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

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Feb 1, 2020
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good race Remco....just a little bit more and you're there. ridiculous short time trial did not help
 
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Jul 7, 2013
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Good fight by Remco today. Those steep ramps were too much but he was chasing well and lost little time at the end.
 
He also rode really smart today everytime he got dropped, a really good overall performance.
A slightly better team or somebody up the road who could do some pulls to close the gap faster might have made a big difference. Maybe not enough to beat Martinez in the end, but he could have salvaged his podium. Regardless, a better result than expected and definitely a much better effort/achievement than i expected.

Pogi knows he can win it on RaF, he won't follow moves on Redoute.
Pog also knows he can go from far, and if he joins Evenepoel he can beat him in the sprint while reading his newspaper, sipping a cup of tea, while making a phonecall to his mother.
 
Feb 20, 2012
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The problem with Liege is

1) Being in the front on top of La Redoute. Sure he can be but they will probably do it at a less even pace that he likes

2) Everyone and their mother will know his wheel is the one to watch and be on. Especially as everyone should be equally eager to not go to the RaF with Pogacar.
 
Jul 20, 2019
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Had the TT been the normal length for this race, Remco would have won

This is how Remco needs to ride. Full diesel. As I've said many times, he is an Ullrich clone
 
Apr 12, 2015
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Remco's punch on short climbs and overall acceleration is really underrated, it's his climbing ability that just isn't there. He will be fine for the Ardennes.

The basque climbs are a bit too long. Redoute, Faucons, even Mur de Huy are perfect for him. I wouldn't be surprised if get 5th or 6th on the Mur. That is just a 3 minute effort.
 
Mar 4, 2011
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Had the TT been the normal length for this race, Remco would have won

This is how Remco needs to ride. Full diesel. As I've said many times, he is an Ullrich clone
I think remains the same as the end of last year—we don’t know how he will fare in a GT with high mountain stages featuring multiple 2000m+ climbs. Especially in a 3rd week. We won’t know that till he performs in those. I understand people want to try to anticipate but on the other hand it’s ridiculous that folks (not at all just you) keep trying to extrapolate his possible GT future from these races. For the same reason I don’t see how you can call him an Ullrich clone when Ullrich was a monster-GT performer.
 

Big Doopie

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Oct 6, 2009
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He loses 24 seconds on the stage that many said he would be crushed.

he finishes 4th in the hardest one-week stage race with more ramps above 10% than in most GTs.

only 7km TT. He likely would have won had it been even 15.

he was the most attacking rider throughout.

he was the only GC leader that set up a teammates sprint.

he had no team support in the most important stage and closed all the gaps himself.

I hardly think this race is a reason to give up stage racing and limit himself to one day races at age 22. Lol.
 
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Jul 20, 2019
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I think remains the same as the end of last year—we don’t know how he will fare in a GT with high mountain stages featuring multiple 2000m+ climbs. Especially in a 3rd week. We won’t know that till he performs in those. I understand people want to try to anticipate but on the other hand it’s ridiculous that folks (not at all just you) keep trying to extrapolate his possible GT future from these races. For the same reason I don’t see how you can call him an Ullrich clone when Ullrich was a monster-GT performer.

It's the style of riding. Even in 1997, Ullrich was dropped hard on AdH and struggled on Madeliene. Those were the 8% climbs. He crushed Arcalis and the Croix de Chaburet (sp), which were between 5.5-7.5%. Remco similarly, has had his success on the shallower grades, while gets dropped once the gradient approaches 10%
 
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Apr 12, 2015
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In case of Remco, the length (as in real mountains) seems to be a bigger factor than gradient.

Isn't the Ulrich comparison a bit off? Ulrich was a TT climber who was great in the high mountains.

Remco is not a climber. He is a time trialist who is also a great diesel in hilly and medium mountain terrain.
 
Jul 20, 2019
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In case of Remco, the length (as in real mountains) seems to be a bigger factor than gradient.

Isn't the Ulrich comparison a bit off? Ulrich was a TT climber who was great in the high mountains.

Remco is not a climber. He is a time trialist who is also a great diesel in hilly and medium mountain terrain.

Remco was fine on long climbs in the first half of the Giro last year. Kept up fine with Bernal. They also were of the 6-8% variety
 
Oct 14, 2020
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Honestly, I will be sad when he's like 26 and either a GT beast or a fluke and this thread — which basically only survives on endless discussion about his (lack of) stage racing potential — dries out. The only question is whether we will manage to get to 1000+ pages before then.
 
May 29, 2019
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Good overall performance on Itzulia Basque Country 2022. This lad is a bit underrated.

Keep on the good work.
 
Jan 8, 2020
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He faught like a lion, but alas it wasn't enough. In any case, it was an improvement from TA. I think it's still the tougher gradients he has difficulty dealing with, but at only 21 he should have a margin for improvement. And it's not like he was dropped by minutes today. So it is feasable he can bridge the gap with this mountains competition in the future. In addition, he seems to be carrying a couple of kilos in excess. Perhaps he just needed this power with 2 kilos less and he would have been there in the end.
 
Oct 15, 2017
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In case of Remco, the length (as in real mountains) seems to be a bigger factor than gradient.

Isn't the Ulrich comparison a bit off? Ulrich was a TT climber who was great in the high mountains.

Remco is not a climber. He is a time trialist who is also a great diesel in hilly and medium mountain terrain.

Yeah, I think it is a bit off too.

He is more like a Thomas De Gendt, who tbf came close to winning a Giro. He just never had the interest to do what it takes to be a GC rider. He could climb, but maybe not as well as the best, TT and he could pull of some great rides. Solos and super-days.
 
Apr 12, 2015
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Remco was fine on long climbs in the first half of the Giro last year. Kept up fine with Bernal. They also were of the 6-8% variety
I'm not impressed by a 4th place on the Piceno. Riders who I think are similar to him (Wellens, Benoot) have done the same thing on harder mountains.

My point is that he is nowhere near a real climber like Ulrich who had the ability to be good in the high altitude for over 3 weeks.
 
Mar 4, 2011
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It's the style of riding. Even in 1997, Ullrich was dropped hard on PdH and struggled on Madeliene. Those were the 8% climbs. He crushed Arcalis and the Croix de Chaburet (sp), which were between 5.5-7.5%. Remco similarly, has had his success on the shallower grades, while gets dropped once the gradient approaches 10%
Understood :)
 
I think remains the same as the end of last year—we don’t know how he will fare in a GT with high mountain stages featuring multiple 2000m+ climbs. Especially in a 3rd week. We won’t know that till he performs in those. I understand people want to try to anticipate but on the other hand it’s ridiculous that folks (not at all just you) keep trying to extrapolate his possible GT future from these races. For the same reason I don’t see how you can call him an Ullrich clone when Ullrich was a monster-GT performer.
Not to restate the obvious but Ullrich was on a serious program, too; so it is difficult to know what his comparable talent level could be. Remco has a bigger upside, given time as I keep saying.
 
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Jul 7, 2013
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In case of Remco, the length (as in real mountains) seems to be a bigger factor than gradient.

Isn't the Ulrich comparison a bit off? Ulrich was a TT climber who was great in the high mountains.

Remco is not a climber. He is a time trialist who is also a great diesel in hilly and medium mountain terrain.

Remco is heavy like a dock worker right now (® @Logic-is-your-friend). It's obvious that steep gradients (when almost 100% of resistive force is gravity) are more difficult for him than shallow gradients. When he loses weight it should be easier for him.
 
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Oct 21, 2012
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Am late on to the Evenepoel bandwagon so this has probably been discussed before, but is it set in stone that he won't be riding The TDF this year? What little I know of the course seems so much more suited to him. Whereas the Vuelta traditionally contains of all his atm, perceived weaknesses.