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

[Lexman]

Remco will be a good leadout for Landa ...

 

[Karl Merckx]

If the TT were flat, naturally Remco would had won. These short, hilly and explosive TTs benefit Roglic.

Idk REv was faster in the first part of the course with the two climbs, and mainly lost time in the second part.

 

[Volderke]

As an avid mountain biker, it's harder for me to continue be a fan of a guy with such bike-handling errors. He's starting to bug me a bit. I want him to win, but you just can't beat the top guys doing stupid stuff like this in a TT. Not the first crash like this in an important TT.

I guess the fellow avid mountain biker Thomas Pidcock bugs you even more now?

 

[Volderke]

Idk REv was faster in the first part of the course with the two climbs, and mainly lost time in the second part.

It’s weird roglic took so much time on everyone in the second part as he lost at least 12-15 seconds with his mishap!

 

[red_flanders]

I guess the fellow avid mountain biker Thomas Pidcock bugs you even more now?

Would we say Pidcock is a poor bike handler? That he often crashes? Or that he's one of the best bike handlers we've all ever seen?

 

[ManicJack]

It’s weird roglic took so much time on everyone in the second part as he lost at least 12-15 seconds with his mishap!

After a crash, especially when the body knows that it isn't really injured, the adrenaline that kicks in can easily make you ride harder than you realize. Remco probably overcooked his initial post crash effort and paid for it a bit in the second half.

 

[ManicJack]

Would we say Pidcock is a poor bike handler? That he often crashes? Or that he's one of the best bike handlers we've all ever seen?

Is there any video of his crash? He was probably railing a corner in recon faster than most would dare ride it at race speed. His skills are so good that he is comfortable right on that fine line of having an "oh crap" moment.

 

[Volderke]

Would we say Pidcock is a poor bike handler? That he often crashes? Or that he's one of the best bike handlers we've all ever seen?

You criticize Remco for stupid crashes. A bit ironic you mention being a mountain biker and suggesting Remco is a poor bike handler when the Olympic mtb champion crashed out today? Double standards for Remco it seems.

 

[ManicJack]

You criticize Remco for stupid crashes. A bit ironic you mention being a mountain biker and suggesting Remco is a poor bike handler when the Olympic mtb champion crashed out today? Double standards for Remco it seems.

Their skill sets are not even remotely similar and you know it.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

If i didn't said that, i don't believe someone said that. Give us a name.

The exclamation point should have given it away, but it was joke.
Nevertheless, i'm sure plenty of people predicted it.

Ok, 10 seconds on twitter doing a Vingegaard + Evenepoel search already gives me this guy.

 

[red_flanders]

You criticize Remco for stupid crashes. A bit ironic you mention being a mountain biker and suggesting Remco is a poor bike handler when the Olympic mtb champion crashed out today? Double standards for Remco it seems.

Not sure what's bothering you about my comments, they're coming off as weirdly defensive. It's not like I come on this site and rail against Remco, I'm actually quite a fan. And I don't think critique of his bike-handling is exactly a groundbreaking opinion. It needs to get better. I'm critiquing what I see as a pattern, not an isolated incident.

Pidcock, who I never mentioned and who you oddly bring up to paint me as having a double standard, is a freaking phenomenal bike-handler. It's literally his defining characteristic. So no, obviously I don't have criticism for Pidcock's bike handling. It's awesome. He's one of the most fun riders to watch in the peloton. Everyone crashes at some point.

Probably best not to assume I'm someone ranting about Remco (or anyone) and we'll have a more productive discourse.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I think Pidcock screws up more than you realise, the difference is that he is not under a microscope like Evenepoel is.

 

[Netserk]

On descents or when alone there are two main factors: ability and willingness to push it. Pidcock mostly crashes because of the latter.

 

[red_flanders]

I think Pidcock screws up more than you realise, the difference is that he is not under a microscope like Evenepoel is.

Whatever “screws up” means. I wasn’t talking about Pidcock.

@Volderke . All I’m saying is that for me, as a fan, the lack of bike handling is losing me a bit at this point. I like great bike handling, I think it’s an under appreciated component of the sport. IMO it’s costing him way too much.

If that’s not a big deal to you, fine! You think his bike handling isn’t an issue? We disagree. Peace. ✌️

 

[houtdffan]

Doesn't matter if Remco has the motor to beat Vingo by 30 minutes at the tour if he crashes 10 times during the race.

He would have the same result as Senna did at Monaco 1988

 

[Volderke]

Whatever “screws up” means. I wasn’t talking about Pidcock.

@Volderke . All I’m saying is that for me, as a fan, the lack of bike handling is losing me a bit at this point. I like great bike handling, I think it’s an under appreciated component of the sport. IMO it’s costing him way too much.

If that’s not a big deal to you, fine! You think his bike handling isn’t an issue? We disagree. Peace. ✌️

It just seemed ironic to focus on Remco's hubris / bad bike handling , while one of the best bike handlers in the peloton (Pidcock) was taken out by a gust of wind, on the very same course, during his recon.

 

[red_flanders]

It just seemed ironic to focus on Remco's hubris / bad bike handling , while one of the best bike handlers in the peloton (Pidcock) was taken out by a gust of wind, on the very same course, during his recon.

I never used the word hubris or remotely implied it. Very odd comment.

For the rest, I’ve addressed it. If it still seems ironic to you, such is life. Cheers.

 

[Extinction]

Of course. However, some people crash their bikes a lot, some people ride over a mud-slathered Koppenberg to a win. For some riders, bike-handling is more a weakness than for others.



Hard disagreement, that's way too binary for me. The ability to both go really fast and stay upright is kinda core to winning bike races. The first times it happened I didn't have much to say. Keeps happening. It's starting to become a pattern. Hope it's not always the case, but hard to see him ever becoming an excellent or even good bike handler at this point.

Yea, but when your arsehole is twitching at 50 k an hour into the curves you either stay upright because you are insane or you crash because you are insane. Herein lies the difference.

 

[Karl Merckx]

On descents or when alone there are two main factors: ability and willingness to push it. Pidcock mostly crashes because of the latter.

Remco's ITT crashes (last year Belgian championship and today) are also mostly because of the latter.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Remco's ITT crashes (last year Belgian championship and today) are also mostly because of the latter.

It was a silly remark, because one goes with the other. When crashing solo, it is always because your willingness to push it is larger than your ability allows you to.

 

[proffate]

On descents or when alone there are two main factors: ability and willingness to push it. Pidcock mostly crashes because of the latter.

I disagree, these two points are one and the same. You push beyond your ability, you pay for it. Doesn't matter whether you have a little or a lot of ability.

And in this case, Pidcock apparently just got a bad gust of wind. Sounds like a weird excuse but it is hypothetically possible to have some bad luck e.g. a front flat at the wrong time.

 

[Barkintheeye]

Crap that Remco is absent in so many of the spring classics/1D races. Racing these weird minor stage races might be a good prep for the Tour but it looks like he’s avoiding the big guns.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Crap that Remco is absent in so many of the spring classics/1D races. Racing these weird minor stage races might be a good prep for the Tour but it looks like he’s avoiding the big guns.

Satire?

 

[Netserk]

I disagree, these two points are one and the same. You push beyond your ability, you pay for it. Doesn't matter whether you have a little or a lot of ability.

That's like saying income and expenditures are one and the same. You spend more than you earn, it will result in a deficit.

In that sense, sure.

 

[red_flanders]

Crap that Remco is absent in so many of the spring classics/1D races. Racing these weird minor stage races might be a good prep for the Tour but it looks like he’s avoiding the big guns.

I'll send the fishmonger your number and y'all can discuss how you define "big guns".