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

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Jul 20, 2019
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You take this as evidence he's as good in the big mountains as on the short hills?

They raced a lot harder on Thursday, I think if you're ill or suffering from the heat, it's the intensity that's gonna mess you up more than specific race characteristics.

No. However, the hills Thursday may have been a touch steeper than is ideal for him
 
Aug 29, 2011
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I'm reading this fascinating conversation & this right here is the underlying cause of your issue, i.e. you're too emotionally invested. You shouldn't get 'tired' or bothered when reading views you don't like about your favorite rider. Ironically, Cookster15 is literally bending over backwards to repeatedly stating Evenepoel is a massive talent, yet that's not good enough for you.

As for my opinion, I say Evenepoel should be more like Roglic. I mean literally in terms of his mental approach to racing. Roglic goes into his biggest races with a "ah it's hard to win!" or "I try to be the best version of myself" or "lots of guys are strong" etc. He smashed the Vuelta last summer... without actually even stating he was there to win before the race.

So Evenepoel shouldn't go into the Tour de Suisse announcing ambitious objectives before the race (especially when he doesn't reach them). This adds unnecessary pressure on himself... & his fans.

He needs to learn this fast before the Vuelta because the opposition in Spain will be no joke.
Please no. I don't want more riders only speaking in empty phrases like "Lots of guys are strong".
 
I'm reading this fascinating conversation & this right here is the underlying cause of your issue, i.e. you're too emotionally invested. You shouldn't get 'tired' or bothered when reading views you don't like about your favorite rider. Ironically, Cookster15 is literally bending over backwards to repeatedly stating Evenepoel is a massive talent, yet that's not good enough for you.

As for my opinion, I say Evenepoel should be more like Roglic. I mean literally in terms of his mental approach to racing. Roglic goes into his biggest races with a "ah it's hard to win!" or "I try to be the best version of myself" or "lots of guys are strong" etc. He smashed the Vuelta last summer... without actually even stating he was there to win before the race.

So Evenepoel shouldn't go into the Tour de Suisse announcing ambitious objectives before the race (especially when he doesn't reach them). This adds unnecessary pressure on himself... & his fans.

He needs to learn this fast before the Vuelta because the opposition in Spain will be no joke.
No, Cookster is bending over backwards to repeatedly state what a massive talent he thought he was.

And i don't need to be emotionally invested to be tired or bothered with false arguments.

Evenepoel was able to ride at a really, really high pace on lower gradients towards the top yesterday according to Andreas Kron. They were both dropped on the steep sections.

Not surprising. Just like when he got dropped early in Tirreno and Lombardia. He usually is able to limit the losses relatively speaking most of the time.
 
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Mar 13, 2021
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Remco is a very good addition to the peloton who brings a lot of excitement to the race when he is good.

So we have to be happy he is present in the current peloton and for me we should be even happier that he is not turning out to be the dominant factor (this early on in his career at least) that he was expected to be.

most annoying thing about Remco remain to be his die hard fans who always come up with some lame excuses when he has a weak day or one of his weaknesses are exposed again.
 
Feb 24, 2020
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Remco excels when it is not too hot and not too cold? He is the Goldilocks of cycling. The conditions have got to be "just right".
That is your conclusion, not mine. All I am saying is that the team may not have the proper system in place to allow a GC/GT rider to excel. Remco is not different than any other rider but I am sure that some riders from teams focussing on GT podiums are better supported to perform in the conditions where optimal performance is critical. To give an example: everyone can suffer from heat exhaustion but it's the team's task to minimize that risk. If it mostly comes down to Remco's experience to drink, eat, use ice to cool, use the proper clothing etc then you should expect more "bad days" than some others.
 
Aug 29, 2011
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Looks like he really cracked towards the end.
Van Wilder almost managed to catch up to him.

Top-10 not completely out of the question yet.
 
Jul 9, 2009
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As long as those classics are 100% tarmac.
Oh yeah, getting dropped from the lead group several times on the same cobbled climb not to mention his Strada Bianca showing is not a good look for a classics star. Ok then, develop a sprint AND race cross until he's comfortable with his wheels moving all around under him. He definitely has the power on smooth flatter roads, but his "wheelhouse" is extremely narrow.
 
Jun 21, 2009
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Actually today was not bad, if you look at how he did the 2 previous days. 8th from the peloton is more than looked likely before the stage. Before the start of the TdS.. actually 8th out of the peloton looked around what seemed realistic to me, but of course with more riders still around. So from that point of view slightly disappointing today. 30" to Pozzovivo still isn't that bad really. Of course for those fans that start every analysis on the premise that Remco is actually the best, just hasn't shown it everywhere yet 8th with Vlasov, Yates etc there would would still have been a set back too. But Picon Blanco, so he's still the best...And the watts in Norway! Man, the watts in Norway. Talk about tiring (actually it isn't, it's great fun to read Picon Blanco, mismanagement by Quick step, now Norway and all each time something doesn't work) Best place on the internet!

Remco was never a sure thing for GTs, that was the big question from the start. He was a sure thing for classics (and he delivered, good, sure things don't always, see Sivakov who was a sure thing for GTs really) GTs were always the question, by now seems very likely that he's not a natural GT rider, but that doesn't mean he can't become a GT winner. It just will take more work. But he better hurry up, like Pogacar he won't peak when he's 30 or so, Remco most likely will peak in the next 2-3 years. If he spends those chasing more classics (which might be a sensible thing to do as well) the risk is there that he misses his window in the end (like Nibali did with RVV, should have ridden it from 2015 on)

But anyway, he might still reach Spilak, Simon gave up in his first 2 TdS participations, before winning it twice later (and being 6th and 9th twice each). Tirreno, there Remco just equalized Simon's best placement, 11th. Looks good. Basque country, Spilak was 4th twice, so there too, Remco looks good (and of course in Spilak's time Pais Vasco wasn't the hardest one week race, it seem it became that just this year thanks to Remco starting I suspect.. same as this years TdS was the hardest since .. forever? He really has a big effect on cycling) But back to the chase to become Spilak, Equalled Simon's best placement in 2 of the weeklong races already, looks to have a better start to the TdS than him. Only Romandie is problematic, 76th, Spilak nevere worse than 30st. But at 19, I'd say we cut Remco some slack there.

IMO Remco is on his way, he can come close to what Spilak did in weeklong races, from Paris-Nice to Tour de Suisse). Reaching him maybe not, after all Spilak was fully focused on those races, 3 wins, 3 second places, 1 third, 3 fourth places, not that easy to reach, espacially since Remco won't be focussing on those mostly. But right now the comparison of course is rather insulting to Spilak. But Remco can come close. And unlike Spilak Remco should be able to compete for at least the podium in a GT in the coming years. Coming back once in the Sega di Ala stage after being dropped, today defending himself rather well considering the disappointment of the previous days... it will be all right. (Can't say the same for some of his fans) Plus be a force in the classics (do something about the cobbles, Flanders really should fit him)
 
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Jan 8, 2020
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He did not collapse, soldiered on, but was never was really in the game either. Strange, if he wanted a stage win, then he should have dropped further down first. Evidently the team for his development thought it better to stick to GC to see where he arrives without the legs necessary to stay with the best to build character.
 
He did not collapse, soldiered on, but was never was really in the game either. Strange, if he wanted a stage win, then he should have dropped further down first. Evidently the team for his development thought it better to stick to GC to see where he arrives without the legs necessary to stay with the best to build character.
He was never in the running in any of the three stages that mattered. This is a disappointing result considering half the competition went home prematurely. I'm sure he'll admit that himself. I'm not drawing any conclusions from this about future performances. It's perfectly possible that he'll exceed expectations in the Vuelta.
 
Jul 20, 2019
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Remco is where I thought he'd be, losing about a minute in each of the high mountain finishes

The big shock was Thursday's stage. Looks like just a bad day

If we go back to a normal amount of TT km in a GT, he can still contend in a GT. He'd be a rider who gains in the TT and defends in the mountains. You know, be a normal GT contender until the recent TT allergy developed
 
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Not gonna lie, today is better but it makes the two previous stages all the more puzzling.

Well if it was indeed a heat issue that requires at least 48hours to fully recover as said by devil, him being slighlty better today than yesterday makes sense. Doubt he will be top tomorrow. Think he is still far from pushing 400W for 30minutes so doubt he has a shot tomorrow.
But at least if his feeling is improving, we can for sure exclude tiredness/peaked to early from the list.
 
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