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

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I think the last thing I expected was a "normal" first GT for a GC prospect. If this was anyone else we'd all be excited for how promising it was for a year or two down the line.
It's just pretty unique because those prospects normally aren't the leader when they are at this level still. Will definitely be interesting to see him at a GT next year now that we will finally have somewhat of a benchmark.
 
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I've been saying since he just signed for DQT as a junior, that the team should have immediately trained his bikehandling skills. He never raced as a kid, only rode 1.5 years as a junior, where he usually was doing solo's anyway. It's the reason he crashed in Adriatica Ionica, it's why he crashed in Lombardia, it's why he * his pants earlier this week, and why he * his pants today. But NOW the team has come to the conclusion that they need to do something about it. "It was planned to do it earlier this year, but then the crash happened". Of course the crash happened, because they waited 2 years too long.

You cannot win GTs unless you are near or at the front on descents. The same issues of stage 11 showed up again.

Positioning and bike handling play a huge part in cycling.

The lack of explosiveness is also a big issue, however, I’m not sure what can be done to remedy that disadvantage aside from CX and weight training. He’s on the low side of athletic explosiveness relative to other professionals.

When you look at Bernal and Pogacar they can explode up climbs and those who can’t do forceful explosions are doomed.

I saw that he’s scheduled to do La Vuelta but I’m not sure what this going to accomplish as it has more of the same high gradient explosive climbs.
 
I really do not see the benefit of keeping him in the race.

The ill-thought idea to have his first race back be this one needs now to be shelved.

There are so many races he could have been at right now, building form and confidence. And literally no one would have expected more coming off of that injury.
I do actually, because he, the team and we are seeing weak spots pop up left and right. I'm sure they learned a lot today.
 
I really do not see the benefit of keeping him in the race.

The ill-thought idea to have his first race back be this one needs now to be shelved.

There are so many races he could have been at right now, building form and confidence. And literally no one would have expected more coming off of that injury.
This is something I find it so hard to have a strong opinion about because I simply know nothing about the science behind physiological recovery, training et cetera. So if the staff of QST believes it is not a problem physically to let him finish the race it just depends on what is best for Evenepoel mentally. And that could very well be finishing the race. The time trial at the end is still a good opportunity for him to end on a positive note.
 
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So if the staff of QST believes it is not a problem physically to let him finish the race...

They have already made a lot of mistakes in his recovery, so...

once he had that accident his whole early career timetable should have been altered. From potentially the youngest giro winner, to perhaps not competing in a GT until he was 22. It wasn’t long ago that prodigies were actually pulled from their first GT if they competed in one before they were at least 23...

I wonder what effect watching Pog’s success from a “hospital bed” had on this decision to push ahead for the giro no matter what.
 
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I think we had a clue about Remco's form for this Giro on day 1. Seventh place on a shortish TT is normally very good, but for Remco it's nowhere near where the pre-2020-crash Remco would have been expected to finish. But coming back from a career-threatening injury and an interrupted rehab, it was quite a good/hopeful start. -- If he is not suffering from injury, I think it may be valuable for him to complete this Giro (with 7 stages remaining). That of course would be a team/rider determination.
 
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I think any assumptions about Remco as GT rider this year are worth close to zero. I mean he hasn't race for 9 months after horific injury. Give him this year as some sort of a transitional year. He has to get those racing km in the legs, get back to his prime.

I mean is he really that bad for his first GT, considering all that happend in the last 9 months?

Next year we will be able tell/see where he stands in 3 weeks racing.
 
I think we had a clue about Remco's form for this Giro on day 1. Seventh place on a shortish TT is normally very good, but for Remco it's nowhere near where the pre-2020-crash Remco would have been expected to finish. But coming back from a career-threatening injury and an interrupted rehab, it was quite a good/hopeful start. -- If he is not suffering from injury, I think it may be valuable for him to complete this Giro (with 7 stages remaining). That of course would be a team/rider determination.
Get in form for the Olympics, if that is at all possible this year. So there should be some motivation at least
 
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They have already made a lot of mistakes in his recovery, so...

once he had that accident his whole early career timetable should have been altered. From potentially the youngest giro winner, to perhaps not competing in a GT until he was 22. It wasn’t long ago that prodigies were actually pulled from their first GT if they competed in one before they were at least 23...

I wonder what effect watching Pog’s success from a “hospital bed” had on this decision to push ahead for the giro no matter what.
Sure but it's a stretch to say that because they misjudged the situation there they are now misjudging it again. Making a mistake once does not equate to making mistakes everywhere else they should just fire everyone involved in his injury recovery. That whole story is also pretty vague in that a lot of it seemed to be because Evenepoel was not properly told that he should inform them of any pain he still experienced and so he thought the pain was normal and did not mention it immediately. Other than that he was allowed to train a bit quickly I don't see what 'lots of mistakes' were made here. Seems a bit hyperbolic.

I can't judge myself whether this is smart to do from a physical perspective. Sure you can refer to how things have been done before from a spectator's point of view and those assessments are not worthless but I am inclined to believe the medical staff/trainers of a pro team over what we think is best because it was perhaps best for other riders in the past. At least my own expertise and information is too limited.

Although it's the kind of question that would be very interesting to hear a reporter ask Lefevere or the DS of QS. And see how they would argue it. Because if it has been done a certain way before it does beg the question why they would do it differently. Don't fix what ain't broke and all that.
 
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I think any assumptions about Remco as GT rider this year are worth close to zero. I mean he hasn't race for 9 months after horific injury. Give him this year as some sort of a transitional year. He has to get those racing km in the legs, get back to his prime.

I mean is he really that bad for his first GT, considering all that happend in the last 9 months?

Next year we will be able tell/see where he stands in 3 weeks racing.
Nah, some trends are pretty clear and they won't just go away.
 
Days are now probably starting to have a bite in him. But still thumbs up hoping that he finishes. This race brings him into the light and exposes all, good ones and bad ones. I'm quite confident that with fitness and form in his good level, say like before Lombardia, things wouldn't have been that different in this Giro. He is excellent tt'er but lacks so much in many other areas in performance and bike handling and pack riding that makes it impossible to be on podium.

And unfortunately it seems he's got fear under his skin from Lombardia, that is natural thing but something that must be worked out.
 
Title related: was Merckx an awful bike handler?
I guess not but he did have a hip injury as well. But he won his comeback GT (Giro 1970) and the TdF as well in the same year. But I guess thats theoretically still possible for Evenepoel as well :D

The closest I have come to death was when I had my crash at the Blois outdoor vélodrome in central France in September 1969. I’d just won the Tour de France and I was racing behind my pacer, who was on a Derny [a custom-built motorbike]. He crashed into another bike and was killed. I hit him at full speed. I flew through the air, landing head first. I had nothing on my head – just sponge and leather. I twisted my hips and injured my back and I was never the same. I was always in pain, and still have treatment on my back every two months.
 
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