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

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He improved a lot from the summer onwards and has basically been unstoppable since San Sebastian. Something must have changed since earlier this season when he was destroyed left and right in Tirreno, Pais Vasco and Suisse. Whatever it is, he has clearly found the right approach now. Rider of the year without a doubt.
 
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He improved a lot from the summer onwards and has basically been unstoppable since San Sebastian. Something must have changed since earlier this season when he was destroyed left and right in Tirreno, Pais Vasco and Suisse. Whatever it is, he has clearly found the right approach now. Rider of the year without a doubt.

Well, according to the Belgian Press (the very trustworthy HLN) it is because he was wearing his fluorescent 'killer' glasses instead of his white glasses which he wore at Tirreno, Pais Vasco and Suisse. :D (https://www.hln.be/wielrennen/waaro...-alles-verliest-met-zijn-witte-bril~a4bb8acc/)

Fluorescent glasses at Vuelta, Liège and Clasica

694

694

694


White glasses at Tirreno, Suisse and Pais Vasco:

694

694

694
 
He improved a lot from the summer onwards and has basically been unstoppable since San Sebastian. Something must have changed since earlier this season when he was destroyed left and right in Tirreno, Pais Vasco and Suisse. Whatever it is, he has clearly found the right approach now. Rider of the year without a doubt.
Simple, it's called he got in better shape. Now, what I'll be curious to see is his and his coaches' approach to next year. For clearly Remco was not at his best (for that momment in the season) at either Tirreno, Pais Vasco or Swisse. Whereas the winners of those races were clearly the best they could be for those races. So will Remco next year enter a Paris-Nice or Tirreno or Pais Vasco or Dauphine ready to win, or with a larger margin for improvement, like this year, for bigger goals down the road?
 
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I don't see the point of going to the Giro unless you're very aversive to losing at the Tour. The Giro just does not fit that well into the rest of the season unless you want to do Giro/Vuelta which he likely wouldn't do. The only upside is he can actually be really good in Liege before the Giro based on CSS this year, but you don't know how much time he needs to build up his form over the spring. Especially with the WC being the week after the Tour

The main reason seems to be $$$

According to Lefevere, RCS allegedly sold their races to CVC Capital Partners.

Reading between the lines, he expects an appearance fee of several million euros.
 
Impressive ride. Glad he’s overcome that awful crash, which I watched live while on a bikepacking trip and found so disturbing the trip was somewhat ruined.

Anyone who says he won’t win a Tour is obviously saying they don't want him to win a Tour. It’d be defensible to bet on him never winning because things come up, there’s always Pogi, Vingo, or a new Pogi or Vingo, always crashes, etc. and you never know. But clearly he has the tools to win it and time is on his side. Based on his performances, age, and trajectory, I would expect him to win at least one Tour (in addition to Giro, more Monuments, etc.). Different skill sets than Pogacar, but maybe as versatile, or if he isn’t now he will be soon.
 
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Simple, it's called he got in better shape. Now, what I'll be curious to see is his and his coaches' approach to next year. For clearly Remco was not at his best (for that momment in the season) at either Tirreno, Pais Vasco or Swisse. Whereas the winners of those races were clearly the best they could be for those races. So will Remco next year enter a Paris-Nice or Tirreno or Pais Vasco or Dauphine ready to win, or with a larger margin for improvement, like this year, for bigger goals down the road?
I'd take the same training plan but shift it up by 6 weeks so he can crush the Tour. This is his moment.
 
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I still think he has to prove himself against Pog and Ving attacking for three weeks after a poor Roglic dropped him a few times but you would be a brave man to bet against him improving
When Roglic dropped him he wasn't on top form. I can't see Roglic dropping him in his 2022 Vuelta form.

I am also pretty sure Pog and Ving would be worried based upon what they saw in the Vuelta.
 
I think they obviously pay some appearance fees, but I wouldn't think it's multi million deals.

I think that's about to change, though. According to Lefevere there is a meeting with RCS in Milan on October 7 or 8 - the team managers will be invited, if I understand correctly (standard fare, I guess?) but also that they have an announcement to make. He thinks he already knows what they have to say.

Lefevere: "Word on the streets is that they (RCS) sold their races to (private equity firm) CVC. "

The host asks if that means more money (higher appearance fees). Lefevere certainly seems to think so.

it's in Sporza's De Tribune podcast, in Dutch. Close to the bottom of this page, from 33:33 onwards:

 
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