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

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Your comparison is incorrect.

There is a clear break in between. The covidinfection and disease for at least a week, the recovery (a week), relaxed cycling for a few days. That can be compared to a rest period of two and a half weeks. Then 10 days of training on sea-level followed by two weeks of altitude training. I am sure that this allows him to combine both good condition and freshness. Maybe not to compete with Poga, Vingegaard and Bernal in the first few days. But he wouldn't lose minutes. I am convinced that he would then be one of the best during the second half of the Tour.

First, it wasn't my comparison to begin with. Second, the point was that last year's SSB-WWC period could be maintained in 1 peak and going from LBL to WCC this will not be possible. As you pointed out yourself, he will not be able to keep the same level throughout this period.

 

[Andre]

If Quick-Step are waiting for Evenepoel to be first favorite before sending him to the TdF, then they might be waiting forever.

Vingegaard is 26. Pogacar is 24.

It's also a fact that Thierry Gouvenou (the main guy who designs the TdF route every year) has an absolute aversion to ITT's. So it's just not realistic to put off until everything is 'right' according to their own criteria, i.e. I think the proverb "don't let perfect be the enemy of good" applies here.

It means waiting for everything to be perfect is a waste of time & talent.

Then Thierry Gouvenou should be fired immediately....and never be allowed near a bike again.

 

[Andre]

The longer he waits to go to the Tour, the bigger the pressure when he starts his first. He reduces his chances to win the race that is his primary goal in cycling. That's the big picture. I hope he understands that.

I understand what you're saying, but isn't "pressure" one of the tools that Remco uses to his advantage? It seems to me that it is.

 

[houtdffan]

Then Thierry Gouvenou should be fired immediately....and never be allowed near a bike again.

That may require Marie Amary to fire Prudhomme as Guillen is designing the same routes for the Vuelta

 

[Andre]

Remco needs a lot of TT to win the tour? It's not the tour that should adapt to the riders. It's the riders that should adapt to the grand tours routes.

The Tour de France definitely needs to add TT kilometers....so do all stage racing.

 

[Panda Claws]

Remco doesn't have that much of an advantage vs Pogacar and Vingegaard in a hilly TT anyway. Even in flat TT's that won't be enough to win if he is not at least very close to their climbing form.

 

[Riek s]

Remco doesn't have that much of an advantage vs Pogacar and Vingegaard in a hilly TT anyway. Even in flat TT's that won't be enough to win if he is not at least very close to their climbing form.

we don't know the advantage(?) since he hasn't really ridden a hilly TT in full form against either of them in the same situation.
We don't know how his climbing form compares to either of them as well. His numbers show he shouldn't be afraid, but as others point out, numbers only tell a part of the story, the race and how its raced another.
In short, we will only know how he compares when he actually races against them... (and neither of them drop out due to illness or crashes...). We have been waiting for this to happen... and are still waiting

 

[Riek s]

Remco needs a lot of TT to win the tour? It's not the tour that should adapt to the riders. It's the riders that should adapt to the grand tours routes.

True, but the tour adopts all the time. The tour now compared to 10 years ago is a huge difference. And this evolution is also to favour specific set of riders. So how do you distinguish between one and the other? (the difference between tour, giro and vuelta is getting smaller. they attract the same type of rider now).

Overall the tour always had a lot of TT km, probably 3 times as the current avg).

 

[Red Rick]

we don't know the advantage(?) since he hasn't really ridden a hilly TT in full form against either of them in the same situation.
We don't know how his climbing form compares to either of them as well. His numbers show he shouldn't be afraid, but as others point out, numbers only tell a part of the story, the race and how its raced another.
In short, we will only know how he compares when he actually races against them... (and neither of them drop out due to illness or crashes...). We have been waiting for this to happen... and are still waiting

He's done better in flat ITTs than hilly ITTs basically his entire career. Basically the higher average speed the better he's done.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

He's done better in flat ITTs than hilly ITTs basically his entire career. Basically the higher average speed the better he's done.

Which hilly TT's are you referring to? You have the olympics, where he clearly didn't have the form. Then there was a short Itzulia TT, which was just too short (and he was too heavy) to beat Roglic. Other than that there was the 2019 WCC and perhaps the Algarve and San Juan TT's where he has been dominant.

It would make sense that he would be best at hilly TT's because he can take time on guys like Roglic on the flat parts due to his aero, and time on the Gannas and Küngs on the uphill parts due to his weight.

 

[Andy schleck]

True, but the tour adopts all the time. The tour now compared to 10 years ago is a huge difference. And this evolution is also to favour specific set of riders. So how do you distinguish between one and the other? (the difference between tour, giro and vuelta is getting smaller. they attract the same type of rider now).

Overall the tour always had a lot of TT km, probably 3 times as the current avg).

In the past, the Tour had to much TT. 40/50 km of TT like last year is enough.

The routes of the tour in the past were quite boring. Just four/five mountain stages, some very weak stages, a first boring week just with flat stages, and to much TTs.
The routes of the tour now are much better.

 

[houtdffan]

In the past, the Tour had to much TT. 40/50 km of TT like last year is enough.

The routes of the tour in the past were quite boring. Just four/five mountain stages, some very weak stages, a first boring week just with flat stages, and to much TTs.
The routes of the tour now are much better.

Yeah, because you never bothered to learn how to ride a TT bike

 

[Valv.Piti]

Truth to be told, the Tour has been a much better race recently that Giro d' Italia. Lets be honest now.

But its definitely not because the Tour has slimmed down on time trials, I can tell you that much.

 

[Andy schleck]

Yeah, because you never bothered to learn how to ride a TT bike

Do you know how to ride TT bike @houtdffan ?

 

[houtdffan]

Do you know how to ride TT bike @houtdffan ?

I also didn't blow 2 TDFs because of truly terrible time trials

I'm also not an elite cyclist

 

[vwpe]

he should continue to focus on girl and vuelta (the secont tier GT's in terms of competition) hes not ready for the big stage vs the best,,,,he might go but he would get obliterated vs pog and wouldnt even stand a chance nor be even close.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Not sure his wife would be happy if he focussed on girls.

 

[ashhutch1997]

Truth to be told, the Tour has been a much better race recently that Giro d' Italia. Lets be honest now.

But its definitely not because the Tour has slimmed down on time trials, I can tell you that much.

Peak Giro was between 2015 - 18, and of course 2010. This was particularly due to Team Sky booring us to death at the TDF....

 

[xREv]

So according to PL: no TDF and probably no Vuelta..

Spoiler: Translation by google

The world champion could do it in mid-June at the Tour of Belgium but "it's not a priority". On the other hand, it is certain that Evenepoel will participate in the national championships, as good at the time trial (June 22 in Herzele) as in the road race (June 25 in Izegem).

And after ? “We had thought of the Critérium du Dauphiné but it will come too soon”, specifies Lefevere, who advocates more a new course at altitude to prepare for future deadlines. When the boss of the Wolfpack is asked if his protege could then participate in the Vuelta, he is inclined to answer in the negative. “Remco has already won the Tour of Spain. So no one would accept any other outcome from him. But the course is not the same as last year. In addition, it would again require a fairly heavy and very specific preparation. He has already lived as a monk for several months. It's probably a good time for him to do some more racing." Understand by this that Remco Evenepoel's year could be centered around one-day races.

“There are still a few one-week events, such as the Tour of Britain (Editor’s note: from September 3 to 10), which we think of, but it is true that Remco could concentrate on classics after the world championships .”

After the Clasica San Sebastian (July 29) and the planetary meetings of Glasgow (August 5 to 13), he could thus discover the two Canadian classics, namely the GP of Quebec (September 8) and the GP of Montreal (September 10) before completing this special year at the Tour of Lombardy (October 7). “But we will first focus on the Belgian championships and those of the World before establishing its final program”, concludes Patrick Lefevere

Weiterleitungshinweis

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

So according to PL: no TDF and probably no Vuelta..

Seems like a good time to retire for Evenepoel.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

"He has already lived as a monk for several months. It's probably a good time for him to do some more racing."

Good point.

 

[Red Rick]

If he doesn't do either the Tour or Vuelta then Lefevere has lost his mind.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Lefevere knows Remco can‘t climb, so he won‘t let him do a Grand Tour. /s

 

[Riek s]

So according to PL: no TDF and probably no Vuelta..

Spoiler: Translation by google

The world champion could do it in mid-June at the Tour of Belgium but "it's not a priority". On the other hand, it is certain that Evenepoel will participate in the national championships, as good at the time trial (June 22 in Herzele) as in the road race (June 25 in Izegem).

And after ? “We had thought of the Critérium du Dauphiné but it will come too soon”, specifies Lefevere, who advocates more a new course at altitude to prepare for future deadlines. When the boss of the Wolfpack is asked if his protege could then participate in the Vuelta, he is inclined to answer in the negative. “Remco has already won the Tour of Spain. So no one would accept any other outcome from him. But the course is not the same as last year. In addition, it would again require a fairly heavy and very specific preparation. He has already lived as a monk for several months. It's probably a good time for him to do some more racing." Understand by this that Remco Evenepoel's year could be centered around one-day races.

“There are still a few one-week events, such as the Tour of Britain (Editor’s note: from September 3 to 10), which we think of, but it is true that Remco could concentrate on classics after the world championships .”

After the Clasica San Sebastian (July 29) and the planetary meetings of Glasgow (August 5 to 13), he could thus discover the two Canadian classics, namely the GP of Quebec (September 8) and the GP of Montreal (September 10) before completing this special year at the Tour of Lombardy (October 7). “But we will first focus on the Belgian championships and those of the World before establishing its final program”, concludes Patrick Lefevere

Weiterleitungshinweis

. Seems like he is saying they don't want to do the vuelta because of expectations? really? If he wants his year to be up there he will need to do something other then tour of Britain, tour of belgium, ... at least to TDS and all the classics.

 

[Andy schleck]

I also didn't blow 2 TDFs because of truly terrible time trials

I'm also not an elite cyclist

Who blow 2 TDFs because of terrible time trials?