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

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Carapaz is definitely the main favorite at this point, IMO, but it's still early days. We don't have much to go on.

If Evenepoel and/or Nibali steamroll T-A then that could change. We've had some surprises already (Quintana, Adam Yates) ...and who knows maybe just maybe Simon Yates will get it right this time.

My question is how much time will Evenepoel need to gain in the TTs to win the whole race, assuming the high mountain stages will be raced as is, and at least one of the established GT specialists is "on" ?
 
Carapaz is definitely the main favorite at this point, IMO, but it's still early days. We don't have much to go on.

If Evenepoel and/or Nibali steamroll T-A then that could change. We've had some surprises already (Quintana, Adam Yates) ...and who knows maybe just maybe Simon Yates will get it right this time.

My question is how much time will Evenepoel need to gain in the TTs to win the whole race, assuming the high mountain stages will be raced as is, and at least one of the established GT specialists is "on" ?

I could see Evenepoel taking a 5 minutes on both Carapaz and Yates in the Time Trials.

Neither is a great TT’er unless it’s an uphill TT.

The Stage 14 ITT will be particularly bad for Yates and Carapaz.
 
5 minutes might not be enough by a factor of 10 if Evenepoel is not an elite climber (yet). And if he is, maybe he doesn't even need the TT. :D
Sure, that ultimately the question. However absent Contador and his vacated win in 2011 no one has won the Giro by over 5 minutes since Basso in 2006.

Most of the recent deficits have been a minute or less.

Remco has a big advantage in the TT. That advantage will likely force Carapaz and Yates to push the pace, because they know that if Remco is solid and barely loses time in the mountains he’s likely to win via TT.
Remco doesn’t need to be the best climber. He just needs to stay on his bike and mitigate losses.

If he doesn’t crash/bonk/crack then he will win. Of course that if is a big one because we have nothing to base his ability in a GT on; however, he’s been in the final group each of the three mountain stages this year and finished 5th, 1st, 3rd. He’s lost 6 seconds on climbs thus far.
 
Sure, that ultimately the question. However absent Contador and his vacated win in 2011 no one has won the Giro by over 5 minutes since Basso in 2006.

Most of the recent deficits have been a minute or less.

Remco has a big advantage in the TT. That advantage will likely force Carapaz and Yates to push the pace, because they know that if Remco is solid and barely loses time in the mountains he’s likely to win via TT.
Remco doesn’t need to be the best climber. He just needs to stay on his bike and mitigate losses.

If he doesn’t crash/bonk/crack then he will win. Of course that if is a big one because we have nothing to base his ability in a GT on; however, he’s been in the final group each of the three mountain stages this year and finished 5th, 1st, 3rd. He’s lost 6 seconds on climbs thus far.
He has also not done any climbs this year that would qualify as a Cat 2 in the Giro.
 
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Here's Yates losing 3 s/km to the winner

https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/giro-d-italia/2018/stage-16

no idea why you think Evenepoel would be an additional 2 s/km faster

yup, but that immense effort arguably was the cause for Yates' collapse a couple of stages later. at least that is what the Mitch Scott people wondered.

i think what we will find is that remco will largely be totally fine in the high mountains, particularly if it is many kms climb and in the 6-8% average range. if he had a team to do it, he may even gain time on that type of climb by setting a searing pace that he was the only one to survive or carry forward. i have questions about any steeper gradients, but as long as he trusts his power and does not go into the red, should be no problem, lose a few seconds.

the valid question is whether he recovers well and can last three weeks. i believe he can. i could be wrong for sure.

aside: heard the guys from cycling podcast about remco. now i love those guys but they compared him to Baronchelli who finished 2nd to Merckx in the 1974 Giro at age 20 and never won a GT. Baronchelli could not TT. and Baronchelli had nothing of the history of not just winning but destroying his opposition in the junior (or amateur) ranks. they also said that remco was nothing compared to merckx who won MSR at 20. Uh...wrong. first of all remco actually has more pro wins at his age than even, yes, Merckx. and he produced a dominant performance to win San Sebastian at 19! he is also already a dominant TTer. Merckx was good, but was not winning TTs until later. And that is what is truly scary about Remco. he actually already has the power to defeat the very best TTers in the world. and that is what is both nuts and exciting...
 
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yup, but that immense effort arguably was the cause for Yates' collapse a couple of stages later. at least that is what the Mitch Scott people wondered.

i think what we will find is that remco will largely be totally fine in the high mountains, particularly if it is many kms climb and in the 6-8% average range. if he had a team to do it, he may even gain time on that type of climb by setting a searing pace that he was the only one to survive or carry forward. i have questions about any steeper gradients, but as long as he trusts his power and does not go into the red, should be no problem, lose a few seconds.

the valid question is whether he recovers well and can last three weeks. i believe he can. i could be wrong for sure.

aside: heard the guys from cycling podcast about remco. now i love those guys but they compared him to Baronchelli who finished 2nd to Merckx in the 1974 Giro at age 20 and never won a GT. Baronchelli could not TT. and Baronchelli had nothing of the history of not just winning but destroying his opposition in the junior (or amateur) ranks. they also said that remco was nothing compared to merckx who won MSR at 20. Uh...wrong. first of all remco actually has more pro wins at his age than even, yes, Merckx. and he produced a dominant performance to win San Sebastian at 19! he is also already a dominant TTer. Merckx was good, but was not winning TTs until later. And that is what is truly scary about Remco. he actually already has the power to defeat the very best TTers in the world. and that is what is both nuts and exciting...
I see that Carapaz lost almost 3 minutes to Dennis in that ITT. That's probably what he is going to lose to Remco as well.
 
So, confirmation his current weight is indeed 60kgs.
And his max power output has gone from 800W last year to 1100W this year.

 

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