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

[CyclistAbi]

So Remco saying no to Visma and Cian saying yes. Another angle to discuss.

 

[Berniece]

So Remco saying no to Visma and Cian saying yes. Another angle to discuss.

Remco is under contract, without a merger there is no way for him to go to another team unless SQS is paid properly to compensate losing the TDF 2024 winner. /jk

 

[CyclistAbi]

Well technically Cian is still under contract too. And would Remco choose Visma or Ineos if merger would to occur? As then Remco would technically be free to choose. And i guess with Cian now Belgium has another potential GT winner. It will be interesting to follow this dynamics.

 

[Berniece]

Well technically Cian is still under contract too. And would Remco choose Visma or Ineos if merger would to occur? As then Remco would technically be free to choose. And i guess with Cian now Belgium has another potential GT winner. It will be interesting to follow this dynamics.

No clue what Remco would have preferred . I only make assumptions purely based on their responses in interviews.

 

[Hugh Januss]

I had to click out of this thread twice to figure out which one I was in

There can be significant overlap at times.

 

[Oldermanish]

No clue what Remco would have preferred . I only make assumptions purely based on their responses in interviews.

I think he'd prefer not to be the 2nd or 3rd rider on the GT teams right off the bat. He could certainly "earn" his GT results like Jonas attempted in the Vuelta but that all ended up terribly. IMO he's better off trying to make it on his team and recruit any needed help.

 

[Berniece]

Remco Evenepoel won "Sportman van het jaar", which is the award for best athlete of Belgium in 2023. He won it for the third time.

After the award show there was an interview with him. He said the complete focus is on the most important month of his life thusfar, with the TDF and Olympic Games. At the TDF he's going for top 5, a stage win to complete his triple, and beating one of Pogacar/Roglic/Vingegaard would be the cherry on the cake.

 

[Froome]

Remco Evenepoel won "Sportman van het jaar", which is the award for best athlete of Belgium in 2023. He won it for the third time.

After the award show there was an interview with him. He said the complete focus is on the most important month of his life thusfar, with the TDF and Olympic Games. At the TDF he's going for top 5, a stage win to complete his triple, and beating one of Pogacar/Roglic/Vingegaard would be the cherry on the cake.

Why De Bruyne didn’t won the award?

 

[Berniece]

Why De Bruyne didn’t won the award?

This is decided by Belgian sport journalists. De Bruyne was 4th

 

[Ilmaestro99]

This is decided by Belgian sport journalists. De Bruyne was 4th

After this and the velo d'or guy i'm convinced @Logic-is-your-friend is a Belgian sport journalist . Hope you are well Logic

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Anyway Remco said he start the season at Algarve and his main spring goal is LBL, but he won't go to an Altitude training camp until May to prep Le Tour. Seems therefore Giro is categorically not part of his calendar in 2024

https://twitter.com/x/status/1734122368119734522

View: https://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1734122368119734522?t=x8xcLmvkTIe5wvSiv0t__w&s=19

 

[Froome]

This is decided by Belgian sport journalists. De Bruyne was 4th

I think De bruyne was robbed after what he accomplished this year.

 

[Berflamand]

Anyway Remco said he start the season at Algarve and his main spring goal is LBL, but he won't go to an Altitude training camp until May to prep Le Tour. Seems therefore Giro is categorically not part of his calendar in 2024

https://twitter.com/x/status/1734122368119734522

View: https://twitter.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1734122368119734522?t=x8xcLmvkTIe5wvSiv0t__w&s=19

In the interview he doesn't say where he'll start the season. He actually says that he can't confirm it yet because it has to be a surprise.

Algarve would make sense though and was already reported earlier but I'm not sure where those reports came from because I don't think there has been any confirmation by rider or team about his first race yet.

 

[CyclistAbi]

So i guess this year we really might see all the best competing at the Tour. Good.

 

[Peter von]

So i guess this year we really might see all the best competing at the Tour. Good.

Just like 2014
but yeah here's to hoping they all stay on their bikes until then.

 

[houtdffan]

Just like 2014
but yeah here's to hoping they all stay on their bikes until then.

hope they stay on their bikes during the race

 

[Berniece]

Algarve would make sense though and was already reported earlier but I'm not sure where those reports came from because I don't think there has been any confirmation by rider or team about his first race yet.

I thought it was also Het Nieuwsblad that reported this, based on news from the race itself, but I can't find that news anywhere. The only thing I can find is SQS participating, but Evenepoel isn't mentioned yet.

 

[saunaking]

So i guess this year we really might see all the best competing at the Tour. Good.

all the 'best' are not targeting top 5s

lame from Remco, trying for a result of a Ben O'Connor, David Gaudu, Alex Vlasov, Wilco Kelderman

 

[AmRacer]

all the 'best' are not targeting top 5s

lame from Remco, trying for a result of a Ben O'Connor, David Gaudu, Alex Vlasov, Wilco Kelderman

Vinge, Pog, Rogla, A Yates, Kuss, and Remco.

 

[Berniece]

all the 'best' are not targeting top 5s

lame from Remco, trying for a result of a Ben O'Connor, David Gaudu, Alex Vlasov, Wilco Kelderman

He sees Vingegaard/Pogacar/Roglic as riders that have proven more and seen as better riders, so next spot it #4. He said he still wants to beat one of them, which would get him on the podium, he's just being realistic.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

In the interview he doesn't say where he'll start the season. He actually says that he can't confirm it yet because it has to be a surprise.

Algarve would make sense though and was already reported earlier but I'm not sure where those reports came from because I don't think there has been any confirmation by rider or team about his first race yet.

Oh wow a surprise first race for Remco???

Maybe he will do Omlopp, Le Samyn, Strade Bianche, GP Denain, Milan Sanremo, e3, gent welbelgem, tour of Flanders, sheldeprijs and amstel gold race on route to LBL. That would be more fun than Algarve and cataluña. Keep the stage race from secret until summer, keep Vinhegard awake at night

 

[Berflamand]

Oh wow a surprise first race for Remco???

Maybe he will do Omlopp, Le Samyn, Strade Bianche, GP Denain, Milan Sanremo, e3, gent welbelgem, tour of Flanders, sheldeprijs and amstel gold race on route to LBL. That would be more fun than Algarve and cataluña. Keep the stage race from secret until summer, keep Vinhegard awake at night

IIRC, a few weeks/months ago Lefevere hinted at the Tour Colombia as possible first race for Remco but that does not align with Remco's current statements where he says that before Liège he wants to spend as much time as possible with his family and thus train (and race?) in Spain where he lives most of the time.

 

[glassmoon]

Remco will not win this bike race in 2024.

 

[Berflamand]

I thought it was also Het Nieuwsblad that reported this, based on news from the race itself, but I can't find that news anywhere. The only thing I can find is SQS participating, but Evenepoel isn't mentioned yet.

Yeah, I think that some people drew a wrong/premature conclusion from the announcement of the race itself in which they said SQS will participate because the organisation used a picture of Evenepoel winning the race a few years back.

But as far as I know, no confirmation whatsoever (yet) about Remco himself.

 

[Oldermanish]

Remco Evenepoel won "Sportman van het jaar", which is the award for best athlete of Belgium in 2023. He won it for the third time.

After the award show there was an interview with him. He said the complete focus is on the most important month of his life thusfar, with the TDF and Olympic Games. At the TDF he's going for top 5, a stage win to complete his triple, and beating one of Pogacar/Roglic/Vingegaard would be the cherry on the cake.

While his hopes are logical and somewhat obvious with respects to those races its very good PR to put this out now. He has great potential to exceed these projections, for sure.