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

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Cyclingnews, so really the most accurate information possible.

Remco Evenepoel: Nothing is holding me back anymore

Belgian cleared to prepare for 2021 season after new scans

www.cyclingnews.com

certainly you ask a good question, this is hardly definitive. I was getting maybe overly excited.

They only got that from the instagram/twitter post he made, there was no additional info. Basically all that he said was "nothing holding him back to start his preparation/season". That means the latest relevant info is still the long article/interview i posted a few pages back, with some follow up interviews. There he doesn't outright say he won't go for GC, but they are aware there is a very large possibility that it won't be possible to go for GC, and that he'll just look at it day by day, try to pick a few days to show himself. If that should be the case, he would gladly help Almeida. If he should still be somewhat in contention, he thinks it's possible he'll have to mimic Froome's 2018 Giro raid in order to be successful (meaning he assumes he'll have lost substantial time by week 3 in any case).

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Remco has seen Vansevenant and Almeida, and it dawned on him that his days are over. He will keep cycling as a profession, but not in the peloton. He will now start delivering pizza's.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1368911649265057794

View: https://twitter.com/EvenepoelRemco/status/1368911649265057794

 

[spalco]

Plugge hits back after Evenepoel says Deceuninck won't speak to Groenewegen

'Evenepoel is part of the problem with his response' says Jumbo-Visma boss

www.cyclingnews.com

I would very much like Evenepoel to shut the *** up for the forseeable future, at least until he's back to racing. It's not his place and he doesn't have the stature to speak up like this even if it was.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

He needs to learn how to engage brain before running his mouth

I will wait for the "it's been taken out of context" / "missed reported/miss interpreted" replies.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Plugge hits back after Evenepoel says Deceuninck won't speak to Groenewegen

'Evenepoel is part of the problem with his response' says Jumbo-Visma boss

www.cyclingnews.com

I would very much like Evenepoel to shut the *** up for the forseeable future, at least until he's back to racing. It's not his place and he doesn't have the stature to speak up like this even if it was.

Perhaps you, as well as Plugge and all the news media getting involved, should read the exact quote of what he said, as an answer to a direct question in an interview. Plugge's response is nothing short of hilarious, ironic and hypocritical. I'd say Plugge is part of the problem. Evenepoel simply answers a question truthfully to his knowledge. The only thing he could have done differently, is not answer at all.

You can run it through Google Translate:

HUMO Jouw ploegmaat Fabio Jakobsen viel in Polen, door toedoen van Dylan Groenewegen. Collega-sprinter Caleb Ewan zei onlangs in een interview dat hij vreest dat de terugkeer van Groenewegen moeilijk wordt. Wellicht wacht hem geen warm welkom in het peloton na zijn schorsing.

EVENEPOEL "Het lijkt me vrij logisch dat hij niet goed ontvangen zal worden. Wellicht denkt bijna iedereen in het peloton daar zo over, behalve Jumbo-Visma.

"Enfin, Dylan doet de deur niet één, maar twéé keer dicht in volle sprint. Hij mag van geluk spreken dat Fabio erdoor is gekomen. Iedereen weet dat het helemaal anders had kunnen uitdraaien. Dan heb je een ander verhaal."

HUMO Ewan zei ook: 'Elke sprinter maakt weleens een fout, maar er zijn verschillende gradaties. Als je de deur dichtdoet voor een renner die naast je rijdt, weet je wat er kan gebeuren.'

EVENEPOEL "Absoluut. Het gebeurt weleens dat een sprinter van zijn lijn afwijkt, maar Groenewegen doet het twee keer én steekt dan nog eens zijn elleboog uit. Dat zijn drie fouten in 50 meter. En de gevolgen waren dramatisch.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

He needs to learn how to engage brain before running his mouth

I will wait for the "it's been taken out of context" / "missed reported/miss interpreted" replies.

Like you?

 

[wheresmybrakes]

Perhaps you, as well as Plugge and all the news media getting involved, should read the exact quote of what he said, as an answer to a direct question in an interview. Plugge's response is nothing short of hilarious, ironic and hypocritical. I'd say Plugge is part of the problem. Evenepoel simply answers a question truthfully to his knowledge. The only thing he could have done differently, is not answer at all.

You can run it through Google Translate:

HUMO Jouw ploegmaat Fabio Jakobsen viel in Polen, door toedoen van Dylan Groenewegen. Collega-sprinter Caleb Ewan zei onlangs in een interview dat hij vreest dat de terugkeer van Groenewegen moeilijk wordt. Wellicht wacht hem geen warm welkom in het peloton na zijn schorsing.

EVENEPOEL "Het lijkt me vrij logisch dat hij niet goed ontvangen zal worden. Wellicht denkt bijna iedereen in het peloton daar zo over, behalve Jumbo-Visma.

"Enfin, Dylan doet de deur niet één, maar twéé keer dicht in volle sprint. Hij mag van geluk spreken dat Fabio erdoor is gekomen. Iedereen weet dat het helemaal anders had kunnen uitdraaien. Dan heb je een ander verhaal."

HUMO Ewan zei ook: 'Elke sprinter maakt weleens een fout, maar er zijn verschillende gradaties. Als je de deur dichtdoet voor een renner die naast je rijdt, weet je wat er kan gebeuren.'

EVENEPOEL "Absoluut. Het gebeurt weleens dat een sprinter van zijn lijn afwijkt, maar Groenewegen doet het twee keer én steekt dan nog eens zijn elleboog uit. Dat zijn drie fouten in 50 meter. En de gevolgen waren dramatisch.

Didn't take long.

 

[Blanco]

Boy needs to grow up a bit more...

 

[Lui98]

Perhaps you, as well as Plugge and all the news media getting involved, should read the exact quote of what he said, as an answer to a direct question in an interview. Plugge's response is nothing short of hilarious, ironic and hypocritical. I'd say Plugge is part of the problem. Evenepoel simply answers a question truthfully to his knowledge. The only thing he could have done differently, is not answer at all.

You can run it through Google Translate:

HUMO Jouw ploegmaat Fabio Jakobsen viel in Polen, door toedoen van Dylan Groenewegen. Collega-sprinter Caleb Ewan zei onlangs in een interview dat hij vreest dat de terugkeer van Groenewegen moeilijk wordt. Wellicht wacht hem geen warm welkom in het peloton na zijn schorsing.

EVENEPOEL "Het lijkt me vrij logisch dat hij niet goed ontvangen zal worden. Wellicht denkt bijna iedereen in het peloton daar zo over, behalve Jumbo-Visma.

"Enfin, Dylan doet de deur niet één, maar twéé keer dicht in volle sprint. Hij mag van geluk spreken dat Fabio erdoor is gekomen. Iedereen weet dat het helemaal anders had kunnen uitdraaien. Dan heb je een ander verhaal."

HUMO Ewan zei ook: 'Elke sprinter maakt weleens een fout, maar er zijn verschillende gradaties. Als je de deur dichtdoet voor een renner die naast je rijdt, weet je wat er kan gebeuren.'

EVENEPOEL "Absoluut. Het gebeurt weleens dat een sprinter van zijn lijn afwijkt, maar Groenewegen doet het twee keer én steekt dan nog eens zijn elleboog uit. Dat zijn drie fouten in 50 meter. En de gevolgen waren dramatisch.

"Apparently Dylan and Fabio got along before the incident, but i can imagine you don't forgive and forget something like that. How they will get along in the future is something they have to figure out. For me Fabio doesn't have to talk with Dylan, it's his right to ignore him. I don't think anybody from our team will talk to him. He hurt a teammate, literally and figuratively and we can't forgive him for that"

Interviewer: That's not gonna be easy in the peloton

"Happily Fabio got through .Dylan became a father and has a nice future too. Life goes on for everybody. Fabio is focussing on his comeback and he wants to be a sprinter again. The rest doesn't matter.

I took the translation from one of the comments posted below the article

 

[Volderke]

The only thing Remco says, like any of us would do, is he isn't warming to talking to Groenewegen spontaneously.

What would you do in his case, if something like this happened to a team mate? Would you spontaneously start talking to the one that pushed your mate /friend in the barriers? There are enough other riders who never talk while riding in the same peloton.

And Remco saying it, is only because journalists ask him all these things. He doesn't start this kind of talks himself. He just honestly answered, and his answer is what most of us would do anyway.

If Plugge wants reconciliation, he isn't the one that can force it. He has to wait and as long as DQS doesn't want to make a first move, he just has to wait and be patient, and not be annoyed by very natural human behaviour.

 

[red_flanders]

"Apparently Dylan and Fabio got along before the incident, but i can imagine you don't forgive and forget something like that. How they will get along in the future is something they have to figure out. For me Fabio doesn't have to talk with Dylan, it's his right to ignore him. I don't think anybody from our team will talk to him. He hurt a teammate, literally and figuratively and we can't forgive him for that"

Interviewer: That's not gonna be easy in the peloton

"Happily Fabio got through .Dylan became a father and has a nice future too. Life goes on for everybody. Fabio is focussing on his comeback and he wants to be a sprinter again. The rest doesn't matter.

I took the translation from one of the comments posted below the article

I saw this in the comments section and also came here to post them, I'm glad you got to it first.

Hopefully that context is informative to some of the folks who responded negatively to RE's comments. Yes, his comments were ABSOLUTELY was taken out of context and put in the worst possible light. His comments seem totally normal to me.

 

[yaco]

Remco is the new Quinn Simmons !

 

[SafeBet]

Wbat would you do in his case, if something like this happened to a team mate? Would you spontaneously start talking to the one that pushed your mate /friend in the barriers?

Yes, I think I would if there was a chance.
But at the same time I'm not expecting pro cyclists to do that, since most of them are self-centered ultra competitive teenagers.
Like all pro athletes BTW.

 

[Volderke]

Yes, I think I would if there was a chance.
But at the same time I'm not expecting pro cyclists to do that, since most of them are self-centered ultra competitive teenagers.
Like all pro athletes BTW.

I'm OK with you or anyone talking or not talking, but I think it's quite judgemental to state that those who don't talk, are self-centered.
You and me aren't them.

 

[Bonimenier]

Maybe Evenepoel shouldn't have made his thought on this so public, but I'm more bothered by the dumb statements of Plugge, a 50 yo manager, than those of a 21 yo kid. Especially the part that Evenepoel shouldn't have made the statements in the media. As a former journalist he knows all too well that mediamembers love to provoke controversial statements.

 

[SafeBet]

I'm OK with you or anyone talking or not talking, but I think it's quite judgemental to state that those who don't talk, are self-centered.
You and me aren't them.

I didn't really mean to come accross as judgemental. I truly believe being self-centered is a key personality trait to have for pro athletes. You need to be 100% confident you are (or at least can be if you work hard enough) the best in business.

That said, I wouldn't exactly view them as a reference point for relational skills. If Remco doesn't want to talk to Groenewegen is fine. If no DQS rider wants to talk to Groenewegen because the wolfpack mentality needs to be preserved is fine. Just don't assume this would be the behaviour of choice for everybody.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I didn't really mean to come accross as judgemental. I truly believe being self-centered is a key personality trait to have for pro athletes. You need to be 100% confident you are (or at least can be if you work hard enough) the best in business.

That said, I wouldn't exactly view them as a reference point for relational skills. If Remco doesn't want to talk to Groenewegen is fine. If no DQS rider wants to talk to Groenewegen because the wolfpack mentality needs to be preserved is fine. Just don't assume this would be the behaviour of choice for everybody.

Sure, but in this case, this was exactly what the question was, and the journalist explicitly mentioned Ewan who had basically said the same thing. So Evenepoel simply elaborated on that from his own perspective. People, Plugge being the worst offender, assume or act, like Evenepoel got bored, grabbed his smartphone and started tweeting about bullying a random rider without cause. He wasn't talking about a random rider, there is definitely cause, and he only answered when asked. Reading what he said, he didn't say anything i wouldn't have said under the same circumstances. He simply gave an honest answer.
Plugge's ridiculous retort about "only being able to be penalized once for a certain crime" is too stupid for words. But i hope the same journalist asks Plugge how he feels about that, when his son, daughter, wife, best friend, gets run over by a drunk driver. And whether Plugge would drop by the aggressor's house for a heartfelt and friendly chat afterwards. Because that appears to be what he's expecting of other people. The guy makes me puke acting as if Groenewegen is the victim that is being harassed by Evenepoel.

 

[Red Rick]

I don't blame Evenepoel at all for still being mad at Groenewegen. IMO it's kinda disgusting how this all blew over. I don't think he's going very smart about it though.

DQS should just commit to drop Groenewegen on any speed bump possible.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Evenepoel said absolutely nothing wrong. I have personal sympathy for Groenewegen, who seriously injured someone, could have killed them and could have ruined his own life, all in a split second of competitive madness while totally flooded with adrenaline. Just imagine the worst instant unthinking impulse you’ve ever had and imagine how you would feel if you’d acted on it. But you can’t expect his victim’s teammates to want to have a friendly chat with him. Or to say that they are looking forward to talking with him when they are directly asked. Remco wasn’t even over the top aggressive about it.

And who can blame the other top sprinters, like Ewan, for not exactly welcoming the return of someone who put one of their number into the barricades at 70kph? Those guys take very serious risks and they have to rely on their opponents maintaining a basic level of responsible behaviour.

This is a nonsense story. Plugge isn’t doing Groenewegen any favours by grandstanding about his social standing in the peloton preemptively. He should be keeping things as calm and low profile as possible, not getting into media rows.

 

[HelloDolly]

I actually like that Evenepoel shouts his mouth off....He will be annoying but he will also be colorful and entertaining
This is what cycling needs ..a bit of trash talk

I am so sick of every cyclist saying
" The team did good"
"It was a super hard stage "
"I'd like to thank the guys"

blah, blah blah ...give me some personality and I don't mean Alliphilipe in the car singing along to Bee Gees

 

[Bonimenier]

I actually like that Evenepoel shouts his mouth off....He will be annoying but he will also be colorful and entertaining
This is what cycling needs ..a bit of trash talk

I am so sick of every cyclist saying
" The team did good"
"It was a super hard stage "
"I'd like to thank the guys"

blah, blah blah ...give me some personality and I don't mean Alliphilipe in the car singing along to Bee Gees

To be fair Evenepoel almost exactly says those 3 sentences after every race he wins

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Maybe Evenepoel shouldn't have made his thought on this so public, but I'm more bothered by the dumb statements of Plugge, a 50 yo manager, than those of a 21 yo kid. Especially the part that Evenepoel shouldn't have made the statements in the media. As a former journalist he knows all too well that mediamembers love to provoke controversial statements.

I 100% agree. The last person a media row benefits is Groenewegen. I have no idea what Plugge thinks he is going to accomplish.

 

[red_flanders]

I actually like that Evenepoel shouts his mouth off....He will be annoying but he will also be colorful and entertaining
This is what cycling needs ..a bit of trash talk

I am so sick of every cyclist saying
" The team did good"
"It was a super hard stage "
"I'd like to thank the guys"

blah, blah blah ...give me some personality and I don't mean Alliphilipe in the car singing along to Bee Gees

I agree with your general sentiment, but with regard to Evenepoel specifically, he neither shot his mouth off or talked trash. I thought his comments were realistic, frank, and fairly measured.

 

[Netserk]

It’s always an option in an interview not to comment, or to phrase your answer diplomatically. Why is it his role to speak on behalf of the entire team (“and we can’t forgive him for that”); or to comment at all on it, when he unlike Ewan won’t be sprinting against Groenewegen?

 

[Red Rick]

It’s always an option in an interview not to comment, or to phrase your answer diplomatically. Why is it his role to speak on behalf of the entire team (“and we can’t forgive him for that”); or to comment at all on it, when he unlike Ewan won’t be sprinting against Groenewegen?

Speaking for the entire team is the stupid part. Could just say he has no interest in talking to Groenewegen. But in general I think there's a gigantic sympathy circlejerk for Groenewegen right now