad Vuelta where he can go for a second GC win as well as multiple stage wins, with Lombardia afterwards.

So it makes one-zero-zero sense.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Good news. Would be a disaster if he were to go to Belgium Tour instead of Tour of Switzerland.

His track record is pretty mediocre in WT stage races so far, winning this will be quite big

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

He won 2 out of the last 3 WT stage races that he finished. In the other one was second. Hardly mediocre.
Anyhow, i can't wait for the Remco vs Rogla beef to start again.

 

[Panda Claws]

Starting Tour de Suisse is probably the most pressure he could be under, in some ways.
Not many excuses to lose it this time around imo.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Starting Tour de Suisse is probably the most pressure he could be under, in some ways.
Not many excuses to lose it this time around imo.

But what if Van Aert doesn‘t work for him?

 

[Bonimenier]

Starting Tour de Suisse is probably the most pressure he could be under, in some ways.
Not many excuses to lose it this time around imo.

He actually has a very good excuse when underperforming this time.

 

[red_flanders]

Why does he need an excuse? He either has it or he doesn't. Such a bizarre line of discussion around just this one rider.

Stoked he's doing Suisse, it's a great race. I think he'll do well and has every chance to win. Bummed he's not doing the Tour, but can't say I'm surprised. If he doesn't do the Vuelta, no, it doesn't make much sense. Just don't see why lining up and going for stage wins is such a wild prospect to some folks and his team...or him. I guess I don't see the media pressure that he gets in Belgium, but then...I don't see why it matters THAT much. Just drop some time in the first mountain stage and state repeatedly your intention not to be going for GC. If he's going for the Worlds and the Vuelta, it makes total sense not to do the Tour. If he's just doing the Worlds and NOT the Vuelta, it does in fact make zero sense not to ride the tour in the Rainbow Jersey and go for stage wins.

 

[Mayomaniac]

If he dominates the Tour de Suisse the sponsors might get impatient and will pressure the team to send him to the Tour. If he rides for the gc I expect his form to fall of the ciff in the Tour at some point, as @Logic-is-your-friend said, peaking from Liege until after the Tour is not a thing.

If next year Lefevre is all "actually we want to focus on the Olympics plus the Tour starts in Italy and Remco had many bad experiences racing in Italy" I'm all for calling him out on his bs.
Stagehunting at the Tour would be fine, but that would mean actually saying that you don't go there for the gc from the start and not blowing smoke up anyone's arse...

 

[Mayomaniac]

At this point I really also wanna see Roglic at the Tour de Suisse.

 

[Blanco]

He won 2 out of the last 3 WT stage races that he finished. In the other one was second. Hardly mediocre.
Anyhow, i can't wait for the Remco vs Rogla beef to start again.

UAE Tour and..?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

UAE Tour and..?

The Vuelta? lol

 

[Red Rick]

I doubt sponsors can pressure Evenepoel much. What are they gonna do, disband the team? Remco would love that.

To me a lot of 'pressure' arguments are just weird.

TdS is just a pretty independent race for Evenepoel. Normal amount of pressure, nothing more, nothing less. It's like Catalunya maybe.

 

[peterfin]

If he dominates the Tour de Suisse the sponsors might get impatient and will pressure the team to send him to the Tour. If he rides for the gc I expect his form to fall of the ciff in the Tour at some point, as @Logic-is-your-friend said, peaking from Liege until after the Tour is not a thing.

If next year Lefevre is all "actually we want to focus on the Olympics plus the Tour starts in Italy and Remco had many bad experiences racing in Italy" I'm all for calling him out on his bs.
Stagehunting at the Tour would be fine, but that would mean actually saying that you don't go there for the gc from the start and not blowing smoke up anyone's arse...

His form falling of a cliff? As we have seen, his peak is a plateau. He can still start the tour with ambitions even if his preparation is not optimal. Pogačar's preparation is neither optimal and if Vingegaard freaks out because of a puncture or whatever his tour will neither be optimal. Not going to the tour is a missed opportunity.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

His form falling of a cliff? As we have seen, his peak is a plateau. He can still start the tour with ambitions even if his preparation is not optimal. Pogačar's preparation is neither optimal and if Vingegaard freaks out because of a puncture or whatever his tour will neither be optimal. Not going to the tour is a missed opportunity.

His peak is a plateau... but not for 4 months.

 

[houtdffan]

His peak is a plateau... but not for 4 months.

It was 5 months last year. Liege to Worlds. TDS fall off was heat stroke related, not a loss of form

 

[Ilmaestro99]

What's people obsession with remco vs roglic battle again? They did battle in Cayalunya already and Roglic won. Time to see if remco can beat Heguita and Powless

 

[Panda Claws]

What's people obsession with remco vs roglic battle again? They did battle in Cayalunya already and Roglic won. Time to see if remco can beat Heguita and Powless

Roglic only won because he didn't crash.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Roglic only won because he didn't crash.

One could almost say Roglic cheated, by not crashing!

 

[peterfin]

Pogacar doesn't get it either why Remco doesn't go to the tour. I am pretty sure Remco has the same feeling but, don't worry, the team strategists have it all worked out! Next year he will start in the perfect shape and he will know every corner and dog! The anticipation will be sky high and he will have zero experience in the biggest cycling show on Earth but that's all irrelevant for the team.