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

[topcat]

Remco lost the gc battle on stage 13. I think he’s probably got as much as possible out of the race since then: Kom and a few stage wins. He’s got a better chance of a stage win from a breakaway than from the gc group. You have to choose your battles-in a race and also on the forum.
Anyway, vuelta’s dead, baby.

 

[KZD]

I wonder how much the preperation for ITT worlds hampered his preperation for the Vuelta? Remco himself said that the ITT worlds were one of the big goals this season beside the Giro and LBL. He also said he gained a couple of kilos to gain more power for the worlds. Did he manage to drop those kilos to the Vuelta? And was it ever possible to peak for the worlds and then carry on that peak to the Vuelta?

I won't write off Remco yet as a winner of a tough GT. I hope he gets a perfect preperation next year, then we might say with more confidence if he is the real deal or not, meaning able to challange the likes of Pog, Vinge and Rogla.

I think he didn't have the best preparation for this Vuelta exactly because of the Worlds TT which was before the Vuelta and requires a much different preparation than a Grand Tour.

As for next year, to be honest, I don't expect Remco to have a perfect preparation for the Tour either, I expect him to have a kind of 'hybrid'preparation like Pogačar usually does because next year I expect him to ride three monuments, likely MSR, LBL and GDL, both Olympic races and both World Championships races. This will more than likely not be enough for him to fight for theTour win but could still challenge for the podium while having an incredible year in one-day races which, at least to me, is a better option than him just getting super lean for the Tour, to likely not win, and not achieving big one-day race wins.

In 2025, with a lower opportunity cost (no Olympics), I expect Remco to get more a more perfect preparation for the Tour in order to challenge Pogačar and Vingegård.

 

[Trofonios]

I think he didn't have the best preparation for this Vuelta exactly because of the Worlds TT which was before the Vuelta and requires a much different preparation than a Grand Tour.

As for next year, to be honest, I don't expect Remco to have a perfect preparation for the Tour either, I expect him to have a kind of 'hybrid'preparation like Pogačar usually does because next year I expect him to ride three monuments, likely MSR, LBL and GDL, both Olympic races and both World Championships races. This will more than likely not be enough for him to fight for theTour win but could still challenge for the podium while having an incredible year in one-day races which, at least to me, is a better option than him just getting super lean for the Tour, to likely not win, and not achieving big one-day race wins.

In 2025, with a lower opportunity cost (no Olympics), I expect Remco to get more a more perfect preparation for the Tour in order to challenge Pogačar and Vingegård.

Think you are right here.

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

I think he didn't have the best preparation for this Vuelta exactly because of the Worlds TT which was before the Vuelta and requires a much different preparation than a Grand Tour.

As for next year, to be honest, I don't expect Remco to have a perfect preparation for the Tour either, I expect him to have a kind of 'hybrid'preparation like Pogačar usually does because next year I expect him to ride three monuments, likely MSR, LBL and GDL, both Olympic races and both World Championships races. This will more than likely not be enough for him to fight for theTour win but could still challenge for the podium while having an incredible year in one-day races which, at least to me, is a better option than him just getting super lean for the Tour, to likely not win, and not achieving big one-day race wins.

In 2025, with a lower opportunity cost (no Olympics), I expect Remco to get more a more perfect preparation for the Tour in order to challenge Pogačar and Vingegård.

Didn't he also talk about racing Flanders next year?

 

[Netserk]

So he should take the risk of completely losing that lead instead of extending it…

He could only lose the jersey (by 3 points) if Storer was in the break and won the stage.

As the stage winner would come from the peloton, he could not lose the jersey that day and the overall would not be threatened. KOM was at best an excuse to avoid going against the best, the following stage was always far more important for points.

 

[Berniece]

He could only lose the jersey (by 3 points) if Storer was in the break and won the stage.

As the stage winner would come from the peloton, he could not lose the jersey that day and the overall would not be threatened. KOM was at best an excuse to avoid going against the best, the following stage was always far more important for points.

And this was the last mountain stage? What if Vingegaard took al kom’s and the stage and the days after in the mountains also took the kom’s?

He went for the mountain jersey so you secure it. That’s it.

 

[KZD]

Didn't he also talk about racing Flanders next year?

Yes, he did talk about RVV on the LRCP podcast, maybe he does it instead of MSR or rides both.

 

[Netserk]

I think he didn't have the best preparation for this Vuelta exactly because of the Worlds TT which was before the Vuelta and requires a much different preparation than a Grand Tour.

In 2021, Rogla aimed for the Tour, crashed and broke his back, sacrificed himself for Vingegaard posed as one of his French girls before he abandoned, recovered and aimed for the Olympic TT (which he won by a big margin), and then won the Vuelta in dominant fashion.

And I'm supposed to believe that for the best TTer in the world, riding the WCTT before the Vuelta compromised his tilt at the GC?

 

[Netserk]

And this was the last mountain stage? What if Vingegaard took al kom’s and the stage and the days after in the mountains also took the kom’s?

He went for the mountain jersey so you secure it. That’s it.

Do you imagine that Vingegaard would have gone in the breakaway??? He was never going to take the jersey.

 

[Red Rick]

In 2021, Rogla aimed for the Tour, crashed and broke his back, sacrificed himself for Vingegaard before he abandoned, recovered and aimed for the Olympic TT (which he won by a big margin), and then won the Vuelta in dominant fashion.

And I'm supposed to believe that for the best TTer in the world, riding the WCTT before the Vuelta compromised his tilt at the GC?

Aren't you mixing up 2021 and 2022 here?

 

[Trofonios]

In 2021, Rogla aimed for the Tour, crashed and broke his back, sacrificed himself for Vingegaard before he abandoned, recovered and aimed for the Olympic TT (which he won by a big margin), and then won the Vuelta in dominant fashion.

And I'm supposed to believe that for the best TTer in the world, riding the WCTT before the Vuelta compromised his tilt at the GC?

Maybe you are right. We are just trying to find an explanation here. That olympic TT was quite hilly btw, where if I remember correct, Rogla took a lot of time in the uphill sections. And maybe riders are just different?

 

[Berniece]

Do you imagine that Vingegaard would have gone in the breakaway??? He was never going to take the jersey.

Not the point, you don’t know how a race will unfold. Remco was going for the mountain jersey and was securing that. You try to spin this in a negative again

 

[Netserk]

Aren't you mixing up 2021 and 2022 here?

Lol, yeah.

 

[JosefK]

I wonder whether Remco is pioneering a new strategy for grand tours? Winning a boatload of stages and a polka dot jersey could happen every time, if he's healthy. Preparation would be the same as prepping for GC, but in the tour itself, deliberately dump a load of time in the early stages, then dominate breakaways like a cannibal.

I realize maybe this is a little silly, but ... could it be a temptation? In the breakaways, it would be like stealing candy from a baby.

 

[Nick2413]

I wonder whether Remco is pioneering a new strategy for grand tours? Winning a boatload of stages and a polka dot jersey could happen every time, if he's healthy. Preparation would be the same as prepping for GC, but in the tour itself, deliberately dump a load of time in the early stages, then dominate breakaways like a cannibal.

I realize maybe this is a little silly, but ... could it be a temptation? In the breakaways, it would be like stealing candy from a baby.

The strategy is to try enough times and eventually hit the jackpot. Lose 20 mins in the first few stages then hit big on a 25 min gain and have a 5 minute buffer for the rest of the race.

 

[Ripper]

Say what you want about the guy, whether you love his racing or hate it, he sure makes it a hell of a lot and more interesting to watch a race.

Holy sh*t

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Say what you want about the guy, whether you love his racing or hate it, he sure makes it a hell of a lot and more interesting to watch a race.

Holy sh*t

If he‘s in the breakaway he usually makes it boring because you know he‘s gonna win, but yes, generally, he makes bike races more interesting.

 

[Ripper]

If he‘s in the breakaway he usually makes it boring because you know he‘s gonna win, but yes, generally, he makes bike races more interesting.

Sometimes it's simply for the spectacle

 

[Berniece]

What a Vuelta for Evenepoel, 3 stage wins, 3 times he came in second, and the mountain jersey. He came for the GC but he’ll go home happy with this result

 

[peterfin]

Seeing Evenepoel sprint so good now remains amazing to me. He only lacked a bit of experience here (12 years compared to Poels) and a bit more energy in the tank. He was clearly exhausted but his diesel on the climbs and TT ability in the valley makes it difficult to drop him on a hilly stage.

 

[Red Rick]

Seeing Evenepoel sprint so good now remains amazing to me. He only lacked a bit of experience here (12 years compared to Poels) and a bit more energy in the tank. He was clearly exhausted but his diesel on the climbs and TT ability in the valley makes it difficult to drop him on a hilly stage.

Based on a lot of the talk earlier in the year you would have expected him to win this one easily.

I honestly had expected Evenepoel to win this stage rather easily, especially considering that he had a lot of teammates with him didn't have to do a lot of legwork in the break.

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

Based on a lot of the talk earlier in the year you would have expected him to win this one easily.

I honestly had expected Evenepoel to win this stage rather easily, especially considering that he had a lot of teammates with him didn't have to do a lot of legwork in the break.

He lacked the ability to change rhythm in this Vuelta, he was fine when he could grind at his own pace, but when he was presented with sharp attacks, like on Javalambre or today, he somewhat suffered.

 

[yaco]

Based on a lot of the talk earlier in the year you would have expected him to win this one easily.

I honestly had expected Evenepoel to win this stage rather easily, especially considering that he had a lot of teammates with him didn't have to do a lot of legwork in the break.

QS was too much in for Remco and failed to use their numbers to get up the road and put pressure on the opposition - This was how Ineos used to ride Classics.

 

[Berniece]

I honestly had expected Evenepoel to win this stage rather easily, especially considering that he had a lot of teammates with him didn't have to do a lot of legwork in the break.

he felt the efforts of two days ago still otherwise I would’ve thought he finished solo

 

[Netserk]

he felt the efforts of two days ago still otherwise I would’ve thought he finished solo

Sounds like he has poor recovery.