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

[Andre]

He should target the Giro next year just to give one more year to Quickstep to develop a team more inclined to stage races. Remco needs 2 top climbing domestiques.

2 domestiques should not be hard to find

 

[Extinction]

Tadej just won Montreal opening up a sprint with Van Aert on the wheel... "I'll be back."

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Tadej just won Montreal opening up a sprint with Van Aert on the wheel... "I'll be back."

Good reason for Belgium to release Remco at WC.

 

[Eeslliw]

I think Remco will fly in WC (both RR and TT). I believe big chip from his shoulders just drop after GT win. He will be very relaxed, but at the same time very motivated. Also he had quite "easy" 3rd week of Vuelta, so I don't think he is too fatigued.

I wouldn't be too shocked if he wins both WC TT and WC RR.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Makes me so happy to see all those pictures with Fausto and Remco smiling together )))))))

 

[Eeslliw]

Makes me so happy to see all those pictures with Fausto and Remco smiling together )))))))

I agree. Without Fausto, Remco would have very hard time winning this Vuelta. Only greatest among great can sacriface his own health (bum problems) so other can benefit. Grande Fausto.

 

[Oldermanish]

I think Remco will fly in WC (both RR and TT). I believe big chip from his shoulders just drop after GT win. He will be very relaxed, but at the same time very motivated. Also he had quite "easy" 3rd week of Vuelta, so I don't think he is too fatigued.

I wouldn't be too shocked if he wins both WC TT and WC RR.

That'd be very, very difficult. Two different casts of focused competitors peaking for the specific day usually rules it out. He'd be better to take the ideal suited course and roll with that. If he wins the TT, then do the RR as a follow up if he primarily favors the TT.

 

[Izzyeviel]

I'm honestly happy the days of discussing "but can he do it over three weeks?" are finally over.

But can he do it over 3 weeks against the A Teams from Jumbo, UAE, & Ineos? That is thy question.

 

[dazaau]

I miss small-race Remco. Those were the days. This kid's too good now.

I'm never one to wish away all the other races, but man, Pog v Jonas v Remco at the Tour will be fun.

I didn't think Remco would win the Vuelta, man proved he has the stuff and can string it all together. The Tour will be a different beast, but at 22 and with this demonstration anything is possible. No one thought Pog would be beaten by Jonas and yet here we are.

 

[dazaau]

But can he do it over 3 weeks against the A Teams from Jumbo, UAE, & Ineos? That is thy question.

Pogacar won his first tour with a team that was nothing to speak of. But given Remco's strength and "weaknesses" (that seem somewhat less clear to me now) a good team would certainly aid his chances - but it might not be the most critical factor as I still think the fighting will mostly be between Jumbo and UAE - he just needs to hold on to others for some stages.

 

[Big Doopie]

He's just going to quit cycling. His big dream was to win a stage in a GT, done that.
Back to football, Anderlecht need him now more than ever.

no. Anderlecht needs Resenbrinck, Van der Elst, Ludo Coek and Paul Van Himst. Now those were the golden years…

 

[Big Doopie]

To start an entire new discussion. In the past I always thought he was not punchy enough to win races like MSR or Fleche W.
Seeing him outsprint guys like Mas and more importantly Roglic, I might have to reconsider.

More specific, the strive for 5, I always thought MSR would be the hardest as RVV is a possibility for him and perhaps Roubaix if he matures some more as a rider. Is it possible for him to win Fleche Walloon 1 and 2 is the strive for 5 a possibility?

no. Sorry.

 

[Big Doopie]

I think the shortening of TTs in modern GT cycling is based on the reasoning that the best overall guys can climb like Pantani and tt like Indurain (I'm exaggerating to make a point). Thus if there are long TTs then it kills the race, because the time gaps are such that the climbers have no chance. But now I think it's time to return to 50+ km TTs, because between the best today you need those distances to establish the true hierarchy, in theory the climbing between Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel a more fortunate Roglic being very similar.

the other reason is ITTs are dramatic compared to almost all other stages.

The stakes are high
There are GC gaps
There are always surprise performances

just listened to Larry warbasse on the cycling podcast. Asked how he would improve GT routes:

more ITTs
A TTT
A return of a few sprint stages

AND…

more stages like the Torino circuit at the Giro. Mid size climbs and lots of up and down where more riders could actually play a part. He specifically said that the long mountain climbs can lead to boring riding and really only a few competitors. Of course you have to have those, but he says the GTs have focused solely on climbing and abandoned TTs, sprints and stages that mimic the best of the Italian one day classics.

i agree.

 

[Big Doopie]

He should target the Giro next year just to give one more year to Quickstep to develop a team more inclined to stage races. Remco needs 2 top climbing domestiques.

this.

 

[Big Doopie]

2 domestiques should not be hard to find

by next season?

they already said they are done and all they got was Jan Hirt.

gotta take the rose tinted glasses off for a moment. I love the QS team but it is in no way ready to support him at the TDF.

 

[Big Doopie]

Pogacar won his first tour with a team that was nothing to speak of. But given Remco's strength and "weaknesses" (that seem somewhat less clear to me now) a good team would certainly aid his chances - but it might not be the most critical factor as I still think the fighting will mostly be between Jumbo and UAE - he just needs to hold on to others for some stages.

fair. But he does not have the acceleration to match Pog. He will waste a huge amount of energy dieseling back on his own. He needs a team to help him for part of the stage (see last stage of Itzulia).

Pog won the Tdf because he could ride behind JV as well as Rog could and could even out kick him twice at the end.

Pog lost the Tdf precisely because he was left to chase down every attack with his entire team dropped.

 

[red_flanders]

I think Remco will fly in WC (both RR and TT). I believe big chip from his shoulders just drop after GT win. He will be very relaxed, but at the same time very motivated. Also he had quite "easy" 3rd week of Vuelta, so I don't think he is too fatigued.

I wouldn't be too shocked if he wins both WC TT and WC RR.

Watching Pogačar today, I’m not betting on it. I think it’s a big mental shift to do all that travel right after this, and perform against that field, all after such an emotionally draining GT win.

 

[The Hegelian]

I really enjoyed that win.

Have been a fence sitting non-fanboy. If pressed, would have chosen Roglic or Mas....

But Remco showed a lot of class and panache through the 3 weeks, and it's always great to see an athlete or team throw a monkey off the back. I think his emotion demonstrated just how hard that monkey was clinging on.

I still have my doubts about Remco winning a GT with more serious climbing/high altitude parcours....but also, he will get stronger. Really looking like a great GT era shaping up.

 

[Extinction]

Good reason for Belgium to release Remco at WC.

Yea, well, my point was that having been beaten by Vingo at the Tour, Pog seemed less "unbeatable" (to use Almeida's word). However, what he just did at Montreal was Terminatoresque (thus the "I'll be back"). Now that Remco's won the Vuelta he rightly seems poised to challenge at the Tour. Yet as they say the king is not dead and, however you look at it if he, Tadej and Jonas are each in top shape, well, that's going to really be an epic battle.

 

[houtdffan]

fair. But he does not have the acceleration to match Pog. He will waste a huge amount of energy dieseling back on his own. He needs a team to help him for part of the stage (see last stage of Itzulia).

Pog won the Tdf because he could ride behind JV as well as Rog could and could even out kick him twice at the end.

Pog lost the Tdf precisely because he was left to chase down every attack with his entire team dropped.

What Remco can do though is keep going after he diesels his way back up. No need to slow back down. Just go at a very hard tempo. That will wear Pog out quickly (or force Pog to go at a faster pace than he wants after an acceleration)

What blew up Pantani on Hautacam was Armstrong keeping a very high pace for a long period of time

 

[Extinction]

What Remco can do though is keep going after he diesels his way back up. No need to slow back down. Just go at a very hard tempo. That will wear Pog out quickly (or force Pog to go at a faster pace than he wants after an acceleration)

What blew up Pantani on Hautacam was Armstrong keeping a very high pace for a long period of time

In fairness Pantani was not in top form, but point taken. Pog is so explosive, but he can also sustain a high tempo as well, as for example when he crushed everyone in the Alpes last year. However, Ventoux last year also showed he can be ridden off the wheel too. I think Remco will need to be able to set so hard a pace that attacks are not possible. He did that at the Vuelta a couple of times, but Pog and Vingo are going to be harder nuts to crack than Mas.

 

[Savant12]

What Remco can do though is keep going after he diesels his way back up. No need to slow back down. Just go at a very hard tempo. That will wear Pog out quickly (or force Pog to go at a faster pace than he wants after an acceleration)

Then Vingo attacks over the top, Pog sits on Remco, attacks and bridges up to Vingo. Throw in a fully fit Rog into the mix and that's 3 top tier rides that Remco needs to watch. Remco can diesel himself up to 3rd/4th place. The Tour competition should be on another level compared to this Vuelta.

 

[Extinction]

Then Vingo attacks over the top, Pog sits on Remco, attacks and bridges up to Vingo. Throw in a fully fit Rog into the mix and that's 3 top tier rides that Remco needs to watch. Remco can diesel himself up to 3rd/4th place. The Tour competition should be on another level compared to this Vuelta.

Or Remco ups his game even further and in the saddle just rides everybody off his wheel, wins the stage and seals it in the TTs.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

by next season?

they already said they are done and all they got was Jan Hirt.

gotta take the rose tinted glasses off for a moment. I love the QS team but it is in no way ready to support him at the TDF.

Let's not panic just yet. If he goes to the Tour, the team will be a lot better than it was now.

First of all one of the key helpers this Vuelta, Serry, got covid. Because of that, other guys had to start working a lot sooner. Serry can do in a hilly stage what Declerq can do on flat/cobbled stages. Ride a very high pace for a long time. If you look at yesterday's stage, you could see Van Wilder pulling the peloton with 150k to go. Well, not surprising he comes up short in the final. This team had Devenyns, whom i like, but he isn't the guy to do that kind of work. He can pull a few km in a hilly final, to lead out Alaphilippe, but he isn't the donkey that will drag you up a mountain or pull for 80k on the flat. Then Alaphilippe dropped out as well, leaving Evenepoel with basically only 3 fit doms. Cavagna, Vervaeke and Van Wilder.

Masnada tried his best, but the guy had an even worse year than Van Wilder and, well, he was borderline useless. Not out of ill will, just not in good enough shape. He went in the break a few times and did try to help Evenepoel dropping back, but i think it must have mainly been mental support more than anything else.

That said, i think both Masnada and Van Wilder will be a lot better next year, in case they can get a normal build-up towards the summer. Van Wilder wasn't bad, but rest assured he can do a lot better, and he will. Steels said of Van Wilder "What you're seeing now, is just his raw talent. He has had too many setbacks the past few years that have hindered his progress, so he still has a lot of development to go through." Unless they send him to the Giro instead, like they were planning on doing this year.

We know Masnada can do a lot better, and though he was pretty bad the past weeks, i really do get the impression that he gets along very well with Evenepoel and genuinely will try to help him, unlike he did with Almeida.

Then there is also Cattaneo, who could be a great asset in case they want to go for GC in the Tour. And then you have Hirt.

Assuming they all get in top shape, you have a rather decent team imho: Van Wilder, Masnada, Cattaneo, Hirt, Vervaeke & Serry for hilly/mountain stages.
With possibly Alaphilippe in case they can fit him in and obviously Declerq, Cavagna or Asgreen as well. There are also Honoré, Bagioli, Knox, Schmid & Vansevenant to pick from in case one of the others is sent to a different race or gets sick or injured. These aren't the guys that will help him up a MTF, but they are all capable of doing decent grunt work in hilly stages and the earlier sections in the mountain stages. Granted, they are lacking a Kuss or a Van Aert level dom, but then again that's also true for UAE.

 

[houtdffan]

Then Vingo attacks over the top, Pog sits on Remco, attacks and bridges up to Vingo. Throw in a fully fit Rog into the mix and that's 3 top tier rides that Remco needs to watch. Remco can diesel himself up to 3rd/4th place. The Tour competition should be on another level compared to this Vuelta.

You underestimate how effective diesel climbing is