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

[Cookster15]

Valverde is easily one of the most talented riders of the last, let's say 20 years...
Some luck, maybe yeah. But also his way of riding, he was too conservative I think, if he had risked more in big races, I think he would had a couple of big ones more.

Agree he is hugely talented but I do think Valverde got near best from himself. I mean he turned pro in 2002! But if you had the best sprint of any GC rival then you would ride like him too. Why bust your guts doing it the hard way when you can just stay with the best on the climbs then finish them off in the sprint. That's how he won his world title. In Grand Tours Valverde was known to fade in the third week and had a problem with altitude.

 

[bNator]

As soon as I turn pro and start winning at age 55 you'll see that others start to do the same.

Not you. Remco

 

[houtdffan]

As soon as I turn pro and start winning at age 55 you'll see that others start to do the same.

55 year olds winning is not possible

21 year olds doing what 21-23 years have done before? Possible

 

[hayneplane]

Agree he is hugely talented but I do think Valverde got near best from himself. I mean he turned pro in 2002! But if you had the best sprint of any GC rival then you would ride like him too. Why bust your guts doing it the hard way when you can just stay with the best on the climbs then finish them off in the sprint. That's how he won his world title. In Grand Tours Valverde was known to fade in the third week and had a problem with altitude.

The altitude thing is an interesting handicap to his chances in Grand Tours as his climbing level was often strong enough until they went over 2000 metres as the thin air caused him more difficulty than steep gradients or long climbs.

Another factor playing against him was the often dysfunctional team strategy and in-race decisions made by his team directors.

 

[will-10]

Jesus, guys. Can we wait til he wins something first?

 

[Zoef-Lightning]

I'm not sure the high gear of Evenepoel, in the climbs, is a good sign. Normally, a rider in form, cycles with a small gear, smoothly. To shift into a high gear in the final uphill. A rider using a high gear to early, cannot sustain that great gear for long, at a speed acceleration. And then, has to sit and shift to a small gear. Losing time quickly.

 

[AlfaLum]

Personally i think that Evenepoel will not have an easy time outshining some of the other greats in this generation. For me it is not clear that he is better than Pogacar, and for now I would even argue it is the other way around. Anyway a new Eddy Mercxk, i really can't see anyone doing that anymore within Cycling.

 

[Gigs_98]

Jesus, guys. Can we wait til he wins something first?

We could...but that wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

 

[kingjr]

I'm not sure the high gear of Evenepoel, in the climbs, is a good sign. Normally, a rider in form, cycles with a small gear, smoothly. To shift into a high gear in the final uphill. A rider using a high gear to early, cannot sustain that great gear for long, at a speed acceleration. And then, has to sit and shift to a small gear. Losing time quickly.

Perhaps he's just showing off, like Vandenbroucke

 

[Panda Claws]

Personally i think that Evenepoel will not have an easy time outshining some of the other greats in this generation. For me it is not clear that he is better than Pogacar, and for now I would even argue it is the other way around. Anyway a new Eddy Mercxk, i really can't see anyone doing that anymore within Cycling.

Don't think anyone is saying he will have the palmares of Merckx. Only that he could hopefully be as much of an outlier in his own time.

 

[spalco]

Quoting Big Doopie from the race thread because I think it fits better here, than clog up everything with Evenepoel talk:

bernal looks very, very strong. if it stays this way, the high mountains will absolutely crown him.

remco did amazing when you consider where he is coming from. however, he did only okay in terms of actually competing for overall. depends on whether this is his limit in mountains or whether he will improve steadily throughout the giro. i am concerned it may be somewhere between the two (at best) and he may really show his limits in the high mountains.

Clearly this stage is not what Remcoistas were hoping for, but I guess it's the best we could have realistically expected of him in week 1.

Also, in the high mountains it could possibly be easier for him to get into a real rythm and grind his way to a wattage that's difficult to follow.

edit: also, no harm done, 10 seconds is nothing. Let's hope he doesn't catch a cold or something.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

Quoting Big Doopie from the race thread because I think it fits better here, than clog up everything with Evenepoel talk:



Clearly this stage is not what Remcoistas were hoping for, but I guess it's the best we could have realistically expected of him in week 1.

Also, in the high mountains it could possibly be easier for him to get into a real rythm and grind his way to a wattage that's difficult to follow.

edit: also, no harm done, 10 seconds is nothing. Let's hope he doesn't catch a cold or something.

I mentioned earlier that I felt that Remco would be more vulnerable in the early portion of the race, and as he grew into the race he would become more dangerous. This was a brutal stage in terms of conditions so losing 10 seconds while not ideal is not the end by any means.

As long as Remco can keep himself safe we're probably not going to know how he'll fare until we get into the last week.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

He lost 10 seconds to some rivals, in a dangerous stage with some actual climbing, in the rain, during the first week of his comeback, with plenty of descending... Meanwhile he also further distanced other rivals. I think that's a great result.
Honestly i had feared that what happened to Almeida, would have happened to him.

 

[Bolder]

I thought today was a really good result for Remco. That was some bad weather; a LOT of things might have been different if it were 18 degrees and sunny.

 

[Panda Claws]

It's another one of these results where you can't be surprised or disappointed but where you just really hoped for more.
As long as the assumption holds that he will improve throughout the Giro I think this is promising even for this one.

Still can't really tell anything about possible GC prowess imo.

Any other rider and this would have been fantastic though sometimes easy to forget that.

 

[saganftw]

Also, in the high mountains it could possibly be easier for him to get into a real rythm and grind his way to a wattage that's difficult to follow.

oh shoot he is not merckx, he is van aert

 

[Escarabajo]

Someone said that he looked good. To me he looked very cold. I was looking at his face and I thought someone should take advantage of this. Surely the weather and lack of racing was affecting him. But good to limit his losses.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

I told everyone here that Masnada is a better option than Almeida and already it shows to be true. Soon the same will become apparent with Remco and DQS will have to go all in for Fausto. Remco looking nervous and cold as Escarabajo said, Landa and Bernal already toying with him.

 

[BlueRoads]

I told everyone here that Masnada is a better option than Almeida and already it shows to be true. Soon the same will become apparent with Remco and DQS will have to go all in for Fausto. Remco looking nervous and cold as Escarabajo said, Landa and Bernal already toying with him.

Should Masnada be your first option you should be buried for not bringing a sprinter.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I told everyone here that Masnada is a better option than Almeida and already it shows to be true. Soon the same will become apparent with Remco and DQS will have to go all in for Fausto. Remco looking nervous and cold as Escarabajo said, Landa and Bernal already toying with him.

"Toying" is taking 11s in a stage you could potentially lose minutes. Masnada who loses more than a minute on Evenepoel is now the better option for GC.
Evenepoel is 2nd in GC of favorites, 4s behind Vlasov, but never mind that. And let's forget he came into the Giro undercooked could just as easily improve, as he could crack.

 

[spalco]

I told everyone here that Masnada is a better option than Almeida and already it shows to be true. Soon the same will become apparent with Remco and DQS will have to go all in for Fausto. Remco looking nervous and cold as Escarabajo said, Landa and Bernal already toying with him.

I don't think DQS will do that in any case unless Masnada somehow picks up the pink jersey. If Evenepoel cracks, they'll switch to picking off stages.

Fausto Masnada is 27, his best win other than a stage in the Giro was the Tour of Hainan three years ago. Putting their whole team to support Masnada getting maybe 6th or whatever in the GC would be ridiculous.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

I don't think DQS will do that in any case unless Masnada somehow picks up the pink jersey. If Evenepoel cracks, they'll switch to picking off stages.

Fausto Masnada is 27, his best win other than a stage in the Giro was the Tour of Hainan three years ago. Putting their whole team to support Masnada getting maybe 6th or whatever in the GC would be ridiculous.

DQS brought 3 guys for GC but none can win. Unless Remco is now like a 1999 Lance. Masnada in Dolomites will be the strongest, they have now to play the cards they have.

 

[Panda Claws]

Someone said that he looked good. To me he looked very cold. I was looking at his face and I thought someone should take advantage of this. Surely the weather and lack of racing was affecting him. But good to limit his losses.

I also think QS only set the pace to hide Evenepoel and Almeida's vulnerability.

 

[spalco]

DQS brought 3 guys for GC but none can win. Unless Remco is now like a 1999 Lance. Masnada in Dolomites will be the strongest, they have now to play the cards they have.

I mean, he has a cool name, I'll support him for that alone, and I know practically nothing else about him, so whatever. But if I was DS on that team, that would not be my strategy.

 

[Volderke]

It's the first time in over 2 years Remco Evenepoel looked beatable in a stage race.

He is giving a bit of hope to his competitors. Probably Vegni told him to keep the race exciting for the first two weeks. After that he will go all in.