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

[SHAD0W93]

If he starts in Utrecht today he might still catch up with the others before Sunday.


If he's behind, yes. If he's still ahead they will defend their Spanish throne like Philip the Prudent.

It might be better for him to attack though.

Fake puncture eh

https://twitter.com/x/status/1567178937683296260

View: https://twitter.com/fconavser/status/1567178937683296260


Leave the kid alone ffs.

“50 plus witnesses of Evenepoel letting the air out of his tire”

I will say I’m on Logic’s side in that if Evenepoel and Roglic’s roles were reversed on stage 15, people would be complaining like crazy that Evenepoel just sat on Roglic’s wheel. While today Evenepoel would get he always crashes and isn’t ready thrown at him and Roglic that he has bad luck for having a flat.

Yes, there are those that would say both indiscriminately but the voice is small.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

It might be better for him to attack though.

“50 plus witnesses of Evenepoel letting the air out of his tire”

I will say I’m on Logic’s side in that if Evenepoel and Roglic’s roles were reversed on stage 15, people would be complaining like crazy that Evenepoel just sat on Roglic’s wheel. While today Evenepoel would get he always crashes and isn’t ready thrown at him and Roglic that he has bad luck for having a flat.

Yes, there are those that would say both indiscriminately but the voice is small.

Money wired as agreed.

 

[Red Rick]

Guy's gonna win the Vuelta and all fans do is cry that like 5 people aren't nice to him.

Like srsly worse victim complex than Djokovic fans.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Red Rick, not the mod CN needs, but the mod CN deserves.

 

[Riek s]

Guy's gonna win the Vuelta and all fans do is cry that like 5 people aren't nice to him.

Like srsly worse victim complex than Djokovic fans.

I'll hold on to the victory dance until the final stage is ridden and he is still in 1st in GC. Still covid cases going around, crashes, and a question mark on the 2nd in GC with Roglic.

 

[IndurainsTdF1994]

* Vuelta 2022
Asterisk.

 

[Riek s]

* Vuelta 2022
Asterisk.

* Tour 2022

notes:
* Roglic crashed.

 

[SHAD0W93]

On the question of where the flat occurred, one can guess if it was within 3km or not and he should get the Ala treatment, but on Peacock at 2:25:26 you can see Evenepoel’s rear tire is flat when he raises his hand.

 

[spalco]

The sheer idea Evenepoel would fake a mechanical in this situation is insanity.

In a different scenario, maybe, I could envision a situation where it could make sense to try this, but what in the world would he have gained by that here? He lost the 8 seconds in any case, and there's zero chance he would have lost any more than that by following the peloton.

Or let's say he would have lost 20 seconds, so the *** what? I don't understand how that thought would even enter anyone's head.

Anyway, terrible thing to happen to Roglic, whom I actually like quite a bit, great attack and then awful luck, but also 100% his own fault to crash there it must be said. Staying on your bike is necessary to win a race too. Doesn't put any askerisk on the eventual winner in my opinion, whether it's Remco or Mas or whoever.

 

[Oldermanish]

On the question of where the flat occurred, one can guess if it was within 3km or not and he should get the Ala treatment, but on Peacock at 2:25:26 you can see Evenepoel’s rear tire is flat when he raises his hand.

As added protection from bs charges from the cheap seats I'd hope the DQS DS would have the car stay with the bike on the ground until an official could see it. End the bs there, not in the press. Remco rode away on a completely different bike so they could certainly confirm the legitimacy of the situation.
I doubt Remco could stop unless it was flat, let air out without several hundred cameras on him, too.

 

[Andre]

By looking at Roglic, it appears like a concussion no?

 

[Oldermanish]

By looking at Roglic, it appears like a concussion no?

None mentioned so far and his helmet looked intact when he rode in. I'd look that dazed after riding 3km flat out and then coming to a sudden stop.....wouldn't you?

 

[Andre]

None mentioned so far and his helmet looked intact when he rode in. I'd look that dazed after riding 3km flat out and then coming to a sudden stop.....wouldn't you?

yes of course I would be dazed...but the helmet being intact means nothing; a concussion could still happen without hitting your head.

 

[houtdffan]

Remco hasn't rode this race like Merckx at all

He's ridden like Indurain

Maybe Remco is the next Indurain

 

[red_flanders]

By looking at Roglic, it appears like a concussion no?

Definitely something to check. Dazed look was concerning.

 

[Big Doopie]

Remco hasn't rode this race like Merckx at all

He's ridden like Indurain

Maybe Remco is the next Indurain

i think without the crash it may have been different.

if he holds out, i think that the confidence and know-how gathered from doing this at 22 will be huge.

also, if he gets a better team to support him. QS has specifically allowed the break to win to take away the bonuses from rog. however, as it turned out, remco beat rog on the first four MTFs (and without the crash may have done so for two more). With that confidence/knowledge and a better team, they might have brought the break back leading to more stage victories.

then again, he can still crack.

first things first for a 22-year-old. secure the win.

 

[Big Doopie]

george bennett on his podcast said (and I paraphrase):

remco is always at a high level. but this remco is a completely other level. he said that even from 6 months ago, what he was seeing now was completely different.

This was before remco's crash.

 

[houtdffan]

i think without the crash it may have been different.

if he holds out, i think that the confidence and know-how gathered from doing this at 22 will be huge.

also, if he gets a better team to support him. QS has specifically allowed the break to win to take away the bonuses from rog. however, as it turned out, remco beat rog on the first four MTFs (and without the crash may have done so for two more). With that confidence/knowledge and a better team, they might have brought the break back leading to more stage victories.

then again, he can still crack.

first things first for a 22-year-old. secure the win.

QS should try and buy Jay Vine out of his contract. He'd be the ideal mountain Dom for Remco

 

[Andre]

Van Wilder will also improve and help Remco even more.

 

[Oldermanish]

QS should try and buy Jay Vine out of his contract. He'd be the ideal mountain Dom for Remco

He's too fast for Remco. You'd want someone that doesn't rely on a sudden tempo for escaping that your GT favorite can't follow. Vine jumps, gets a gap and consolidates kinda like some other Brit Bros.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

He's too fast for Remco. You'd want someone that doesn't rely on a sudden tempo for escaping that your GT favorite can't follow. Vine jumps, gets a gap and consolidates kinda like some other Brit Bros.

That's not really true. First of all, he's not too fast, he's just fast enough. Secondly, Vine climbs rather steadily. You could see it on Pico Jano, which was his best climbing performance this Vuelta, where he finished ahead of Evenepoel, but where the gap came down slightly without big fluctuations. Considering Evenepoel climbed roughly 10s faster from the moment he went than Vine, it's safe to assume he would have been able to follow Vine, more so considering Vine is taller and Evenepoel would have a drag advantage staying in his wheel.

 

[Oldermanish]

That's not really true. First of all, he's not too fast, he's just fast enough. Secondly, Vine climbs rather steadily. You could see it on Pico Jano, which was his best climbing performance this Vuelta, where he finished ahead of Evenepoel, but where the gap came down slightly without big fluctuations. Considering Evenepoel climbed roughly 10s faster from the moment he went than Vine, it's safe to assume he would have been able to follow Vine, more so considering Vine is taller and Evenepoel would have a drag advantage staying in his wheel.

Vine has been racing to win stages and move up in GC. He's not riding against anyone in particular unless they've been in his escape group. While a taller rider would be ideal for exposed, windy climbs I'm not sure that would suit him to grind at pack pace.
Also, Vine should consider his future as a contender, rather than being Remco's Sepp Kuss.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Vine has been racing to win stages and move up in GC. He's not riding against anyone in particular unless they've been in his escape group. While a taller rider would be ideal for exposed, windy climbs I'm not sure that would suit him to grind at pack pace.
Also, Vine should consider his future as a contender, rather than being Remco's Sepp Kuss.

That makes no sense. He was riding against Evenepoel on stage 6, so we can very well compare. We can also compare when they competed in Norway.
How exactly has Vine shown he can be a future contender? His form has gone off a cliff after the first week.

 

[Oldermanish]

That makes no sense. He was riding against Evenepoel on stage 6, so we can very well compare. We can also compare when they competed in Norway.
How exactly has Vine shown he can be a future contender? His form has gone off a cliff after the first week.

Most GT winners don't show their potential when they're 19. He's 26 and has shown the ability to drop almost everyone this season. Why would he want to sign on to be Remco's tractor? I see where you"re going but trying to be optimistic at the same time about an emerging rider's capability. Building a dream team is interesting, for sure and Remco needs a deeper team if he proves to be "the One".

 

[Extinction]

The sheer idea Evenepoel would fake a mechanical in this situation is insanity.

In a different scenario, maybe, I could envision a situation where it could make sense to try this, but what in the world would he have gained by that here? He lost the 8 seconds in any case, and there's zero chance he would have lost any more than that by following the peloton.

Or let's say he would have lost 20 seconds, so the *** what? I don't understand how that thought would even enter anyone's head.

Anyway, terrible thing to happen to Roglic, whom I actually like quite a bit, great attack and then awful luck, but also 100% his own fault to crash there it must be said. Staying on your bike is necessary to win a race too. Doesn't put any askerisk on the eventual winner in my opinion, whether it's Remco or Mas or whoever.

I can imagine the following scenario. Evenepoel senses he has lost pressure in a tire, informs the team car via race radio, which tells him to pull over (you've got a flat). Remco is uneasy, as he doesn't know if the inside the 3k rule shall apply, but is reasured by the team car that it would so he obeys. In fact, he was lucky, for initially the inside the 3k rule was not applied and he lost the jersey to Roglic, but that was amended and everything worked out. But I don't believe he could have faked a flat in this situation for, as you suggest, no way he would have gambled his leadership on a whim and the race jury's application (or not) of a rule. The potential risk to loose significant time as opposed to being docked just 8 seconds, as surely would have been the case had he continued on a unflatted tires, makes any suspicion of a ruse on Remco's part patently insane.

The only thing that perplexes me, although it must be just an oversight, is why didn't Remco specify which tire flatted front or rear? Then I read that according to Oldmanish the race commissionaires were not shown Evenepoel's bike to verify the incident. If true, but I have not read this officially, then it is also strange and not helpful to allaying doubts cast by conspiracy theorists.

In any case, with a flat pulling over was the right tactical move. He spared himself further effort and risk of crash, which, as Roglic prooves, stranger things could have happened.