The Champions of old rode the cobbles, and appently we are dealing with that in the current cycling, so if Ganna and Moscon are capable of being competitive then so should Remco. It's a mindset, but he has to be full on.
Andy Schleck, Menchov, and Contador also rode well on the cobbles of 2010 with Contador having a flat for awhile. It’s been discussed in years past that just because you do well in the Tour cobbles doesn’t mean it’s mutually inclusive to cobble classic success. Pog doing well in RVV and E3 are more hallmarks to success for PR than the Tour stage in my opinion.
We have to be strategically realistic on the body type that can ride serious cobble events. There is a reason that 99% of the winners are close to 6', 170 lbs. You have to be bigger to ride big gears forever on jarring pavement and taller to see what will kill your chances. Suggesting a 5' 7" and 140 lb rider can compete with a 6'4", 170 lb Ganna and 6', 160 lb Moscon is an unconnected logic leap. Why should Remco be able to do that?
To answer your questions: we all know that a small rider with less overall power should normally be incapable to challenge the Wout's and Ganna's of this world in a flat TT yet Remco does. So, yes, he should be able to be competitive in PR and when he is able to do something he may want it (at some point). Heck, he may even start because of the challenge of it and not because it fits his profile perfectly!
You're still taking a leap in logic to the attributes that make a good PR rider. Comparing the results of power output in a TT (PR is definitely not a tt) on smooth pavement to the chaos of cobbled circuits would need some comparative data. It's not just that; it's the ability to absorb the abuse and tactically see the race. Shorter riders don't fare well in those situations unless you presume he would break away before the first cobbles and solo the distance.
Remco is from Flanders. While he isn't riding on a bike that long, cobbles are part of his training since day one. He did 50x the Muur of Geraardsbergen in one ride as a training just for fun during the 2020 lock downs. He can handle cobbles. And tactically his style is also pretty simple: follow the best early on and attack before the real final starts so he doesn't need to deal with position tactics or accelerations on the cobbles.
Every time that this discussion comes up, I can't help but wonder if a smaller guy would actually be able to go over the cobles more smoothly and therefore take less abuse. Maybe a dirt guy like TP or the like could do well/win PR?
More weight dampens the shocks a better while hitting the cobble stones so the story has always been that a heavy guy has a smoother ride. However, speed and material (tire width and pressure) are more important parameters. In many cases, the heavy guys have also the biggest power output (and speed) so they still come out on top unless it happens to be a light weight fellow with superb TT abilities of course.
Sorry, but "aero" is only useful when you're at the front of this race. Again; you can't avoid what you can't see. Can anyone recall a podium finisher shorter than 5'8"?
Dirt is dirt. Cobbles are broken concrete with moss on them.
1983 winner Hennie Kuiper was 1m72. 1981 winner and 5 time TdF champion Hinault was 1m74 and had similar weight as Remco.
And then you have Valverde at 6 wins but a 2nd place when it comes to Podiums in the big races.
Well, but dirt isn't just dirt. Its dirt, sand, rocks, gravel, mud, grass, water, boulders, braking bumps, whoops, drops, ruts, cement, asphalt... The ability to just let you bike 'flow' is an advantage in several ways on the cobles, not the least of which is using less energy.
You get no argument from me on Remco's potential, should he choose to dedicate training for that unique effort.
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