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

[Andy schleck]

Bad decision. He is wasting one year of his career not trying to win the tour. He's got time to win the giro later.

 

[houtdffan]

he never said he wasn't going to the tour

everyone knows he is going to the giro. The question is, how light is his spring. If it is as light as everyone thinks, he may very well be at the tour. Remember, he said very light spring, followed by intense ramp up and CN previously reported sponsors are pressuring him to also do the tour

If he doesn't do the tour, he deserves Alap as a dom in the giro

 

[Big Doopie]

He is so good that he has to try to win the Tour. Plus he is the World Champion.

He could be World Champion again when he goes to the TDF in 2024. Haha!

 

[Bonimenier]

I understand it, but I don't agree with it. Remco may never be in better shape to try the TdF. He had a thermonuclear season in '22 that far surpassed my expectations -- in fact he had more big wins in a season than 99.9% of pros have in a career (A monument, a GT and a WC -- you gotta be kidding!). So go for the big prize while you're in peak condition. Anything can happen in sport at any time.

I guess you could argue "ITT kms" in the Giro, but waiting for the perfect course in the Tour is like trying to time the housing market.

Did Tadej Pogacar go the Giro after he podiumed the Vuelta? No sir, he did not...

2022 Remco wasn't Remco in peak condition. It was just the beginning.

 

[peterfin]

He didn't say he won't ride the TDF but apparantly many news sources are jumping to that conclussion. His focus will be on the Giro but I still expect a TDF entry as well (to gain experience ... or more if he feels he's good but without much team support so with muted expectations).

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Question is whether QuickStep and/or the riders (Lampaert, Asgreen e.g.) are willing to sacrifice their spring for the Giro. They should if you ask me, but it remains an issue that's on the table. That being said, they got Hirt specifically for Remco, so he's 100% in barring injury or bad form.

Remco, Hirt, Asgreen, Lampaert, Bagioli / Ballero, Serry, Van Wilder, Vervaeke.

I don't know if i would forfait Asgreen and Lampaert's spring here. There are other riders who could guide Evenepoel and work on the flat. I do think Ballerini is a good shout, because he is a workhorse who could be very useful in tricky finales as well, he climbs better than the real sprinters, and he might get his own chances to win a stage. Cerny and/or Cavagna could do the same job as Asgreen/Lampaert for the most part. There is also Steimle/Declerq to consider.

Knox wants to help... but i don't know if Knox is even good enough to make this team anymore. I think he has to prove himself in 1 week races prior to the Giro. I'd rate him below Vansevenant for the moment.

Evenepoel, Hirt, Van Wilder, Serry, Masnada, Ballerini. Personally i would bring Cattaneo who was initially also contracted to guide Evenepoel. If they don't bring him to the Giro i'd wonder why they actually signed him. If not, then one of Vervaeke, Vansevenant and Knox. And one of Cerny, Steimle, Cavagna, Declerq.

I think Schmid and Bagioli might be good for the TDF this year.

 

[Berniece]

He didn't say he won't ride the TDF but apparantly many news sources are jumping to that conclussion. His focus will be on the Giro but I still expect a TDF entry as well (to gain experience ... or more if he feels he's good but without much team support so with muted expectations).

Makes more sense to rest after the giro and go back in the mountains for WC, if he wants to win the WC TT

 

[houtdffan]

He didn't say he won't ride the TDF but apparantly many news sources are jumping to that conclussion. His focus will be on the Giro but I still expect a TDF entry as well (to gain experience ... or more if he feels he's good but without much team support so with muted expectations).

If he does the tour, there should also be a sprinter and a couple of sprint doms, with the understanding that if he is in contention after the second rest day, or leading by a few minutes at the top of Puy de Dome, the sprinter team becomes donkeys for Remco

 

[Pippo_San]

So much talking about Le Tour.
WHO CARES.

The point is: can he and will he win Paris-Roubaix?
Else thread title must be changed.

 

[houtdffan]

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/remco-evenepoel-to-race-giro-ditalia-in-2023

Despite the announcement, team manager Patrick Lefevere was quick to quash any speculation, and said that he was ruling out nothing for the Belgian with the Tour de France also in the team’s thinking.

“Over the next few weeks we’ll take a closer look at everything and make a final decision. Remco has proven that he can also go uphill,” he said. “In the Giro, in addition to the three time trials, there are also mountain stages.”

“I don’t rule out anything for Evenepoel. A good Remco can do well on every kind of course,” Lefevere added.

 

[DNP-Old]

Pelgrim: “Bij de bekendmaking van de parcoursen was het ook snel duidelijk dat de Giro Remco het best moest liggen. In de Giro heb je drie tijdritten, een kleine 70 kilometer alles bij elkaar. Dat geeft een voordeel ten aanzien van de Tour, waar je maar één tijdrit hebt, die dan nog een halve klimtijdrit is. De Tour rijdt Remco zeker niet, tenzij er onderweg iets heel geks zou gebeuren. In het najaar zal de focus ook op het WK liggen en niet op de Vuelta. We houden het dit jaar bij één grote ronde.”

Pelgrim: “When the routes were announced, it quickly became clear that the Giro Remco had to be the best. In the Giro you have three time trials, a small 70 kilometers in all. That gives an advantage over the Tour, where you only have one time trial, which is then half a climb time trial. Remco will certainly not ride the Tour, unless something really crazy happens along the way. In the fall, the focus will also be on the World Cup and not on the Vuelta. We will stick to one big round this year.”

 

[tobydawq]

Pelgrim: “When the routes were announced, it quickly became clear that the Giro Remco had to be the best. In the Giro you have three time trials, a small 70 kilometers in all. That gives an advantage over the Tour, where you only have one time trial, which is then half a climb time trial. Remco will certainly not ride the Tour, unless something really crazy happens along the way. In the fall, the focus will also be on the World Cup and not on the Vuelta. We will stick to one big round this year.”

Pelgrim should focus on his English speaking skills.

 

[DNP-Old]

Pelgrim should focus on his English speaking skills.

Nah.

 

[tobydawq]

So in his fifth season as a pro, he still will not ride two Grand Tours (and yes, I have the same criticism for Pogacar and Vingegaard).

 

[Berniece]

So in his fifth season as a pro, he still will not ride two Grand Tours (and yes, I have the same criticism for Pogacar and Vingegaard).

I also find it a shame that he doesn't ride the Vuelta again. What is he going to do after the WC? Canada and Lombardia?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Velo d'Or winner.

 

[Wvv]

Velo d'Or winner.

Bit surprised that Pogacar only got third, but other than that we got the right number one. Congrats Remco!

 

[Red Rick]

Van Aert 2nd in Velo d'Or is the *** timeline

 

[KZD]

Glad that Remco won, Van Aert ahead of Pogačar is a bit of a joke but I guess it doesn't really matter in the end.

 

[Berniece]

Only one that deserved the win, Wout being second makes sense too. Don’t see why Pogacar should’ve been second. Wout had a better spring and TDF

 

[KZD]

Only one that deserved the win, Wout being second makes sense too. Don’t see why Pogacar should’ve been second. Wout had a better spring and TDF

Wout definitely didn't have a better TDF than Pogačar unless you think winning the green jersey is more valuable than getting second overall. I also struggle to see where did he have a better spring given that Pogačar won UAE, Strade and Tirreno and let's not forget Il Lombardia at the end of the season.

 

[Ricco']

Vingegaard is the only TdF winner (apart from 2006, which is justified by the Landis/Pereiro situation) to miss the Velo d'Or podium since its creation, which also says a lot about the quality of this generation's top performers.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

So in his fifth season as a pro, he still will not ride two Grand Tours (and yes, I have the same criticism for Pogacar and Vingegaard).

Vingegaard? Come on, he did the most, given his issues with media pressure. And then having to deal with the craziness in his home country. Obviously he was emotionally drained.

 

[tobydawq]

Vingegaard? Come on, he did the most, given his issues with media pressure. And then having to deal with the craziness in his home country. Obviously he was emotionally drained.

Yes, and it was the same last year.

 

[Berniece]

Wout definitely didn't have a better TDF than Pogačar unless you think winning the green jersey is more valuable than getting second overall. I also struggle to see where did he have a better spring given that Pogačar won UAE, Strade and Tirreno and let's not forget Il Lombardia at the end of the season.

Spring
For Pogacar UAE Tour and Strade weren't that impressive when you take the competition into account. Tirreno was though, he was amazing there.
In case of WVA, he was basically the best in every cobbled race he started in. He won Omloop, and E3. Single handedly got the Paris-Nice victory for Roglic and finished it off with a 2nd place in Roubaix and 3rd place in LBL.

TDF
How did WVA not have a better Tour than Pogacar? Not only did he win the green jersey, the first stage he won was amazing, and he outclassed the whole peloton with that 10km solo towards the finish. And after he basically won the green jersey, he was the best uphill help for Vingegaard, and for a moment made Pogacar crack on the Hautacam. Knowing how much WVA weighs, that's pretty impressive.