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

[wickedw]

Difficult to say on that picture. I have to say I am really looking forward seeing him race again, even if he doesn't win. Such a wonderful rider and always goes full in.

Expecting him to put up a fight and really be up there. This vuelta is a great GT for him to develop even more as a gc rider.

 

[Red Rick]

Whoever said nobody does recon for the Vuelta, come forth so that I can name thee a liar.

 

[Salvarani]

Difficult to say on that picture. I have to say I am really looking forward seeing him race again, even if he doesn't win. Such a wonderful rider and always goes full in.

Expecting him to put up a fight and really be up there. This vuelta is a great GT for him to develop even more as a gc rider.

Already won one and he is the current world champion... he still need to go to develop?

He is not a rookie and has high expectations on his shoulders, if he aint there wanting to win and defend his title then what is he doing there.

 

[DNP-Old]

Already won one and he is the current world champion... he still need to go to develop?

He is not a rookie and has high expectations on his shoulders, if he aint there wanting to win and defend his title then what is he doing there.

Develop even more =/= not developed.

 

[ManicJack]

Already won one and he is the current world champion... he still need to go to develop?

He is not a rookie and has high expectations on his shoulders, if he aint there wanting to win and defend his title then what is he doing there.

If he podiums this Vuelta it will say more about his future GT chances than anything he has accomplished at this point of his career.

 

[johnymax]

Whoever said nobody does recon for the Vuelta, come forth so that I can name thee a liar.

Remco is smart...he's the only one doing a recon for the Vuelta, the only one targeting a race noone of the big boys cares about in Classica San Sebastian year after year...
Marginal gains to keep the hype going.

 

[ManicJack]

Remco is smart...he's the only one doing a recon for the Vuelta,

And you know this how?

 

[Berniece]

I'd think a long solo would be a bit much a week before the WC.

He’s got 8 days to recover. Don’t think doing a long solo will have any effect on him for WC.

 

[johnymax]

And you know this how?

I've been listening to him. It doesn't look like it at first, bet he really is smart.

 

[red_flanders]

If he podiums this Vuelta it will say more about his future GT chances than anything he has accomplished at this point of his career.

I think you're rather massively underestimating what it means to win and repeat. Sure, this Vuelta is a bigger physical challenge. But he's won a GT already. Won. With all the attendant pressure and mental challenge that entails. And he's the World Champion. 2 time LBL winner. He's won an incredible number of races at his young age.

A podium in this Vuelta will say more about his "future" (really?) chances? His chances already are that he's a potential winner of any race he enters. His potential is to be an all time great. He's already well on that path. A podium will be a loss.

 

[Nick2413]

I think you're rather massively underestimating what it means to win and repeat. Sure, this Vuelta is a bigger physical challenge. But he's won a GT already. Won. With all the attendant pressure and mental challenge that entails. And he's the World Champion. 2 time LBL winner. He's won an incredible number of races at his young age.

A podium in this Vuelta will say more about his "future" (really?) chances? His chances already are that he's a potential winner of any race he enters. His potential is to be an all time great. He's already well on that path. A podium will be a loss.

It was maybe stated a bit bluntly but a win this year would be greater than anything he’s displayed in a GT so far. He’s shown a fair amount but has never had a full GT against high competition. Your take that anything less than a win against the likes of Vingegaard of all people would be a loss is more extreme.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1684513414704418816

View: https://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1684513414704418816


Remco training on the Angrilu this week.

According to Google Translate, this is what it says:

The world champion and winner of the Vuelta tests the Angliru: "It's very hard"

The winner of the last Tour of Spain and current world champion, Remco Evenepoel, visited Asturias to familiarize himself with the ports that will be climbed in La Vuelta 2023. The Belgian cyclist, who returns to competition on Saturday in the Clásica San Sebastián, a race that has already won twice, 2019 and 2022, recognized on Tuesday the ascent to La Cruz de Linares, where the finish line of the 18th stage of the Spanish round will be installed, which will be held on Thursday, September 14. It will be a very tough day, with the Alto de Las Estacas (2nd), the Alto de San Lorenzo (1st), the Alto de Tenebreo (3rd) and a first pass through La Cruz de Linares, before of the final ascent to the top of Proacina, classified as first category.

Yesterday, Evenepoel covered part of what will be the queen stage of La Vuelta 2023. The Soudal Quick-Step cyclist ascended the passes of El Cordal and the extremely tough Angliru at a fast pace, constantly cooling off due to the high temperatures. The only moment of respite was taken at the beginning of Cueña les Cabres, when he had to get off the ground because a group of cows were coming down, occupying both lanes of the road. Once the cattle were overcome, Remco returned to the bicycle to ascend the toughest ramps of the port of Rio de Janeiro, until he reached the top, where a team assistant was waiting for him. "It's very hard," acknowledged Evenepoel, who, after having a drink, began the descent to continue training on the way to Oviedo.

The final stage in El Angliru will be on September 13. The runners will start in Ribadesella and will have to cover 122.6 kilometers, a short route, in which they will face the heights of La Colladiella (1st) and, through Pola de Lena, El Cordal (1st), inseparable companion of the colossus from Rio de Janeiro since the first edition and which also has its complications in the descent. Behind him, without a single meter of flatness, is the final ascent of 12.5 kilometers at 9.8% and with high percentage ramps that reach 23.5% on the straight line known as La Cueña les Cabres, which makes the ending in El Angliru classified as a special category.

The two stages that end in Asturias, L'Angliru and Cruz de Linares, will be held in the last week and will be key to determining the final winner of the race.

The 78th edition of La Vuelta will start from Barcelona on August 26, ending in Madrid on September 17, after 21 stages. Asturias has always had a leading role in a Tour of Spain that this year repeats the usual format with a classic finish and another unpublished one. The two starting towns will also be brand new, Ribadesella and Pola de Allande.
Cortina, to the World Cup

Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) and Oier Lazkano (Movistar Team), who will do both the online test and the time trial, will be the references for the Spanish team in the Cycling World Cup that will be held in Glasgow (Scotland) between 5 and 13 August, in a call marked by the absence of cyclists who are going to compete in the Tour of Spain or need to rest after the Tour de France. Together with Lazkano and Izagirre, Iván García Cortina (Movistar), Álex Aranburu (Movistar), Gonzalo Serrano (Movistar), Jesús Herrada (Cofidis), Jesús Ezquerra (Burgos-BH) and Roger Adriá (Kern Pharma) will complete the team, he announced. yesterday the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC).

 

[houtdffan]

Angliru is in no way the queen stage.

Did the clown even bother to look at the Pyrenean stages to Tourmalet and over the Port de Larrau?

 

[peterfin]

Remco is smart...he's the only one doing a recon for the Vuelta, the only one targeting a race noone of the big boys cares about in Classica San Sebastian year after year...
Marginal gains to keep the hype going.

The hype goes as long as he is winning all those little races such as the Classica, LBL and the WC with long solo attacks. Smart people here believed that after his 2019 win in the Classica that would never happen again. Remco knew better. Per definition, the big boys don't care about one-day races where he is on the startlist so he is free to demonstrate his solo victories. Dumb spectators feed the hype but the big boys are laughing into their sleeve.

 

[Salvarani]

Develop even more =/= not developed.

I thought his time was now.

 

[joseph89]

On the picture it seems that he has lost some weight ( however it can be a false impression ).

Drie op drie: Evenepoel nog maar eens de beste in de Clasica San Sebastian na prangend sprintje tegen Bilbao

Remco Evenepoel (23) heeft de Clasica San Sebastian op zijn naam geschreven. De wereldkampioen vloerde Pello Bilbao in een sprint met twee. Zijn derde overwinning in evenveel deelnames. Aleksandr Vlasov kwam als derde over de streep.

www.hln.be

Definitely lost some weight

 

[Prim]

Drie op drie: Evenepoel nog maar eens de beste in de Clasica San Sebastian na prangend sprintje tegen Bilbao

Remco Evenepoel (23) heeft de Clasica San Sebastian op zijn naam geschreven. De wereldkampioen vloerde Pello Bilbao in een sprint met twee. Zijn derde overwinning in evenveel deelnames. Aleksandr Vlasov kwam als derde over de streep.

www.hln.be

Definitely lost some weight

That´s a lot of rainbow stripes

 

[Peter von]

That´s a lot of rainbow stripes

some say horizontal stribes are slimming, so he took that to heart ahead of La Vuelta.

 

[ManicJack]

I think you're rather massively underestimating what it means to win and repeat...........A podium will be a loss.

I think you're massively over estimating his win in the Vuelta last year. He has never proven himself over 3 weeks against a field like he will face in a month.

 

[gregrowlerson]

I think you're rather massively underestimating what it means to win and repeat. Sure, this Vuelta is a bigger physical challenge. But he's won a GT already. Won. With all the attendant pressure and mental challenge that entails. And he's the World Champion. 2 time LBL winner. He's won an incredible number of races at his young age.

A podium in this Vuelta will say more about his "future" (really?) chances? His chances already are that he's a potential winner of any race he enters. His potential is to be an all time great. He's already well on that path. A podium will be a loss.

This. Stupid sensible Flanders.

Remco is arguably a better chance to win Le Tour next year than Pogacar. We still don't know what his ceiling is, and he has a Vuelta, WC, LBL (x2).....

Apologies to the guy who miss spells Belgian names......the hype is real.

 

[Riek s]

How many of Remco's competition in the Vuelta are doing the Worlds (RR or ITT)?

Ving - no
Rog - no
Thomas - ? (UK unknown)
Almeida - yes
Ayuso - no
Carapaz - no
Vlasov - no
Higuita - no
Mas - no

So besides Ving/Almeida, all the others have the better prep for the Vuelta.

 

[Nick2413]

Angliru is in no way the queen stage.

Did the clown even bother to look at the Pyrenean stages to Tourmalet and over the Port de Larrau?

Larrau is 45k from the finish with an easy 6% MTF, and Tourmalet is at best on par with Angliru, but Angliru stage is basically unipuerto so not “queen” stage but equally likely to see big gaps as any of the others imo.

 

[ice&fire]

Whoever said nobody does recon for the Vuelta, come forth so that I can name thee a liar.

Let me know your wishes and I'll predict the opposite

 

[Tim Cahill]

How many of Remco's competition in the Vuelta are doing the Worlds (RR or ITT)?

Ving - no
Rog - no
Thomas - ? (UK unknown)
Almeida - yes
Ayuso - no
Carapaz - no
Vlasov - no
Higuita - no
Mas - no

So besides Ving/Almeida, all the others have the better prep for the Vuelta.

I believe Thomas is doing the ITT and him/Almeida will be doing Poland starting tomorrow.

Burgos hasn't been announced yet but I would imagine a couple of those on that list will be doing it and Ayuso will be at San Sebastian.

The first week looks tough so coming in without races in the legs could be a bad idea, then again the entire route has some disgusting stages in it so who knows.

 

[staubsauger]

Wasn't Evenepoel on a training camp in the Pyrenees in July or was it Ayuso?