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

[Logic-is-your-friend]

His flat vs climbing performances remain enigmatic to me even if you account for him being super aero to an extent.

How far was he back over the top of the climb? It's like he can't push to hang on but then keeps going on the flats anyway

They wanted their 3 leaders together over Ganda and then for Evenepoel to try and get away on the flat.

I imagine with Pogacar away they would've had Evenepoel bring him back before the final hill?

He got dropped together with Pinot, who finished over 5 minutes later than Evenepoel. He also overtook and must have dropped a lot of riders who ended up finishing way behind him. He said in a post race interview he didn't feel the legs for a few minutes, and then they started feeling better again, and he was actually feeling strong when he finished. But once dropped, the damage had been done and the group was gone.

 

[Extinction]

This is a contradictio in terminis.


Please stick to the Masnada thread.

Well let's hope a contradictio in adiecto, and I shall wait but there are limits to patients.

 

[Lo squalo di messina]

Dont forget kids Remco didnt win physically today but he won emotionally!

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Well let's hope a contradictio in adiecto, and I shall wait but there are limits to patients.

Every patient has his limits. My reply was because what made Merckx, Merckx, was the fact that he won all through the year, and didn't peak.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Remco Evenpoel is the next Wilco Kelderman thread.

He has a long way to go to achieve the Kelderman crash record. Not in the same class

 

[Jagartrott]

i have to admit today was the first time i started to buy into the questions about whether he will ever challenge in successive high mountains.

i agree it has been a rollercoaster ride this season and he has done well to return to winning ways, but...today is the first time i have started to doubt a little whether he is truly GT material.

he is very young and coming off a terrible injury and hard to read too much into one race, so i will go into next season with hope, but that hope is now tempered, tbh.

Last year in Lombardia, I think he was the best in the mountains. He should be able to climb very well, seeing the amount of Watts/kg he can push for a long time (see flat TTs) and also past 200 km (see Worlds).

What nobody knows, is whether he can do it day after day, climb after climb (i.e. in a grand tour). Recovery is something we don't have data about, but climbing itself, I'm pretty confident about that.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

His flat vs climbing performances remain enigmatic to me even if you account for him being super aero to an extent.

How far was he back over the top of the climb? It's like he can't push to hang on but then keeps going on the flats anyway

Agreed. It can't be argued that Remco has been in a very good form in recent weeks, on some occasions producing wattage that seemingly put him in HC of watts/kg. Yet, he was on his backfoot on some climbs this week. I remember I had a discussion with you about fatigue being a factor for his poor climbing in the Giro. But maybe there is a grain truth is his limited long-climb capabilities. It's also possible that he's simply too heavy right now (plus obviously a worse day today).

 

[IndianCyclist]

He definitely looks bigger than in the spring. Anyway, no show from Remco today as he simply didn't have the legs. Over the last week the new Eddy realized that competing with the Slovenians in mountainous races is the hardest thing in cycling.

if the topic keeps returning to weight gain, this thread may have to be renamed "Remco Evenepoel is the new Bananito thread".

 

[Red Rick]

if the topic keeps returning to weight gain, this thread may have to be renamed "Remco Evenepoel is the new Bananito thread".

I forgot he even existed.

 

[memyselfandI]

They wanted their 3 leaders together over Ganda and then for Evenepoel to try and get away on the flat.

I imagine with Pogacar away they would've had Evenepoel bring him back before the final hill?

If Evenepoel had proper legs today, I imagine same situ except RE in a place of Masnada with Pogi.. and they drive off nicely from others just switch places > RE brings Pogi to the 200 to go and Pogi wins. Make me change my mind.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

If Evenepoel had proper legs today, I imagine same situ except RE in a place of Masnada with Pogi.. and they drive off nicely from others just switch places > RE brings Pogi to the 200 to go and Pogi wins. Make me change my mind.

Yeah, Remco surely would have blitzed that descend just like Masnada.

 

[Jagartrott]

According to the DS Evenepoel had a bit of a hunger knock in that final climb. Which could explain why he seemed to have recovered later on.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Yeah, Remco surely would have blitzed that descend just like Masnada.

I would honestly have liked to see his descent. He finishes 50 seconds behind the Vingegaard group and he was dropped +/-4k from the top? Can't have been an awful descent if he loses so little time after being dropped so soon.

 

[Oldermanish]

According to the DS Evenepoel had a bit of a hunger knock in that final climb. Which could explain why he seemed to have recovered later on.

I haven't seen much of the race with no feed here.
The quote from Remco says it all and should, maybe put the whole argument about Wout and the World's to rest:

"I had bad legs for five minutes," he said, unclear if it was a lack of power to match his rivals or a lack of energy during the 239km race and 4500 metres of climbing.


"After that, I chose my own pace because it was going too fast for me but I could see the first group riding but they just rode faster in front."


"At the end of the (Passo di Ganda) climb I even came back a bit and in Bergamo, I felt really good again. Maybe my legs had cooled down after that long descent towards the Ganda and that blocked me a bit and is why I couldn't follow the pace. But that's life and cycling. You have to be 100 per cent all day and I wasn't for a few minutes."

As always, the Road has spoken.

 

[Volderke]

If he has a hunger knock, did he forget his finishing bidon?

 

[Lequack]

"I had bad legs for five minutes," he said, unclear if it was a lack of power to match his rivals or a lack of energy during the 239km race and 4500 metres of climbing.
"After that, I chose my own pace because it was going too fast for me but I could see the first group riding but they just rode faster in front."

Evenepoel suffers and then fades during emotional return to Il Lombardia

"It was a strange feeling to race here again," Belgian says a year after his crash into a ravine

www.cyclingnews.com

 

[Extinction]

Every patient has his limits. My reply was because what made Merckx, Merckx, was the fact that he won all through the year, and didn't peak.

Of course, but Remco now has a big problem. How is it posible that such a talent comes out in the midst of another evidently bigger talent?

 

[jaylew]

Remco Evenepoel is a Belgian Diego Ulissi thread.

Remco eveenepol is a Belgian Simon spilak thread.

Remco Evenpoel is the next Wilco Kelderman thread.

Remco Evenepoel is the Belgian Tony Martin thread.

That's a bit ridiculous (I guess that's part of the joke?)

He's 21 and has won 26 races as a pro while being out for several months and having no sprint to speak of. You could add up the results of all those guys at the same age and it wouldn't even be remotely close.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

I wonder how much “climbing training” Remco actually have done this year. We know his winter wasn’t great, and the preparations for the Giro was not proper. Then I don’t know how much time he spent in the mountains between the Giro and now. Pushing watts on flat roads and small hills in Belgium is good training, but to be able to compete in the climbs like Ganda you probably need a lot of training in real mountains and probably also some more racing in these type of races than what Remco have done this season.

 

[peterfin]

I think there was no issue with Remco's climbing level. He had an energy dip during the final. Remco hasn't done many races that are significantly beyond the 200 km marker and even less at world tour level. There are a few but he didn't play a role in the final. The only one was San Sebastian, which he won, but which had significantly less climbing. Eating, recuperation and energy management in general play a much more important role when races are that long and difficult.

 

[Ripper]

I'm still not entirely sure why he is as polarizing as he is. I get why he is polarizing, it is just the intensity I do not quite appreciate This said, a fair number of issues he had this past year can really be tracked to a markedly lower base over the last off season. I think next year we should be able to better measure what he is like compared to his peers and competitors. Recovery, stage racing (esp GTs), and being better in the finale of a longer race - these are all greatly aided by an off season of solid base work.

Perhaps he is limited in some of the ways we saw this year, but given his last off season, it is hard to really be clear on what is actual level could be.

 

[The Hegelian]

Seriously, the next Merckx has arrived and delivered. It ain't Remco.

 

[Ripper]

Seriously, the next Merckx has arrived and delivered. It ain't Remco.

I wouldn't be surprised if Taddy is like Eddie and more ways than one

 

[Andre]

Agreed. It can't be argued that Remco has been in a very good form in recent weeks, on some occasions producing wattage that seemingly put him in HC of watts/kg. Yet, he was on his backfoot on some climbs this week. I remember I had a discussion with you about fatigue being a factor for his poor climbing in the Giro. But maybe there is a grain truth is his limited long-climb capabilities. It's also possible that he's simply too heavy right now (plus obviously a worse day today).

Yes...perhaps..nonetheless Remco will work on his weaknesses in the next few months. He will be at optimum condition for the 2022 season. Look for many more victories heading his way.

 

[Extinction]

I wonder if his legs failing him in the crucial part of the race, which is a performance issue, is somehow conected to all the expectation/pressure/criticism he has been receiving. Even here he gets way more attention than someone who is only slightly older, but has already won 2 Tours and 2 monuments.

Pogacar tells us part of the secret of his success is that he is so carefree and relaxed and races with no pressure other than the healthy agonistic kind. And that he is not trying to "make history", even though he undoubtedly is. By contrast, Evenepoel must be extremely stressed after the fallout with Van Aert that has been going on since the Olympics really. This cannot be good for his head, even if he has tried to project otherwise on TV and in social media. In addition, he clearly put too much pressure on himself to "proove" his merit in trying to come back too soon after his horrific incident, worsened by his team unwisely putting him in the Giro without even any racing in his legs prior.

He also seems to be very concerned about not having achieved what someone else has at his age.

If this is the case then he needs to liberate himself from all the negetivity and stress. While his team needs to help him with a "mental coach" or whatever its called these days. Someone he can trust and be mentored by if he doesn't already have such a figure. And he should be made to stay off social media and not pay any attention to what is written about him. A tall order, to be sure.