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

[Extinction]

I think having a TTT while making it essentially mean nothing in GC is a terrible idea. The best part of the TTT is it forces teams to pick one or two rouleur/TT types that they otherwise wouldn't have picked, and therefore being weaker in mountainous terrain, making the race potentially harder to control in the mountains.

Im a bit torn, as I heavily dislike very short TTT's and think they are a meme and useless for the race, but on the other hand don't like plus 40-50 TTT as the advantage is simply to great for the big teams ON TOP OFF already being better off riding for those teams in the other stages. Its quite a conundrum to me, so I guess a TTT around 20-30 km is fine in that it keeps time gaps in check while it still means something.

I disagree, in the 80s it was often about leaders fighting it out at the head of the race, for which the truly strong guys could mitigate eventual losses in TTT. By contrast, these days the high budget teams attempt, and often succeed, in controlling the race and sending even GC guys out the back in the process. Now give such team/s a longish TTT at the beginning of a GT and it's all but over from the start.

 

[KZD]

Remco's weight sure wasn't a problem on a 4 km, 10% climb that he obliterated everyone in San Sebastian..

I tend to have a similar opinion. Remco clearly doesn't have a super slim bodytype like Vingegård has but as Roglič and Pogačar show you don't need to have such a low BMI to be able to contend for GC in GTs. Maybe in a climb like Sierra Nevada being 1 or 2 kg lower would help but in a Vuelta with this kind of route I don't think that will make such a big difference and at least they are playing it safe unlike in the Giro last year which should help him to win stages if GC fails. He has plenty of time to lose weight for a GT, if necessary.

 

[peterfin]

I tend to have a similar opinion. Remco clearly doesn't have a super slim bodytype like Vingegård has but as Roglič and Pogačar show you don't need to have such a low BMI to be able to contend for GC in GTs. Maybe in a climb like Sierra Nevada being 1 or 2 kg lower would help but in a Vuelta with this kind of route I don't think that will make such a big difference and at least they are playing it safe unlike in the Giro last year which should help him to win stages if GC fails. He has plenty of time to lose weight for a GT, if necessary.

I think that optimizing his chances for a GC result is playing it safe. I am pretty sure that's ultimately the yardstick for the outer world and himself. The Vuelta will give him a reference point so he knows what he can do today and what is realistic in the future. It doesn't help him if his preparation is suboptimal, especially not if he believes he did everything to be in optimal shape (as Lefevre stressed in his column). This GT is his main goal of the year. They shouldn't put pressure on him but they should neither screw it up by betting on an acceptable GC results and stages wins.

 

[Big Doopie]

...This GT is his main goal of the year. They shouldn't put pressure on him but they should neither screw it up by betting on an acceptable GC results and stages wins.

LBL was his other main goal of the season, let's not forget that. i do not think they ever stated vuelta was more important. to narrow his entire season down to the vuelta seems to actually be amping up the pressure and setting up the "his entire season was a failure because he did not perform in the vuelta" narrative. that likely was not your intention. but let's not imply that his season so far has been anything but a success.

in fact, if he performs well here and wins one more big race this year...he is in play for cyclist of the year.

i absolutely do not want to get ahead of my skis, but let's also be honest about his entire season so far.

 

[red_flanders]

Remco's weight sure wasn't a problem on a 4 km, 10% climb that he obliterated everyone in San Sebastian..

I don't know. It's one thing to carry weight in a one day race, it's another for 3 weeks in a GT. Things add up. I'm not saying Remco is or isn't overweight, and have no way of knowing, but I disagree with the comparison to a one day classic in this case.

 

[memyselfandI]

I think he's good now. His weight is good and his mindset is good. Thumbs up people.

 

[Bonimenier]

I believe his obesity won't do him any good in the long run, but who am I to tell him what to do.

 

[DoYouEvenRideBruh]

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Ok, but this was during Valencia, he has lost 3.5kg since.

 

[Riek s]

I don't like the TTT for GC, because it gives the big budget teams an unfair advantage, especially today when GTs might be won by seconds not minutes. Cycling is a team sport, but GC isn't determined cumulatively within teams, but on an individual basis. Hence, the TTT should be a non-GC discipline.

I would prefer a prologue or short TTT as an opener
an ITT in the middle
an ITT at the end

one of the ITT can be a MTF as well.

Real climbers should be able to climb without someone pulling them.

 

[Vroome.exe]

Ok, but this was during Valencia, he has lost 3.5kg since.

Has anyone ever seen Remco and Betancur in the same room? If he misses Vuelta for some mysterious reason, the truth might reveal itself...

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Remco has enough energy supply for a 30-week GT and would surely win such a race!

 

[Extinction]

I would prefer a prologue or short TTT as an opener
an ITT in the middle
an ITT at the end

one of the ITT can be a MTF as well.

Real climbers should be able to climb without someone pulling them.

Ah, but that's a bit unfair to the climbers' category. Today the Bigs fly up mountains, but "aren't climbers, and smoke the TTs. So what's left for the little fellers to do? I think in modern cycling this is why Pantani was so compelling to many. He was a real climber, who could, however, break the spirit and legs of other more all-rounded Bigs.

 

[Bonimenier]

Ah, but that's a bit unfair to the climbers' category. Today the Bigs fly up mountains, but "aren't climbers, and smoke the TTs. So what's left for the little fellers to do? I think in modern cycling this is why Pantani was so compelling to many. He was a real climber, who could, however, break the spirit and legs of other more all-rounded Bigs.

On the other side there are plenty of small riders who prove that they are capable of riding good to very good TTs as well nowadays.

 

[Extinction]

On the other side there are plenty of small riders who prove that they are capable of riding good to very good TTs as well nowadays.

Well, Remco comes to mind, but who are you considering otherwise? Vingegaard? Pogacar? They aren't of the Lucio Herrera or Bohamontes mold though. Even Evenepoel is more of a pitbull than the lithe gazzelle-like climbers.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Well, Remco comes to mind, but who are you considering otherwise? Vingegaard? Pogacar? They aren't of the Lucio Herrera or Bohamontes mold though. Even Evenepoel is more of a pitbull than the lithe gazzelle-like climbers.

Vingegaard resembles a concentration camp prisoner more than a pitbull though.

 

[Bonimenier]

Well, Remco comes to mind, but who are you considering otherwise? Vingegaard? Pogacar? They aren't of the Lucio Herrera or Bohamontes mold though. Even Evenepoel is more of a pitbull than the lithe gazzelle-like climbers.

I was mainly thinking of Vingegaard next to Evenepoel. I see him more as a pure climber compared to Pogacar for example. He only weighs around 60 kg.

 

[tobydawq]

Why are you posting a photo of Van Aert in his green jersey in this thread?

 

[houtdffan]

Ah, but that's a bit unfair to the climbers' category. Today the Bigs fly up mountains, but "aren't climbers, and smoke the TTs. So what's left for the little fellers to do? I think in modern cycling this is why Pantani was so compelling to many. He was a real climber, who could, however, break the spirit and legs of other more all-rounded Bigs.

The bigs cannot keep up with the smaller climbers when the accelerations start. That is where Pantani had such an advantage

 

[Extinction]

The bigs cannot keep up with the smaller climbers when the accelerations start. That is where Pantani had such an advantage

Yea, but I don't see the category of pure climbers of yore. I mean the best climbers in the world, when push comes to shove at the Tour, have also been much more than pure climbers, from Contador (pre-Clen), to Nibali, Froome and Roglic, Pogacar, even Vingegaard. In other words, they can also TT and some perform in the classics (Nibali, Pogacar), so not just mountain goats.

 

[frisenfruitig]

This whole discussion about his weight is so overblown. It's not like 63 kg is so much that it should cause problems uphill. Plenty of great climbers like Pogacar or Roglic aren't exactly built like thin climbers either.

 

[ciranda]

Vingegaard resembles a concentration camp prisoner more than a pitbull though.

Don't know if trolling or whatever but careful examination show that they look pretty similar except for Vingegaard's hunchback.

 

[frisenfruitig]

63 kg @ 1m71 vs 60 kg @ 1m77 isn't "pretty" similar imo

 

[Lequack]

Vingegaard had the power of yellow jersey, which adds 50W.

 

[spalco]

Don't know if trolling or whatever but careful examination show that they look pretty similar except for Vingegaard's hunchback.

Vingegaard really does look a bit emaciated. Maybe not Rasmussen/Froome two days from actual death of starvation, but still, his facial features especially. But maybe he just looks like that naturally.

Remco, Pogacar and Roglic also for example look much more like healthy "normal" guys.