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

[Logic-is-your-friend]

According to Naesen, Evenepoel is looking very sharp. Naesen and Peyskens were on a training ride in Calpe, when they ran into Evenepoel, who joined them for the rest of the ride. Naesen isn't too worried about Evenepoel, they did a long and intense training ride with a lot of climbing, Evenepoel didn't seem to suffer at all.

Oliver Naesen trainde in Spanje een dagje met Evenepoel: 'Hij zag er superscherp uit' | Wieler Revue

Remco Evenepoel werkt hard om weer op niveau te komen na zijn val in de Ronde van Lombardije. Het supertalent van Deceuninck-Quick Step verblijft momenteel in Spanje en pikte aan bij onder meer Oliver Naesen en Greg Van Avermaet voor een trainingsritje.

wielerrevue.nl

 

[tobydawq]

Indeed.

(I just noticed, unlike on other forums, you can't read the text someone else quoted from a person you blocked, and you don't even see a message saying there was a message of someone you blocked, in case you wanted to see what was said... so it looked like Blue was talking to me or to himself, which was why i had no idea what he meant.)

I'm quite sure you got some pronouns wrong there in your last sentence

 

[Zoef-Lightning]

Lol, don't troll me, okay?

The "terrible Jumbo-Visma-team" sounds totally ironic, looking at the fact that they are quite high up in the team's ranking this year, in fact have been a kind of super-team for most of the season.
Maybe van Aert did not get the freedom and support he would have gotten elsewhere. He was not exactly totally tied either. And maybe the coaches and staff are quite good at JV, thereby helping him to perform - the results of the team in general seem to say so.
And "abused"? He's a very, very poular Belgian, I'm sure if he stated he wanted more support, to be more the center of things, he'd get some more. But maybe he was quite okay with the role he got? I never heard him complain, not even between the lines. Maybe that will change in the future, but really I see no "abuse" here, just a guy who had an amazing season and won a monument and a lot of other stuff in one of his first real road seasons, after a really bad crash which was feared to be career-threatening, and in a season messed up by a pandemic.
He had the possibility to explore a bit what he can do in a GT without any pressure on him.

Maybe Evenepoel has more guts, who knows. Surely the fact that Evenepoel chose DQS and van Aert Jumbo is no indication for that at all. You make it sound like van Aert signed for a bad PCT.

I agree that, looking at what he did, his role this year should not be the limit of his wishes. I'm sure it isn't. To say he's wasting his best years does not make sense. If he has the quality and wish to go for the yellow jersey, Jumbo have the team-members and staff to make that possible. Surely in that case he'd not rate Dumoulin and Kuss as team-mates below Alaphilippe and Almeida.

quote : "Lol, don't troll me, okay"
I experienced this as you "trolled" me, by your negative reaction : "Reading your first sentences I was sure you were being ironic, but you mean it?
In fact, I gave my opinion about the choices and the character of Van Aert. May that please ? Why do you and a few others react always negative and derogatory to an ordinary opinion. This is a forum, the place for opinions and discussions. Why those provocative reactions ?
And strangely, in your second reaction, you appear to be on the same wavelenght, but less pronounced.

 

[BlueRoads]

Who are you taking to? Not in a Taxidriver way.

Must have been weird for you, I admit.

I'm quite sure you got some pronouns wrong there in your last sentence

I guess I should take off my bra.

quote : "Lol, don't troll me, okay"
I experienced this as you "trolled" me, by your negative reaction : "Reading your first sentences I was sure you were being ironic, but you mean it?
In fact, I gave my opinion about the choices and the character of Van Aert. May that please ? Why do you and a few others react always negative and derogatory to an ordinary opinion. This is a forum, the place for opinions and discussions. Why those provocative reactions ?
And strangely, in your second reaction, you appear to be on the same wavelenght, but less pronounced.

Sometimes it's difficult to understand in which way someone means something in a written conversation. With some of your posts I certainly don't get whether you're trolling, being aggressive or just normal and neutral, and it seems that's the other way around as well. People have different communication styles and when there is no facial expression, no tone of voice and you've never met the other one in person the understanding can get even more messy. Therefor best to not take things too personal in an internet forum I suppose.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Must have been weird for you, I admit.



I guess I should take off my bra.



Sometimes it's difficult to understand in which way someone means something in a written conversation. With some of your posts I certainly don't get whether you're trolling, being aggressive or just normal and neutral, and it seems that's the other way around as well. People have different communication styles and when there is no facial expression, no tone of voice and you've never met the other one in person the understanding can get even more messy. Therefor best to not take things too personal in an internet forum I suppose.

Sorry, i had no idea you were (are) of the female variety. I completely get what you mean though. Being the youngest of a large family, as a kid that meant i had to be direct. The main form of communication among siblings was making fun of each other, there were dozens of alternatives to "dumbass" uttered per minute. But it was usually with a wink. After having been on too many internet forums the past 20 years, i've learned that roughly half of my posts miss the mark and people (usually) take those the wrong way. I can't remember ever having said something negative that people thought was a compliment, which can not be said for the opposite.

 

[tobydawq]

Sorry, i had no idea you were (are) of the female variety. I completely get what you mean though. Being the youngest of a large family, as a kid that meant i had to be direct. The main form of communication among siblings was making fun of each other, there were dozens of alternatives to "dumbass" uttered per minute. But it was usually with a wink. After having been on too many internet forums the past 20 years, i've learned that roughly half of my posts miss the mark and people (usually) take those the wrong way. I can't remember ever having said something negative that people thought was a compliment, which can not be said for the opposite.

She was again talking to Zoef-lightning in the final part

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

lol, i thought she was speaking in general, but oh well .

 

[BlueRoads]

All my words are general wisdom and everyone can profit from reading them.

 

[SHAD0W93]

All my words are general wisdom and everyone can profit from reading them.

I mean, you did do pretty good in the predictions thread.

 

[Zoef-Lightning]

Must have been weird for you, I admit.



I guess I should take off my bra.



Sometimes it's difficult to understand in which way someone means something in a written conversation. With some of your posts I certainly don't get whether you're trolling, being aggressive or just normal and neutral, and it seems that's the other way around as well. People have different communication styles and when there is no facial expression, no tone of voice and you've never met the other one in person the understanding can get even more messy. Therefor best to not take things too personal in an internet forum I suppose.

And vice-versa. Incident closed.

 

[Ktarie]

The funny thing about this whole thing is that VDP didn’t even outright call him arrogant. He also nuanced what might seem like arrogance to “us” is Remco simply glowing with confidence. Moreover, he adds that Remco backs up the “big talk” with his pedals/results. In other words VDP is saying that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Remco and the things he says.

He’s basically telling the haters to pipe down about the whole “Remco is an arrogant brat” rhetoric. So please stop misconstruing his words.

The original source of the interview appears to be HUMO that I can't access.
If that's one of the floating summary sources of the "arrogance debate":

Mathieu van der Poel over hoe hij het wielrennen verandert en Remco Evenepoel: “Hij is soms op het randje”

Op 12 december maakt Mathieu van der Poel zijn wederoptreden in de cross. De wereldkampioen doet dat na een wegcampagne waarin hij de Ronde van Vlaanderen won, na een oerstrijd tegen Wout van Aert. “De nieuwe generatie, we hebben het allemaal: de beuk erin!”, zegt hij trots in een interview met...

www.nieuwsblad.be

... then I am absolutely with your interpretation.

As readers, we do not even see the questions that the journalist asked VDP. Accordingly, I assume that the catchphrase and the frame around "arrogance" were initiated by the media itself and VDP only picks it up. "This may seem arrogant to us" is for me an indication that the journalist was explicitly interested in the occurrence of RE and could have placed the term "arrogance" in his question.

In fact, VDP invalidates an alleged arrogance with "borderline statements". Finally he draws the bow to himself and declares that high ambitions and great self-confidence could always be interpreted as arrogance and that he is here not that different from Remco because he does the same. They are both great athletes who follow their words with results. Some good and honest statements by Mathieu I would assume.

 

[Zoef-Lightning]

The original source of the interview appears to be HUMO that I can't access.
If that's one of the floating summary sources of the "arrogance debate":

Mathieu van der Poel over hoe hij het wielrennen verandert en Remco Evenepoel: “Hij is soms op het randje”

Op 12 december maakt Mathieu van der Poel zijn wederoptreden in de cross. De wereldkampioen doet dat na een wegcampagne waarin hij de Ronde van Vlaanderen won, na een oerstrijd tegen Wout van Aert. “De nieuwe generatie, we hebben het allemaal: de beuk erin!”, zegt hij trots in een interview met...

www.nieuwsblad.be

... then I am absolutely with your interpretation.

As readers, we do not even see the questions that the journalist asked VDP. Accordingly, I assume that the catchphrase and the frame around "arrogance" were initiated by the media itself and VDP only picks it up. "This may seem arrogant to us" is for me an indication that the journalist was explicitly interested in the occurrence of RE and could have placed the term "arrogance" in his question.

In fact, VDP invalidates an alleged arrogance with "borderline statements". Finally he draws the bow to himself and declares that high ambitions and great self-confidence could always be interpreted as arrogance and that he is here not that different from Remco because he does the same. They are both great athletes who follow their words with results. Some good and honest statements by Mathieu I would assume.

That's the correct interpretation.

 

[Bonimenier]

He looks crazy sharp in his last IG post compared to last year.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Declercq: "Evenepoel leaves a very strong impression"

Remco Evenepoel, who broke his pelvis in Il Lombardia, also impresses Declercq. "I'm amazed to see how good he already is, but let's not forget how serious his crash was."

"I don't know if he will have a slight relapse or not. It will be important for him not to skip any steps. It would be better to wait a few weeks longer than to get back into competition too soon."

Declercq weer verkozen tot beste helper: "Ik word toch nooit een echte afmaker" | sporza

Voor de derde keer op een rij is Tim Declercq verkozen tot Kristallen Zweetdruppel van het jaar. Die prijs bekroont de beste helper van het peloton. Declercq (31) haalt nooit zijn neus op voor het vuile werk in dienst van zijn kopmannen bij Deceuninck-Quick Step.

sporza.be

He looks crazy sharp in his last IG post compared to last year.

It's mainly in his face and legs. The legs could easily be due to losing muscle mass during rehabilitation. In his torso there is not a big difference, mainly a darker kit that makes him look leaner. If you compare it to the image of last year, where he wasn't laughing, you can see that his smile makes him look chubby.

https://www.deceuninck-quickstep.com/images/team_rider/c_c/360x450/evenepoel_1577742733.jpg

 

[Bonimenier]

It's mainly in his face and legs. The legs could easily be due to losing muscle mass during rehabilitation. In his torso there is not a big difference, mainly a darker kit that makes him look leaner. If you compare it to the image of last year, where he wasn't laughing, you can see that his smile makes him look chubby.

https://www.deceuninck-quickstep.com/images/team_rider/c_c/360x450/evenepoel_1577742733.jpg

I know the darker kit makes him look leaner in his torso, but it's clearly not the only reason he looks leaner. Didn't he say in last months press conference that his upperbody was skin and bone? Even his arms look thinner than a year ago.

 

[houtdffan]

If he can keep his power numbers the same as last year, he should be quite the dominant climber then if he is in fact trimmer

 

[Krzysztof_O]

If he can keep his power numbers the same as last year, he should be quite the dominant climber then if he is in fact trimmer

I guess his wattage is lower than before due to a break in intense training and losing some leg muscles mass.

 

[houtdffan]

I guess his wattage is lower than before due to a break in intense training and losing some leg muscles mass.

Wouldn't be a bad thing due to the lack of TT km in grand tours these days. GTs only cater to climbers ever since Conta won the Giro with that 59 km ITT

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Wouldn't be a bad thing due to the lack of TT km in grand tours these days. GTs only cater to climbers ever since Conta won the Giro with that 59 km ITT

TBH, given his normal "in form" wattage and a low body mass (60-61 kg), he really doesn't need to go any lower. His watts per kilogram is amazing already.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Remco is rather careful with his predictions and expectations in an interview with HLN today. Looks like the TDF is out of the question (luckily) and that he will first ride and finish Giro or Vuelta this year. He wants the experience of racing for 3 weeks before going to the TDF.

He says he's not able to go "deep" yet, that there is still a long way to go before reaching his old level. It may seem impressive to the outside world, but it's clear he doesn't feel the same about his current level, but he wants to go slowly in order to raise his base level and not get a relapse from his injury later on. Currently he's just doing the miles to lay a foundation. He doesn't want to ruh things.

 

[Wvv]

Really hope he is able to find that special level again.

 

[memyselfandI]

One thing is how he gets over what this crash made for him mentally. There's quite a big difference between athletes, how they react to this. It's very important to get back on your bike soon after crash, immediately if possible, if your wounds let you and ride your bike normally up to the limits. Unless this happens, like it didn't happened to Remco for obvious reasons, it easily creates mental barrier that takes quite a bit work to overcome.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

 

[Berflamand]

I'm wondering how his recovery is progressing. He seems unusually quiet these last few weeks on social media. No tweets/Instagram posts about his recovery, training or team camps unless I missed them.

I hope his recovery and training is on track and no news is good news in this case.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I'm wondering how his recovery is progressing. He seems unusually quiet these last few weeks on social media. No tweets/Instagram posts about his recovery, training or team camps unless I missed them.

I hope his recovery and training is on track and no news is good news in this case.

Yes, it's remarkable. I can only assume this is done deliberately, to get through preparations without too much media attention and wasted energy. Or because they are still uncertain of what level he can reach by the time the season starts. Or maybe because he's been getting too much comments about being too vocal. Last week Tom Boonen felt the need to jump on the bandwagon. Kind of ironic, coming from mister blabbermouth.