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

[AmRacer]

You are absolutely right and I'm in the middle of my edit. Thomas was an added afterthought - the general idea that it would also be fun if someone who had won the Tour came back to win again after a few years .

@Froome

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Any idea why his watt bombs somehow work wonders in TTs and become duds on climbs, even if effort durations are close to one another? Usually power is just power regardless of the terrain: yes, there are small fluctuations in riders' relative abilities, but no, they are not decisive.

Is it all about aerodynamics, then? Or does evenepoel require very high inertial load associated with higher speeds to produce the watt bombs?

He weighed +/- 6kg more than Vingegaard, who is taller, during the Vuelta. Mystery solved.

 

[Extinction]

Any idea why his watt bombs somehow work wonders in TTs and become duds on climbs, even if effort durations are close to one another? Usually power is just power regardless of the terrain: yes, there are small fluctuations in riders' relative abilities, but no, they are not decisive.

Is it all about aerodynamics, then? Or does evenepoel require very high inertial load associated with higher speeds to produce the watt bombs?

Gravity. Some can roll fast on flat to undulating terrain, but on the big climbs suffer the effects of gravity. What he needs to do is become the lightest he can be without losing power/watts. Then he has a chance.

 

[stonerider]

Gravity. Some can roll fast on flat to undulating terrain, but on the big climbs suffer the effects of gravity. What he needs to do is become the lightest he can be without losing power/watts. Then he has a chance.

Remco isn't naturally thin so to get his weight down is a huge endeavor. He has to be on the razors edge of fitness to climb well in the high mountains and once he crosses that line he suffers from fatigue and loss of power. I don't think he has the body type to compete against Jonas and Tadej for 3 week grand tours.

 

[Froome]

He weighed +/- 6kg more than Vingegaard, who is taller, during the Vuelta. Mystery solved.

What was the weight of Remco during the Vuelta?

 

[meat puppet]

He weighed +/- 6kg more than Vingegaard, who is taller, during the Vuelta. Mystery solved.

Ok. Due to the fact that people discuss him as a potential contender, I thought he was roughly on par with the others in terms of w/kg.

So is the implication that he isnt?

 

[Extinction]

Remco isn't naturally thin so to get his weight down is a huge endeavor. He has to be on the razors edge of fitness to climb well in the high mountains and once he crosses that line he suffers from fatigue and loss of power. I don't think he has the body type to compete against Jonas and Tadej for 3 week grand tours.

I think you mean lythe and wirey, because he is sturdily build, like Hinault, Lemond, even Fignon and Indurain, as well as Ullrich and Armstrong. In today's cycling everybody has to be on the razor's edge. If they put him on some medieval wrack and stretched him, he would become "thin" as you intend, but the watts and gravity resistance don't change. In the end, he must work with his nature, which if excellent enough can yield desired results, like those in the past.

 

[Andre]

Agree completely. I would be happy to see any of them win the Tour.

Also, I think it's more fun if the 2024 Tour winner is someone who never won before. Evenepoel, Roglič, Thomas*...

* Edited to add that I meant to include also people who had won before, but came back after several years of no win to win again. Thanks to Berniece! I need my coffee, apparently.

The only satisfaction and fun would be only if Remco wins. Even second place would be a downer. The world needs Remco to win...the whole world. Stretch the body, lose weight, ignore gravity, acquire bombs of watts, Just please win Le Tour. etc etc

 

[Berniece]

Ok. Due to the fact that people discuss him as a potential contender, I thought he was roughly on par with the others in terms of w/kg.

So is the implication that he isnt?

He is, just not during last Vuelta because he was still on WC TT weight.

 

[Froome]

He is, just not during last Vuelta because he was still on WC TT weight.

What was Remco's weight during the Vuelta 2022? 61/62 kg?

 

[Extinction]

Ok. Due to the fact that people discuss him as a potential contender, I thought he was roughly on par with the others in terms of w/kg.

So is the implication that he isnt?

I think aerodynamics weighs heavily, because at slower speeds, i.e. riding up mountains, it becomes negligable. Take Ganna, the hour record holder, for instance. He must have generated as high a watts per kilo ratio or thereabouts as Vingegaard on the Granon during his TT record, but at top flight he also has an amazing aerodynamics, which he cannot benefit from in the mountains, where against gravity his weight becomes a handicap. So at the same watts per kilo, the heavier rider against gravity is dropped (or gravity prevents obtaining the maximum watts for a heavier rider?). In other words, if the watts per kilo factor is a constant, then the Ganna who set the hour record in theory should be able to climb with Vingegaard. But this is not the case, so other factors like resistance to gravity and not benefiting from aerodynamics must play just as decisive a role.

 

[Berniece]

What was Remco's weight during the Vuelta 2022? 61/62 kg?

Not sure, @Logic-is-your-friend knows this better

 

[houtdffan]

let's not forget what Remco said before last year's Vuelta. He said a podium and a stage 1 would mean no more than winning 4 stages and finishing 12th

He soft peddled the Tourmalet stage as he felt he couldn't win. Made the choice to go for stages and KOM

It's not like he was climbing worse than the top of the GC after the Tourmalet stage

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Needed to repost to edit (server issue)

What was Remco's weight during the Vuelta 2022? 61/62 kg?

Yeah, something like that. He started the season weighing around 68kg was said (remember his epic Valenciana/Tirreno fails), and started losing weight gradually and was supposedly around 64-65 when he won Liège. Then it was said he only needed to lose one more kg for the Vuelta and they wanted to have him at 63kg. From looking at pictures you could see that was BS, and after the Vuelta he admitted as much during an (spoken) interview that he lost more kg from his Liège weight.
Vuelta '22:

Spoiler

Vuelta '23

Spoiler

He won the WCC TT on a long flat course vs the big powerguys. he looked heavier, and i while they didn't state his weight, imho he was at the very least 2kg heavier in '23 than in '22.

 

[houtdffan]

Lefevre now saying he wanted Remco to do the giro/tour double but that team coaches said otherwise

He said the opposite when Remco was considering it

Patrick Lefevere wishes Remco Evenepoel had targeted Giro d'Italia this season

Soudal Quick-Step team boss would have liked the Belgian to ride both the Giro and Tour de France to alleviate pressure, but decision was made by team coaches

www.globalcyclingnetwork.com

 

[Netserk]

It's not like he was climbing worse than the top of the GC after the Tourmalet stage

Cope harder.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Lefevre now saying he wanted Remco to do the giro/tour double but that team coaches said otherwise

He said the opposite when Remco was considering it

Patrick Lefevere wishes Remco Evenepoel had targeted Giro d'Italia this season

Soudal Quick-Step team boss would have liked the Belgian to ride both the Giro and Tour de France to alleviate pressure, but decision was made by team coaches

www.globalcyclingnetwork.com

Because they would pay them to get him on the startlist. Last year he was making all sorts of claims that the story of getting paid by Giro organization was hogwash, that it was just about accommodations etc, now he does the exact opposite.

 

[houtdffan]

Cope harder.

times say otherwise

 

[Froome]

Remco 1.71 m 62 kg
Vingegaard 1.75 m 58 kg
Roglic 1.77 m 64 kg
Pogacar 1.76 m 65 kg


I think these are the height and ideal weight for these cyclists in Grand Tours.

Correct me if i'm wrong.

 

[KZD]

What a solo from Remco, he looks ready for this season.

 

[houtdffan]

One thing that is a very distinct possibility this year is the Ardennes triple from Remco

 

[Didinho]

1/1

Now I want to see him start the Tour after a training camp, without a race 2 weeks beforehand. He’s always so good in his first race back.
Looking forward to the rest of his season.

 

[Berniece]

One thing that is a very distinct possibility this year is the Ardennes triple from Remco

Isn’t Pogacar riding at least one of them?

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Isn’t Pogacar riding at least one of them?

Obviously Pogacar rides Liege.

 

[repre]

Does this win count for Remco? Or race is too small?