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

[yaco]

Seems that it wasn't too much of a stretch to have Remco as the favorite in this race. What a performance!

Fabio Jacobsen must be pissing his pants because if this continues, I don't think he'll ride Tour de France next year. And its even worse if your name is Tim Merlier.

I doubt that QS would take Jakobsen to the 2023 TDF if they serve up the same parcours.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

They are very careful. It's only going to go mental when it's sure he"ll win.

Cool. The GCN crew are telling us Belgian media has decamped to Spain and he's splattered over every paper as it's a million years since the cycling heartland of Belgium has had a chance of a GC win (whereas, Britain blah blah blah ...you know the narrative).
My question is will the Belgian media give this more attention than Van Aert at the Tour? I sometimes work with a Flandrian and while he's a Remco fan he thinks sections of the Belgian media much prefer Van Aert.

 

[yaco]

Quickstep is the kind of team that would take Mørkøv, Jakobsen and another leadout rider to the Tour even if Evenepoel wins this Vuelta... look at the squads Uran had to deal with for example when he was one of the top favorites for the Giro back in his Quickstep days.

Except, QS team for the 2014 Giro had De Gent, Poels, Pauwels, Serry, Brambilla, Keisse - The 2015 team had less mountain support.

 

[spalco]

Today is a big test for Remco...

So test passed?

How many tests are there still ahead of him in this race realistically (serious question, not sarcastic, I haven't really studied the route)?

 

[Frobisher Bay]

Cool. The GCN crew are telling us Belgian media has decamped to Spain and he's splattered over every paper as it's a million years since the cycling heartland of Belgium has had a chance of a GC win (whereas, Britain blah blah blah ...you know the narrative).
My question is will the Belgian media give this more attention than Van Aert at the Tour? I sometimes work with a Flandrian and while he's a Remco fan he thinks sections of the Belgian media much prefer Van Aert.

I do think the general consensus in the media is that they like Van Aert a bit more indeed. As he is a more 'middle of the road'-guy and less outspoken than Remco. Also , the WC left some scar tissue between both of them.
Having said that, I think that if he wins Tuesday and puts everyone on 2 minutes or more, the craziness will fully start. Now they are still putting up caveats about off-days, maybe rightly so after the terrible Giro-hype when the biggest tabloid launched a paper in pink on the day of the start.

 

[Riek s]

So test passed?

How many tests are there still ahead of him in this race realistically (serious question, not sarcastic, I haven't really studied the route)?

The ITT (day after rest day, how does he recover from it)
12th stage, to see if he can still climb
14th stage to see if he can still climb
15th stage to see how he is on altitude and if he can still climb
17th to see if he can still climb
18th to see if he can still climb
20th to see how he comes out of the vuelta. (rare, medium, well coocked)


Not sure if they can be called tests. Think the major test is in fact is he still good in the last week. But i know we will evaluate it on every stage soo...

15 is Sierra Nevada, long climb with altitude, where i'm not so worried about the climb itself, but about the dissadvantage of pulling a group.

12, 14, 17, 18 and 20 are MTF (20 still has a 10km+ flat after the climb itself, no downhill). Haven't looked at the climbs themselves, but from what i hear they all seem gradual and not that steep. So same applies here, drafting matters. So race strategy might have a bigger impact than fitness.

 

[carolina]

I wasn't a believer on the Vuelta win, but he's starting to convince me. Fantastic first week, incredibly strong.

 

[Blanco]

So test passed?

How many tests are there still ahead of him in this race realistically (serious question, not sarcastic, I haven't really studied the route)?

Oh yeah!
One big test left, his recovery and ability to ride on highest level for three weeks. With this form, no stage would be a problem for him.

 

[houtdffan]

Quickstep is the kind of team that would take Mørkøv, Jakobsen and another leadout rider to the Tour even if Evenepoel wins this Vuelta... look at the squads Uran had to deal with for example when he was one of the top favorites for the Giro back in his Quickstep days.

No chance

Next years TDF team will be all for Remco. QS was prepared to do that for Contador in 2009 when Kazhakstan wasn't paying Bruyneel and the riders

 

[houtdffan]

You simply cannot bring Mørkøv and Jacobsen + another leadout rider. What you can do though is bring some great rouleurs like Asgreen and Cavagna, some decent mountains domestiques and then you can leave Alaphilippe to himself on some of the stages that suit him. Bringing Jacobsen + entourage, that means Evenepoel has close to no real support since you simply cannot expect Julian to turn himself inside out for Remco like hes doing in this race when in France and in better condition.

If they do, we should collectively sue them.

Alap WILL be on donkey duty next July unless Remco totally implodes over the next 2 weeks

 

[Extinction]

He trained on mortirolo and stelvio, I think he'll be fine. After TT I think he'll race differently as well.

Let's see the results after the TT. In theory, he gains time, however, even if this were the case, I doubt he approaches the future with anything but the composure he has demonstrated so far. I mean, he has mme

 

[tobydawq]

Is this a reference to Axelgaard's prediction? I read his bit about Evenepoel and the guy is f'ng clueless.

No, he isn't.

You can disagree with him about specific things but calling Emil Axelgaard clueless when it comes to cycling is just utter and sheer absurdity.

 

[steffr222]

After today‘s stage my biggest fear for Remco is Covid…

 

[tobydawq]

I doubt that QS would take Jakobsen to the 2023 TDF if they serve up the same parcours.

It would be disappointing for the Tour to have identical parcours two years in a row. But I'm all for another Danish party.

RhD mode off

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

No, he isn't.

You can disagree with him about specific things but calling Emil Axelgaard clueless when it comes to cycling is just utter and sheer absurdity.

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[CyclistAbi]

Mur de Rer.

 

[rghysens]

So test passed?

How many tests are there still ahead of him in this race realistically (serious question, not sarcastic, I haven't really studied the route)?

13 covid tests, Sierra Nevada ( altitude +length), recuperation in 3rd week.

 

[Nostradumbass]

Alap WILL be on donkey duty next July unless Remco totally implodes over the next 2 weeks

Ala will have some freedom similar to what Wout had this year in the TdF.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

Don't be mistaken, i"m just as excited Remco supporter as you!

But since he didn't prepare the climbs of the vuelta, i think he has left some additional time here. Up untill now he is riding a semi perfect race (could have had a potential of up to 3 stage wins by now). But the last part of the climb, his face, the use of his back the struggle reminded me alot about the Giro where he did the same thing when he was absolutely done. I know out of experience that when you go that deep, you recover way more slowly then if you just hit the limit. Luckily it is a rest day, but i'm a bit afraid that this was a costly gain for him in the long run. (Hopefuly it is more of a Giro trauma then something else )

I think he pushed it because of the rest day tomorrow. Sure there's a cumulative effect for all efforts in a GT but as we saw yesterday he didn't push it because of today's stage.

The Giro was a crazy idea looking back on it and we didn't know how he was after not having raced for 9 months prior after his horrific crash at Lombardy.

In fact his 2021 results and even early 2022 results weren't great up until LBL, but because he was so talented he was able to still get wins and be competative in 2021.

I mean how many riders would love this type of palmares in an off year

1st overall Baloise Belgium Tour 3rd Green Jersey
1st Stage 2 (ITT)
2nd Stage 1

2nd Belgian National Championships (ITT)
3rd Belgian Natonal Championships (RR)

1st Tour of Denmark 2nd Green Jersey 1st Youth
1st Stage 3
1st Stage 5 (ITT)

1st Druivenkoers - Overijse

1st Brussels Cycling Classic

3rd European Championship (ITT)
2nd European Championship (RR)

3rd World Championship (ITT)

1st Coppa Bernocchi

8 wins is more than a career for most riders.

I think he's finally getting back to his 2020 form and clearly improving upon it.

He's riding a smart race and the team tactics and performance have been
great thus far.

 

[Salvarani]

He will have a lead of +3 minutes minimum after the ITT.

 

[frisenfruitig]

I think it is safe to say this is a different rider than the one we saw in the Giro last year. A bad day can always happen of course but the way he's riding I don't think it's likely. It's good that he isn't afraid to put the hammer down himself and that he isn't riding too defensively.

 

[spalco]

I think it is safe to say this is a different rider than the one we saw in the Giro last year. A bad day can always happen of course but the way he's riding I don't think it's likely. It's good that he isn't afraid to put the hammer down himself and that he isn't riding too defensively.

Whoever decided on Remco doing that Giro without prep should be forced to clean his bicycle with a toothbrush before every raceday for the rest of his career. That was crazy.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

13 covid tests, Sierra Nevada ( altitude +length), recuperation in 3rd week.

Pretty much.

No major difficulties after the Sierra Nevada stage, though.

Seems as if the 3rd week was designed for Evenepoel mark 1 style raids ...to get him back in contention, if necessary. Stages 18 and 20, in particular.

La Vuelta ciclista a España 2022 Stage 10 (ITT) results

Remco Evenepoel is the winner of La Vuelta ciclista a España 2022 Stage 10 (ITT), before Primož RogliÄ and Rémi Cavagna. Remco Evenepoel was leader in GC.

www.procyclingstats.com

It's all well within his comfort zone. Stage 20 with a flat part after the last climb, lol.

The Sierra Nevada stage could at least tell us more about what to expect from him in actual high mountain stages in the Tour and Giro.

So far he has posted his least dominant performance on stage 8. The most climber friendly climb up until now (and maybe in the whole race, if we disregard altitude). That to me shows that his climbing is still not a relative strength. I mean, he will smoke everyone in the ITT, right?

He's just so far ahead of the pack that it doesn't matter.

 

[Lequack]

Remco is now a steep climb specialist and an uphill sprint specialist as well.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1563909937310453760

View: https://twitter.com/BasTietema/status/1563909937310453760?s=20&t=apleVTGWNqQV4y4NP8I2UQ

 

[King Boonen]

Kid can ride.