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

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Yesterday he rode in the first 3 of the peloton all race. You can do that against a PCT field but it won't work in the WT let alone in a GT for three weeks.

He's not going to improve his bike handling this way...
Atm his style of racing seems more suited to one day races and shorter stage races than gts. He's probably also on the wrong team to change that. Regarding the whole way the team has handled his comeback, it wasn't ideal. They know how to develope young riders, but Remco is also their cashcow who got them a longterm sponsorship deal...
His next big goal is the EC TT, so that Belgium can get a third spot at the WC, but that won't be easy, the competition will be stiff. Pogi is racing and the Italians are bringing both Ganna and Affini (no idea who the Danes will send), so him winning isn't exactly a done deal. It's also only 22.4kms and plain flat.
 
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Atm his style of racing seems more suited to one day races and shorter stage races than gts. He's probably also on the wrong team to change that. Regarding the whole way the team has handled his comeback, it wasn't ideal. They know how to develope young riders, but Remco is also their cashcow who got them a longterm sponsorship deal...
His next big goal is the EC TT, so that Belgium can get a third spot at the WC, but that won't be easy, the competition will be stiff. Pogi is racing and the Italians are bringing both Ganna and Affini (no idea who the Danes will send), so him winning isn't exactly a done deal. It's also only 22.4kms and plain flat.
Would guess he's a huge underdog vs Ganna in a pan flat ITT.

It's near impossible to take many conclusions from his last few results tbh. Even judging by his ITT results are they even really better than say his Giro prologue?

Now I mostly wonder what sort of hilly terrains are best suited for him and at what levels. I would guess it gets harder when you get Lombardia sized climbs cause the climbs basically dominate the racing situation whereas in Liege you might still find a weak spot in the domestiques on the flats.

He'll get marked much better at races like the Worlds though, and he's not gonna outkick anyone important uphill, so basically it takes one rider to neutralize him
 
He'll get marked much better at races like the Worlds though, and he's not gonna outkick anyone important uphill, so basically it takes one rider to neutralize him

True, but if you mark him, there's always Alaphillipe, Asgreen or any of the other wolves that can take advantage.
Put him as the sole leader in a team, and he'd be reasonably easy to mark. But the truth is, both in DQS and in Belgian national team, he's one of the weapons instead of being the only weapon.
 
Alaf said he and asgreen were at the limit when remco attacked. Same statements were made by pedersen & co in Denmark. It was also said by rivals/teammates prior to his accident (Poland, Germany, Belgium,...).

It seems to be his best strength: having some margin when the rest of the field needs to recover, e.g. Wellens yesterday. So I don't think the one rider neutralisation strategy is the good one...
 
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Now I mostly wonder what sort of hilly terrains are best suited for him and at what levels. I would guess it gets harder when you get Lombardia sized climbs cause the climbs basically dominate the racing situation whereas in Liege you might still find a weak spot in the domestiques on the flats.
Liege does indeed seem better suited to his characteristics. Way more riders on great form, though. And a way better startlist quality, to boot. So it could actually be easier to control him because of that.
 
Still amazed that he racks win after win while he isn't fast at the line at all.
I know it is not against the top field in the best courses... but for some reason other riders that lack a sprint can't do this. Heck most of those sprintless chaps have barely any victories in their total career, let alone in a single year.
 
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Still amazed that he racks win after win while he isn't fast at the line at all.
I know it is not against the top field in the best courses... but for some reason other riders that lack a sprint can't do this. Heck most of those sprintless chaps have barely any victories in their total career, let alone in a single year.
We're talking about new Merckx here, remember!
 

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