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

[Bolder]

30-40 watts? Seems like Vaughters does know what he is talking about.

He also needs the change his body and become much leaner. Not sure everyone can do that.

What boggles the mind is that Quickstep must KNOW that he does not have the W/kg to compete on these climbs and yet they add on bulk and keep touting him as a GT rider. Makes little sense.

Also it appears that his recovery day in day out may not be what is needed either. He drops drastically in form after a certain amount of days. I believed the Giro was likely due to the ridiculous preparation he had had. Now it seems perhaps that may be him…

But QS doesn’t know what they are doing. Imagine him at Ineos where they would really take care of him and lessen the pressure (look at Pidcocks first GT, no pressure whatsoever).

Ultimately, I hope we do not miss out on many great rides at one day races like San Sebastián while he pursues this dream of becoming a GT rider if they have the data that he does not push the necessary watts to truly compete.

I think you are misreading what he said. He was referring to his condition on yesterday's stage, not that he can't ever generate sufficient power.

 

[Big Doopie]

I think you are misreading what he said. He was referring to his condition on yesterday's stage, not that he can't ever generate sufficient power.

I get it. But it did not read like he had a bad day particularly. He said he was missing 30-40 watts. That’s a lot.

I also give him credit for fighting on. Catching and passing maybe 15-20 riders and doing the fastest descent!!

Not sure how increasing muscle mass helps him at FW and LBL either? Seems like he might do better at GW or Flandres.

 

[hayneplane]

30-40 watts? Seems like Vaughters does know what he is talking about.

He also needs the change his body and become much leaner. Not sure everyone can do that.

What boggles the mind is that Quickstep must KNOW that he does not have the W/kg to compete on these climbs and yet they add on bulk and keep touting him as a GT rider. Makes little sense.

Also it appears that his recovery day in day out may not be what is needed either. He drops drastically in form after a certain amount of days. I believed the Giro was likely due to the ridiculous preparation he had had. Now it seems perhaps that may be him…

But QS doesn’t know what they are doing. Imagine him at Ineos where they would really take care of him and lessen the pressure (look at Pidcocks first GT, no pressure whatsoever).

Ultimately, I hope we do not miss out on many great rides at one day races like San Sebastián while he pursues this dream of becoming a GT rider if they have the data that he does not push the necessary watts to truly compete.

Pidcock first Grand Tour was abysmal. He was way off from even looking like a chance at a stage win. Yeah he had little pressure but let’s not pretend his form post Olympics was well managed.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I get it. But it did not read like he had a bad day particularly. He said he was missing 30-40 watts. That’s a lot.

I also give him credit for fighting on. Catching and passing maybe 15-20 riders and doing the fastest descent!!

Not sure how increasing muscle mass helps him at FW and LBL either? Seems like he might do better at GW or Flandres.

Please stop with the Vaughters BS. We know Evenepoel's FTP, it's higher than most pro riders that weigh 10kg more. The watts are there. Feel free to compare to this list. His last measured FTP i'm aware of was 403W and he currently should weigh around 63kg. https://sportcoaching.co.nz/pro-cyclist-ftp-and-coggan-power-chart/

The entire interview was about him having a bad day, why are you hellbent on assuming it isn't. He said he already felt BEFORE the climb that his legs were running on empty and that he doesn't know why.

Not everybody can become leaner, but i don't know why you would question his ability to do so when in the past he has already been much leaner/less bulky in 2018, 2020 and 2021.

''I didn't have the day i had hope to have. In the valley towards the finishline (he means the first crossing of the line on the local lap before the first climb) when there were still 60 guys in the bunch, already the legs felt heavy. You will pay for it when you are only 80-85% or have a bad day, against competitors like these.''

Remco Evenepoel daags na opdoffer in Tirreno: "Dit is toch wel een klopje" | sporza

Gisteren was Remco Evenepoel te teleurgesteld om te reageren, nadat hij in de koninginnenrit van de Tirreno een flinke klap gekregen had. Voor de start van de slotrit vandaag gaf de klassementsman van Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl wel zijn versie van de feiten: "Ik had echt niet de dag waarop ik...

sporza.be

 

[Big Doopie]

Pidcock first Grand Tour was abysmal. He was way off from even looking like a chance at a stage win. Yeah he had little pressure but let’s not pretend his form post Olympics was well managed.

The idea is that he went to first GT with zero pressure. The complete opposite from Remco’s Giro.

 

[Big Doopie]

Please stop with the Vaughters BS. We know Evenepoel's FTP, it's higher than most pro riders that weigh 10kg more. The watts are there. Feel free to compare to this list. His last measured FTP i'm aware of was 403W and he currently should weigh around 63kg. https://sportcoaching.co.nz/pro-cyclist-ftp-and-coggan-power-chart/

The entire interview was about him having a bad day, why are you hellbent on assuming it isn't. He said he already felt BEFORE the climb that his legs were running on empty and that he doesn't know why.

Not everybody can become leaner, but i don't know why you would question his ability to do so when in the past he has already been much leaner/less bulky in 2018, 2020 and 2021.

''I didn't have the day i had hope to have. In the valley towards the finishline (he means the first crossing of the line on the local lap before the first climb) when there were still 60 guys in the bunch, already the legs felt heavy. You will pay for it when you are only 80-85% or have a bad day, against competitors like these.''

Remco Evenepoel daags na opdoffer in Tirreno: "Dit is toch wel een klopje" | sporza

Gisteren was Remco Evenepoel te teleurgesteld om te reageren, nadat hij in de koninginnenrit van de Tirreno een flinke klap gekregen had. Voor de start van de slotrit vandaag gaf de klassementsman van Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl wel zijn versie van de feiten: "Ik had echt niet de dag waarop ik...

sporza.be

Lol. Chill.

If his FTP is truly so high, why is he now regularly underperforming?

And if it is a question of bad days, he now seems to have these fairly regularly, particularly on steepish climbs (Giro, Olympics, Lombardy, Valenciana and now here) which does not bode well if he wants to be a GT rider.

Btw. I am a fan. But I hope we get to watch more of his exciting raids in one day races than being dropped by thirty riders on 6km climbs in one week stage races. Just feels like he may be missing his calling as many here (and Vaughters ;-) ) pointed to before even I thought so.

I still hope I am wrong and that he turns into Hinault but Hinault was dropping Thevenet, VanImpe and Merckx in the mountains of the Dauphine at Remco’s age, so…

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Anyone that have a overview of how much altitude training Remco did in off-season?
Or what his altitude plans are for this season?

Following his race plan there seems to be space for altitude training between now and Itzulia, space between Liege and Tour of Norway and space between Swiss and Vuelta.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Lol. Chill.

If his FTP is truly so high, why is he now regularly underperforming?

And if it is a question of bad days, he now seems to have these fairly regularly, particularly on steepish climbs (Giro, Olympics, Lombardy, Valenciana and now here) which does not bode well if he wants to be a GT rider.

Btw. I am a fan. But I hope we get to watch more of his exciting raids in one day races than being dropped by thirty riders on 6km climbs in one week stage races. Just feels like he may be missing his calling as many here (and Vaughters ;-) ) pointed to before even I thought so.

I still hope I am wrong and that he turns into Hinault but Hinault was dropping Thevenet, VanImpe and Merckx in the mountains of the Dauphine at Remco’s age, so…

He didn't have ''a bad day'' in the Giro, he's just *** at gravel and after two weeks he faded due to his hampered winter preparation and lack of base. Even his level in the first 2 weeks in the Giro was not what it could have been, which to me was evident by his TT for one. Did you forget his crash in 2020. Giro was his first race after his recovery in nearly 9 months after a suboptimal winter. They say getting back to top form after such an injury takes longer than the actual recovery. It had its impact on the entirety of 2021.

He was said to be overtrained for the Olympics (trying to compensate for his lack of base) yet still put minutes into Almeida, Foss and McNulty, to name a few, who are all TT/GC riders, in the TT.

Valencia was not a bad day imho, as he didn't feel bad throughout the day/stage like he did saturday. I think that was the type of climb and his (lack of) specific preparation. He lost 40 seconds in the final 1.5k, not 4 minutes on 10k.

You could point to legitimate ''bad days'' for guys like Almeida (Giro stage 4, Lombardia...) or McNulty or Foss as well. McNulty had more off-days last year than Evenepoel had race-days but look at him this year. Evenepoel on his bad days still seems to limit his losses quite a bit better though. Finishes strong quite regularly (Giro stage 11 if you want to count it as a bad day, Lombardia, saturday...). What about Kelderman, Uran, Lopez, Hart... who all finished minutes behind him? Should they forget about ''becoming'' a GC rider?

I'll repeat, his Zoncolan effort was a lot better under more pressure and worse conditions than his effort yesterday.

It's a bit sad, if you really are a fan, to see you jumping to conclusions based on guesswork and unfair expectations. Not every bad performance has the same explanation. But if you want to give up on a (barely) 22 year old as a GC rider, knock yourself out.

 

[Netserk]

I see the orthodoxy is demanding not just support, but unconditional support. If you can't pass the loyalty test, are you even a true fan at all?

Welcome to the Bambi cult.

 

[Valv.Piti]

336 pages! This thread is bigger than the bible (and also seems to make extraordinary claims at times)!

I always come here for my RE

Lol, and Remco apparently is the God. Or Jesus. Well, according to some posters in this thread at least. Thinking of a poster who seemed to believe Pogacar rode for bonus seconds solely because of him being afraid of Pogacar on Carpegna.

 

[jaylew]

Yeah... he sort of has the same frame/height as a Cavendish or Ewan.

But he is probably more similar to Campenaerts, than those two. Or like a De Gendt, even though De Gendt is slightly taller. Both been capable of super-days and strong rides, similar to what Evenepoel has done in the past.

I've always thought he had a similar build to Roglic. Slightly shorter but with those big legs that look more like sprinter legs than climber legs.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Lol, and Remco apparently is the God. Or Jesus. Well, according to some posters in this thread at least. Thinking of a poster who seemed to believe Pogacar rode for bonus seconds solely because of him being afraid of Pogacar on Carpegna.

Could you please quote this poster or link to the post? Thanks.

I see the orthodoxy is demanding not just support, but unconditional support. If you can't pass the loyalty test, are you even a true fan at all?

Welcome to the Bambi cult.

I thought you were the Bambi cult.

Who's demanding unconditional support exactly? Maybe try reading what it says applied with some comprehension.

 

[Big Doopie]

He didn't have ''a bad day'' in the Giro, he's just *** at gravel and after two weeks he faded due to his hampered winter preparation and lack of base. Even his level in the first 2 weeks in the Giro was not what it could have been, which to me was evident by his TT for one. Did you forget his crash in 2020. Giro was his first race after his recovery in nearly 9 months after a suboptimal winter. They say getting back to top form after such an injury takes longer than the actual recovery. It had its impact on the entirety of 2021.

He was said to be overtrained for the Olympics (trying to compensate for his lack of base) yet still put minutes into Almeida, Foss and McNulty, to name a few, who are all TT/GC riders, in the TT.

Valencia was not a bad day imho, as he didn't feel bad throughout the day/stage like he did saturday. I think that was the type of climb and his (lack of) specific preparation. He lost 40 seconds in the final 1.5k, not 4 minutes on 10k.

You could point to legitimate ''bad days'' for guys like Almeida (Giro stage 4, Lombardia...) or McNulty or Foss as well. McNulty had more off-days last year than Evenepoel had race-days but look at him this year. Evenepoel on his bad days still seems to limit his losses quite a bit better though. Finishes strong quite regularly (Giro stage 11 if you want to count it as a bad day, Lombardia, saturday...). What about Kelderman, Uran, Lopez, Hart... who all finished minutes behind him? Should they forget about ''becoming'' a GC rider?

I'll repeat, his Zoncolan effort was a lot better under more pressure and worse conditions than his effort yesterday.

It's a bit sad, if you really are a fan, to see you jumping to conclusions based on guesswork and unfair expectations. Not every bad performance has the same explanation. But if you want to give up on a (barely) 22 year old as a GC rider, knock yourself out.

wow. okay, listen i am aware internet forums are perhaps not the place to admit that one may have been wrong (i am talking about myself) or to show any subtlety or put things in context, but i am trying all the same. and i am sorry that seems to upset people who thought i may have been "on their side" more than anything.

however, i hope even you realize how many different excuses you are developing for his now many "underachievements" (btw, he is only underachieving because "fans" like you keep asserting that he must be a GT rider).

btw, i have been one to defend his crumble in the giro for the precise reasons you have presented. however, now we have several other occasions where he has crumbled and not shown the best recovery.

and i believe you know perfectly well that i was talking about the Olympic road race and not the ITT (in which he also somewhat underperformed, tbh)...

also, lombardia, was when i first expressed my doubts. he had been in absolute stellar form until then. however, when it came to following the best up a longer, steeper climb he was dropped surprisingly early -- very similar to TA -- and then fought back -- again similar to TA. So this is now much more the norm with him than the opposite.

"It's a bit sad, if you really are a fan, to see you jumping to conclusions based on guesswork and unfair expectations."

I find this comment particularly odd. I am not sure that my definition of "fandom" is to require that a rider be a GT rider no matter the evidence. Ala, VDP and WvA are amazing riders who will likely never win any GT. I am a huge fan of all three because I enjoy the way they ride -- they are exciting. I also think Remco is amazingly exciting -- not so much, however, when he is dropped by 30 riders. Given the right worlds course (maybe even last year's one) he could be a glorious world champion. again, not sure why he has put on weight to compete for FW and LBL. that makes very little sense to me.

And who is the cause of the "unfair expectations", a fan like me who says that maybe he shouldn't be expected to be a GT rider but could excel and do exploits in other races or a fan like you who keeps saying that he must be a GT rider no matter the evidence...

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

wow. okay, listen i am aware internet forums are perhaps not the place to admit that one may have been wrong (i am talking about myself) or to show any subtlety or put things in context, but i am trying all the same. and i am sorry that seems to upset people who thought i may have been "on their side" more than anything.

however, i hope even you realize how many different excuses you are developing for his now many "underachievements" (btw, he is only underachieving because "fans" like you keep asserting that he must be a GT rider).

btw, i have been one to defend his crumble in the giro for the precise reasons you have presented. however, now we have several other occasions where he has crumbled and not shown the best recovery.

and i believe you know that i was talking about the Olympic road race and not the ITT (in which he also somewhat underperformed, tbh)...

also, lombardia, was when i first expressed my doubts. he had been in absolute stellar form until then. however, when it came to following the best up a longer, steeper climb he was dropped somewhat surprisingly early -- very similar to TA -- and then fought back -- again similar to TA. So this is now much more the norm with him than the opposite.

"It's a bit sad, if you really are a fan, to see you jumping to conclusions based on guesswork and unfair expectations."

I find this comment particularly odd. I am not sure that my definition of "fandom" is to require that a rider be a GT rider no matter the evidence. Ala, VDP and WvA are amazing riders who will likely never win any GT. I am huge fan of all three because I enjoy the way they ride -- they are exciting. I also think Remco is amazingly exciting -- not so much, however, when he is dropped by 30 riders. Given the right worlds course (maybe even last year's one) he could be a glorious world champion. again, not sure why he has put on weight to compete for FW and LBL. that makes very little sense to me.

And who is the cause of the "unfair expectations", a fan like me who says that maybe he shouldn't be expected to be a GT rider but could excel and do exploits in other races or a fan like you who keeps saying that he must be a GT rider no matter the evidence...

You seem to misunderstand what i was saying. I'm not insisting that he should be a GC rider at all cost. I'm saying he's just turned 22, has shown a lot of potential for a GC rider, and i think it's ridiculous to write him off considering what he has achieved in GC still greatly outweighs where he failed, and based on factual data (FTP, W/kg...). If he should forget about becoming a GC rider, then from the past 2 decades the only riders that should have aspired to be a GC rider would be Pogacar, Schleck, Contador, Bernal and Quintana. Can't think of many other 22 year olds having shown better results or more potential. So i think it's strange that if you consider yourself to be a fan, that you would limit his options or have him aim less high, give up on his dream, based on what could still very well be explained as a learning curve and development especially after his injury. I'm not saying you shouldn't call yourself a fan, i'm not saying you have to believe he is (to be) a GC rider, but considering the circumstances (his age, his achievements, his trajectory (late into cycling, crash, recovery...)) i find it strange that a person seeing himself as a fan would chose to ignore some facts in order to rush to conclusions.

Feel free to call those excuses, i don't think that's correct. They are legitimate reasons and explanations. It took Roglic longer, as a matured athlete who didn't suffer any physical setbacks, to turn into the worldbeater he is today. It took Undurain 9 GT's to finally finish in the top 20. But since Evenepoel won some big races and got some big results at 19, apparently he is also obligated to be a complete GT rider immediately. Because Pogacar and Bernal were. Well i don't agree.

 

[Flurk1982]

He didn't have ''a bad day'' in the Giro, he's just *** at gravel and after two weeks he faded due to his hampered winter preparation and lack of base. Even his level in the first 2 weeks in the Giro was not what it could have been, which to me was evident by his TT for one. Did you forget his crash in 2020. Giro was his first race after his recovery in nearly 9 months after a suboptimal winter. They say getting back to top form after such an injury takes longer than the actual recovery. It had its impact on the entirety of 2021.

He was said to be overtrained for the Olympics (trying to compensate for his lack of base) yet still put minutes into Almeida, Foss and McNulty, to name a few, who are all TT/GC riders, in the TT.

Valencia was not a bad day imho, as he didn't feel bad throughout the day/stage like he did saturday. I think that was the type of climb and his (lack of) specific preparation. He lost 40 seconds in the final 1.5k, not 4 minutes on 10k.

You could point to legitimate ''bad days'' for guys like Almeida (Giro stage 4, Lombardia...) or McNulty or Foss as well. McNulty had more off-days last year than Evenepoel had race-days but look at him this year. Evenepoel on his bad days still seems to limit his losses quite a bit better though. Finishes strong quite regularly (Giro stage 11 if you want to count it as a bad day, Lombardia, saturday...). What about Kelderman, Uran, Lopez, Hart... who all finished minutes behind him? Should they forget about ''becoming'' a GC rider?

I'll repeat, his Zoncolan effort was a lot better under more pressure and worse conditions than his effort yesterday.

It's a bit sad, if you really are a fan, to see you jumping to conclusions based on guesswork and unfair expectations. Not every bad performance has the same explanation. But if you want to give up on a (barely) 22 year old as a GC rider, knock yourself out.

He didn't have ''a bad day'' in the Giro, he's just *** at gravel and after two weeks he faded due to his hampered winter preparation and lack of base. Even his level in the first 2 weeks in the Giro was not what it could have been, which to me was evident by his TT for one. Did you forget his crash in 2020. Giro was his first race after his recovery in nearly 9 months after a suboptimal winter. They say getting back to top form after such an injury takes longer than the actual recovery. It had its impact on the entirety of 2021.

He was said to be overtrained for the Olympics (trying to compensate for his lack of base) yet still put minutes into Almeida, Foss and McNulty, to name a few, who are all TT/GC riders, in the TT.

Valencia was not a bad day imho, as he didn't feel bad throughout the day/stage like he did saturday. I think that was the type of climb and his (lack of) specific preparation. He lost 40 seconds in the final 1.5k, not 4 minutes on 10k.

You could point to legitimate ''bad days'' for guys like Almeida (Giro stage 4, Lombardia...) or McNulty or Foss as well. McNulty had more off-days last year than Evenepoel had race-days but look at him this year. Evenepoel on his bad days still seems to limit his losses quite a bit better though. Finishes strong quite regularly (Giro stage 11 if you want to count it as a bad day, Lombardia, saturday...). What about Kelderman, Uran, Lopez, Hart... who all finished minutes behind him? Should they forget about ''becoming'' a GC rider?

I'll repeat, his Zoncolan effort was a lot better under more pressure and worse conditions than his effort yesterday.

It's a bit sad, if you really are a fan, to see you jumping to conclusions based on guesswork and unfair expectations. Not every bad performance has the same explanation. But if you want to give up on a (barely) 22 year old as a GC rider, knock yourself out.

Spot on

 

[Big Doopie]

You seem to misunderstand what i was saying. I'm not insisting that he should be a GC rider at all cost. I'm saying he's just turned 22, has shown a lot of potential for a GC rider, and i think it's ridiculous to write him off considering what he has achieved in GC still greatly outweighs where he failed, and based on factual data (FTP, W/kg...). If he should forget about becoming a GC rider, then from the past 2 decades the only riders that should have aspired to be a GC rider would be Pogacar, Schleck, Contador, Bernal and Quintana. Can't think of many other 22 year olds having shown better results or more potential. So i think it's strange that if you consider yourself to be a fan, that you would limit his options or have him aim less high, give up on his dream, based on what could still very well be explained as a learning curve and development especially after his injury. I'm not saying you shouldn't call yourself a fan, i'm not saying you have to believe he is (to be) a GC rider, but considering the circumstances (his age, his achievements, his trajectory (late into cycling, crash, recovery...)) i find it strange that a person seeing himself as a fan would chose to ignore some facts in order to rush to conclusions.

Feel free to call those excuses, i don't think that's correct. They are legitimate reasons and explanations. It took Roglic longer, as a matured athlete who didn't suffer any physical setbacks, to turn into the worldbeater he is today. It took Undurain 9 GT's to finally finish in the top 20. But since Evenepoel won some big races and got some big results at 19, apparently he is also obligated to be a complete GT rider immediately. Because Pogacar and Bernal were. Well i don't agree.

not giving up. still hoping that he turns into an hinault type.

and i don't feel that i have "rushed to conclusions". i believed he would have won the 2020 giro. since then, i am reconsidering that assumption based off of a series of performances (some with valid excuses, some less so).

and i have called on people not to compare him to pog who has turned out to be once in a generation (or more).

i would keep indurain completely out of the conversation considering his tardy development should be discussed in another part of this forum. and roglic came late from another sport, so again, not sure if that is a good comparison.

and the other concern is that remco's performances actually seem to be regressing slightly (which again calls into question how QS is setting up his training). he seems less good than he did in the second half of 2019 and in 2020. the only truly bright spot was the TT at Algarve where he was beyond expectations. so it just feels weird that he has improved in an area where he was already one of the best, but has appeared to take a step back precisely where he needed to improve.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

not giving up. still hoping that he turns into an hinault type.

and i don't feel that i have "rushed to conclusions". i believed he would have won the 2020 giro. since then, i am reconsidering that assumption based off of a series of performances (some with valid excuses, some less so).

and i have called on people not to compare him to pog who has turned out to be once in a generation (or more).

i would keep indurain completely out of the coversation considering his tardy development should be discussed in another part of this forum. and roglic came late from another sport, so again, not sure is that is a good comparison.

Evenepoel, now 22, came from football at the age of 17. Roglic, now 32, came from skijumping at the age of 23. Roglic had a big injury prior to starting cycling, Evenepoel had his big injury during his cycling years. True, not the best comparison since it favors Roglic.

and the other concern is that remco's performances actually seem to be regressing slightly (which again calls into question how QS is setting up his training). he seems less good than he did in the second half of 2019 and in 2020. the only truly bright spot was the TT at Algarve where he was beyond expectations. so it just feels weird that he has improved in an area where he was already one of the best, but has appeared to take a step back precisely where he needed to improve.

I have been critical of QS on many occasions, still hold them responsible for not addressing some big issues, not being able to calm him down both on and off the bike, in race situations or other. Not taking his lack of experience (bikehandling skills, descending...) seriously. I also think they screwed the pooch by sending him to TA as a ''test-case'' to see how he performs in a WT GC against Pogacar... while giving him a prep that helps him nothing but is tailored towards Liège. Then what's the point. But again, him coming back from his injury should also not be neglected. He's had to change his position on the bike, he's had to change saddles (he had to switch to a woman's saddle) because he couldn't comfortably sit on a regular saddle anymore. Those are all things people easily forget but can have a significant impact.

 

[Ripper]

The one thing that strikes me in terms of expectation management is that I believe he only started racing, what, about 5 years ago? Certainly the base built by football playing is much different than that of being a cyclist through your earlier years or even a long distance runner. In other words, I can see that contributing to inconsistency. I don't know whether he will be good at the highest level of stage races in the future, but I am a bit surprised how much he is being written off already.

 

[greyclouds]

I don’t see anyone writing him off, but I think that it’s normal for come to conclude that, at the moment, he doesn’t have the necessary climbing skills to compete with the top WT riders - based on various of his performances during the last year. Of course too early to “write him off” from achieving that, but I don’t see the point in finding excuses. He definitely needs to adjust his training and his targets - I don’t see a problem in him going to LBL, but go for the fun and experience, and if a good result comes out of it then great. In fact, for a 22 year old that actually has little WT stage race experience, he should have take the first half of the season as that only - fun and experience. He seems to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, and a lot of it comes from his own expectations. If he lowers those expectations for this period, I’m confident that he would enjoy riding a lot more when he loses, and get a different perspective of what he can and cannot do.

 

[jaylew]

If he should forget about becoming a GC rider, then from the past 2 decades the only riders that should have aspired to be a GC rider would be Pogacar, Schleck, Contador, Bernal and Quintana. Can't think of many other 22 year olds having shown better results or more potential.

Almeida? 4th and 6th in the Giro at 22.

I still have no idea if Remco can be a GT podium finisher or winner or if that should even be his focus. I really could see it going either way.

Admittedly, I haven't been a fan as he's rubbed me the wrong way on several occasions and I've found some of the hype and fandom annoying but he really seems too talented not to win big races in his career of some kind.

What I wonder about is Quickstep's ability to develop and shepherd a GT rider as we've really never seen it in 20 years. I'm not saying they can't or that it's ever really been a focus but it is still a bit of an unknown. I mean, you had Mas and Almeida show GT ability early but neither stuck around. You'd also like to see more veteran climbing support for him if that's the way they're going to go.

 

[peterfin]

I think somebody should remove the stupid Merckx quote from the thread title and add a disclaimer stating that Remco may or may not be a future GT contender and that it's just fine if you believe he is closer to be the one or the other. If we remove all posts where people are joking or ridiculing his GT abilities whenever there is an opportunity and all posts in his defense, we would actually have a much shorter thread with real content.

 

[Andre]

This is the best thread, hence its length

 

[Breh]

Wow, this thread has moved into the top5 of most replies, closing in on Quintana real fast.
Evenepoel has already surpassed lesser threads like Roglic, Valverde and Pogacar.

Pretty insane for a Tour de Pologne and Klasika winner.

 

[Andre]

Wow, this thread has moved into the top5 of most replies, closing in on Quintana real fast.
Evenepoel has already surpassed lesser threads like Roglic, Valverde and Pogacar.

Pretty insane for a Tour de Pologne and Klasika winner.

Thank you for your contribution

 

[Netserk]

Wow, this thread has moved into the top5 of most replies, closing in on Quintana real fast.
Evenepoel has already surpassed lesser threads like Roglic, Valverde and Pogacar.

Pretty insane for a Tour de Pologne and Klasika winner.

In this sub-forum, and also behind General News.