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

[Lui98]

why do you call evenepoel bambi? like where does it come from

Sandisfan explained it perfectly

The Bambi reference is to the Disney 1942 animated Movie and specifically to the scenes of Bambi first trying to follow the rabbits on a frozen pond (in the Movie the young dear Bambi and the rabbits are talking I know it's an animated Movie ) anyway in the scenes Bambi keeps stumbling and falling on the icy pond, it's a cute scene but that is what the reference is about. As an allegory to Remco's descending skills.

 

[Offline]

Maybe chance to ''The Remco Evenepoel is the next Richie Porte thread''

 

[Big Doopie]

I don’t think he has a chance in hell of winning any stage. He’s spent. He never had the months building endurance required. I do not see any benefit to staying in and just letting his body deteriorate.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

As for this Giro, I think it's safe to assume his form in the first week was completely fine. Going for the GC was batshit crazy considering all the circumstances etc, but I don't think we can his form was off in the first 9 stages. He was pretty consistent, did better on the shallow climb while getting dropped on the steeper climbs.

A lot of your points are reasonable, but I think that this premise is absurd.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Honestly, i'm not seeing it. I don't buy that he'll win the ITT. It's flat and only 30k, and his form is clearly on the decline. I think the only realistic chance he has at a stagewin is stage 18, if he goes in the break and has just enough left in the tank to finish it on the little climbs.

He should try and i agree not necessarily on the TT stage. Just devote the whole week 3 to achieving that goal. Maybe motivate the team a bit, to get some help. Stage win would save this Giro for him. Or at least a honest attempt.

P.S. If he is empty already and just wants to ride to the finish then that is understandable too.

 

[Red Rick]

A lot of your points are reasonable, but I think that this premise is absurd.

The other option is that he should be able to hang with/beat Bernal or beat everyone but Ganna in a prologue in the first week of a Grand Tour based on absolutely no evidence beforehand

 

[roundabout]

A lot of your points are reasonable, but I think that this premise is absurd.

Why is it absurd? He may not have been setting records in training based on the vague Steels' comment, but ultimately it wasn't the lack of top-end numbers that led to the current GC position

 

[Eclipse]

He should try and i agree not necessarily on the TT stage. Just devote the whole week 3 to achieving that goal. Maybe motivate the team a bit, to get some help. Stage win would save this Giro for him. Or at least a honest attempt.

P.S. If he is empty already and just wants to ride to the finish then that is understandable too.

He should just ride the last weeks for experience and race days but shouldn't plan on trying anything.

I see no real way he wins the final TT. If he was to win it, then in some ways I'd probably have even more doubts he's ever going to be an elite tier GT rider because that would suggest there's maybe a bit more than just not having enough race days in his legs over these recent stages.

Going for a stage win sounds nice in principle, but if they're serious about achieving some goals over the rest of his year then just treating the remainder as a training block is probably best. Do a bit of support for Almeida as team PR and maybe try get away once and see. It's hard to really see him outclimbing strong breaks right now unless he bounces back well from the rest day, which basically just leaves stage 18 for a possible escape if he gets into the right break but that's hardly a given and relies on a lot of outside factors.

 

[CyclistAbi]

I don't know in what condition he currently is, but if something is still left, then in my opinion he should give it a honest attempt.

 

[lenric]

Oh, this thread will have much more posts than Alberto's

 

[King Boonen]

Mod hat on:

I'm afraid the discussion of moderation isn't allowed on the forums anymore and it's never been allowed outside the feedback area (those threads were closed when Future took over and the new Admin started).

We don't discuss the moderation of users with other users for obvious reasons, but as the new software doesn't distinguish in the way it displays bans we can say that no permanent bans have been issued.

Cheers,

KB.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Remco Evenepoel's 'ego dented' at Giro d'Italia, says Lefevere

Deceuninck-QuickStep boss has no regrets about sending youngster to Grand Tour debut after injury lay-off

www.cyclingnews.com

It would happen sooner rather then latter. Nobody can win all. Bouncing back is a special quality too. I would at least try with an ego boosting ride on one of the remaining stages.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

The way I see it he is if he is gonna stay then he needs to work for the team. It isn't all about Remco. He tried, he failed and the reasons are obvious. He needs to drag Almeida round the rest of this race in the hope he can climb up the GC and get the best result possible for QS.

 

[spalco]

Ok, I'll try again then:

It sucks, I'm angry at DQS for not planning Remco's season better. It's easy to say in hindsight, making him start the Giro with bad preparation and no *** racing before was stupid, but I did say so before the race, as did many others, and clearly it was stupid.
If Lefevere burned out Remco, I won't forgive him for it.

There's still a small chance to salvage something. There's a rest day today and if he has anything left, then a try for a break or the TT.

And of course another try for a GT next year, maybe, if he's up for it.

But looking at it sober: I have to admit he showed nothing in this Giro that would make anyone think he's a future GT winner. Doesn't mean he's not, but he hasn't proved it this time.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Too early to call.
You can make that conclusion if he fails the Vuelta with good preparation.

it was a hot take... which is why I said "seems". I like to gamble... put myself out there, with the risk of looking like a complete idiot after the fact. No fun in "safe" predictions to me.

IMO the odds are stacked against him based on what he showed on steep gradients. His level was good to very good in week 1, even if his base wasn't there. His strengths and weaknesses were on full display.

Even if he somehow manages to become an okay bike handler I don't think he'll ever be a top climber or someone who won't lose significant time in a long uphill sprint on an MTF or HTF.

As it stands right now you have to be an elite climber to compete in GTs. Meaning to win a GT or be up in the mix. I'm not talking fluke GT wins, but being close to or better than the current and future elite GT guys. I don't see it at this point, even though you're right that we can't know for sure.

 

[spalco]

Please don't send him to the Vuelta btw. How could he possibly have a "good preparation" for that now after the Giro?

I'd send him into vacation/rehabilitation after the Olympics and start again from scratch after proper fall/winter training sessions next year.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Send him to a race he can win ASAP. No need to keep him in despair through the whole year.

 

[will-10]

There are other races than GTs. He won't do the Vuelta

 

[HelloDolly]

Agreed - it doesn't seem like he's top level GT rider material.

I have more faith in Pidcock making it as a Tour winner quite frankly (yes, I said it) ...assuming he even wants to.

Then again, you never know. They turned Thomas into a Tour winner. Wiggins, too, but the 2012 Tour route was tailor-made for him. He wouldn't have won a regular mountain heavy route, even if his form was insane that year.

They being Sky . If Evenepol was at Ineos or JV then his path to a GT win would be alot easier

So here are the 3 main issues as I see it

1. DQS are not a GT wining team . They dont have the personnel, the experience nor the commitment to GT wining

2. I am not sure he has the 3rd week long climbing ability ...he could have but nothing yet says he does. How is his recovery ? ...How is his power at altitude ? he needs further development and patience

3. If Remco was at Ineos or LJ he would be with the best and learn from the best . he would do a bit of an apprentice . he wouldn't at this age be carrying the weight of a team and a nation .. I dont know alot about him but I do know he was crying in his father's arms when that whole thing came up about pills after his crash. And a few things on twitter strike me that he seems like a very emotional guy who may put alot of pressure on himself. He has the physical ability to be a champion but maybe not the mental/emotional. At least maybe not yet . This needs to be nurtured. Many champions are not that much more gifted physically. Its mentally where they have the edge. Pogacar is as cool as a breeze. Chris Froome is like a robot as is Roglic to some extent (though very nice guys when not racing) The focus of Contador and the tenacity of Evans and Wiggins were very real. The fearlessness and belief of Nibali
Bernal has the mind set of a champion especially now
Remco I think needs nurturing to get there ...


BTW this thread has shown me that the expectation along withe hype needs to be dialed right down

 

[jaylew]

Ok, I'll try again then:

It sucks, I'm angry at DQS for not planning Remco's season better. It's easy to say in hindsight, making him start the Giro with bad preparation and no *** racing before was stupid, but I did say so before the race, as did many others, and clearly it was stupid.
If Lefevere burned out Remco, I won't forgive him for it.

There's still a small chance to salvage something. There's a rest day today and if he has anything left, then a try for a break or the TT.

And of course another try for a GT next year, maybe, if he's up for it.

But looking at it sober: I have to admit he showed nothing in this Giro that would make anyone think he's a future GT winner. Doesn't mean he's not, but he hasn't proved it this time.

This seems reasonable to me. He obviously hasn't proven that GTs will be his thing yet but no way I'd rule it out. If forced to bet, I'd probably say he's got GT podiums in his future but we'll see.

 

[spalco]

BTW this thread has shown me that the expectation along withe hype needs to be dialed right down

Yeah.

One counterpoint though: I think Contador was/is an emotional person also, for whom harmony and friendship in the team was very important. But he was a couple years older than Evenepoel when he really started in the pro peloton and he always had people around him who were very loyal and supportive to him personally.

 

[ppanther92]

But OT: Evenepoel has certainly not shown anything that indicates future GT success. Loses time on steeper climbs, loses time on longer climbs, loses time anywhere bike handling is needed, got worse as the race progressed. But that said, he has a very good "excuse" for that. I mean, with 3 months of training its still fantastic where he is already in my opinion.

Only thing I hope is that the immense pressure gets now less a bit and that he fully recovers from the injury (although I do not have a doubt about that).

Anyway, even if he was maybe the greatest junior ever, there is still no guarantee that he will ever be a GT winner. And unfortunately this will be considered as a failure of like 99% of the fans, I guess. Even if he wins a lot of 1 week races and classics (like San Sebastian) with his signature solos. So in that sense he somehow "has to" go for GTs...

Edited by King Boonen: Please do not discuss moderation or user bans on the forum.

 

[huangho]

Ok, I'll try again then:

It sucks, I'm angry at DQS for not planning Remco's season better. It's easy to say in hindsight, making him start the Giro with bad preparation and no *** racing before was stupid, but I did say so before the race, as did many others, and clearly it was stupid.
If Lefevere burned out Remco, I won't forgive him for it.

There's still a small chance to salvage something. There's a rest day today and if he has anything left, then a try for a break or the TT.

And of course another try for a GT next year, maybe, if he's up for it.

But looking at it sober: I have to admit he showed nothing in this Giro that would make anyone think he's a future GT winner. Doesn't mean he's not, but he hasn't proved it this time.

Remco was not prepared for Giro, that's it, Bernal had a horrible 2020, because of his back problems, and most of us discarded him from podium battle because of that year; moreover, we thought he was a one-trick pony, but he proved he has more cards to play and now he is a few miles to be a Giro champion...

And thats the fact with Remco this year, he was not prepared and we all know he is not a one-trick pony, he has a lot of cards to play, he was just misprepared for Giro, that's it!!

I'm still confident we are just a couple seasons away to watch the best Remco, this season is over for him and he needs to focus on his recovery, physical and mental, next season has to be his confidence recovery and then we will have him full gas!

Don't understimate a rider because a poor year, they all have one poor year!!

 

[Andre]

Yes..all in all it was a letdown that Remco didn't do what we his fans wanted him to do, against all odds that is. We always wish for the best. It's a rude awakening but he will be fine with some bike handling training and proper preparation. I still believe Remco will win some GT's and many other races. Youth is on his side.

 

[Riek s]

Bit dramatic to say his year is over. This is the year of his return and he needs to make sure he keeps building on his recovery during this season. If he wants to start the 2022 season like he should, he should end the current season with a good form and base. (close to his previous peak).

There are still a lot of races to come in the next months in which he can participate and maybe contest for victory.

In the end compared to others youngsters he lost about a year in terms of competition and maybe more in terms of progression. So lets hope he can get back asap, since he can be the stick that causes other GC contenders to attack in mountains (imo).