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

[houtdffan]

not accurate at all

hinault crashed in a sprint at St. Etienne (amongst a whole group of favorites that included LeMond) - he blamed Anderson. he was not trying to slow the peloton for LeMond to gain time at all.

LeMond was not told to attack Roche. He was told many times that Hinault was just 30 seconds-1 minute behind and closing fast. He was told to wait.

whether LeMond could have threatened Hinault without Hinault's crash (and riding on a different team) is debatable at best. LeMond has said that he revered LeMond as a "big brother", even a "surrogate father figure" and that Hinault was really good to him in his early years, taking him under his wing. However, it also meant that LeMond was slow to understand that Hinault now perceived LeMond as a threat and wanted to win for himself.

Watch Slaying the Badger. Kochli clearly states Lemond was told not to ride with Roche, but he was free to attack Roche

Hinault was only about 1 minute behind Lemond. Lemond is LYING. Yes, he got bogus info from a CBS cameraman in real time. However, the edited post processed CBS footbage clearly stated Lemond was only ever about a minute ahead

Here is the post processed cbs telecast

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZY9287pYZM

 

[Berniece]

Want als ik los in bergen, ontploft er bom in België

That is such a sad thing to hear.

Sporza doesn’t quote him completely, which is weird. In HLN the quote is:

En als je nu eens zonder ambitie was gestart in de Tour, gewoon proberen een rit te winnen…
“Dan was België wellicht te klein geweest, wanneer ik er in de eerste bergrit word afgereden. Alsof er een bom zou ontploffen, denk ik. Het is makkelijk zeggen, maar voor de renner die ik ben is het onmogelijk om zonder verwachtingen naar de Tour te trekken. En hoe zou dat dan aankomen bij de renners die nu al maanden bezig zijn met hun Tour-voorbereiding? Dat zou niet heel eerlijk zijn, wanneer ik zomaar door hun voorbereiding kom fietsen. We hebben erover gesproken, maar we waren er snel uit dat de Tour geen optie was.”

So a bit more nuanced

 

[Panda Claws]

I can't help but wonder that is something that Lefevre etc. kind of convinced him of there being a massive drama if he were dropped.

There is often such a disconnect between what riders feel their expectations are and how we actually look at it. Then again I would hope that nobody on this forum is the type to actually start messaging riders on their socials about what pan-sies (can't believe this got censored) they are when they get dropped.

Ah well, probably a lot of pro's read this forum anyway. It's clear that many journalists do and I don't know if there is a similar forum out there.

Wielerflits lmao

 

[Red Rick]

I can't help but wonder that is something that Lefevre etc. kind of convinced him of there being a massive drama if he were dropped.

There is often such a disconnect between what riders feel their expectations are and how we actually look at it. Then again I would hope that nobody on this forum is the type to actually start messaging riders on their socials about what pan-sies (can't believe this got censored) they are when they get dropped.

Ah well, probably a lot of pro's read this forum anyway. It's clear that many journalists do and I don't know if there is a similar forum out there.

Wielerflits lmao

It's just an echo chamber in my opinion.

And Evenepoel himself has helped build that echo chamber as well.

 

[Riek s]

I understand Remco's thinking

However, if he wins TDS by 3-4 minutes, then hope he reconsiders. He may not need to be 150% to win the TDF. After all, the three days he was obviously sick with Covid, he still managed to take time out of Rog, the Giro winner

Sure, but just winning TDS might be a stretch, let alone winning with minutes.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Sure, but just winning TDS might be a stretch, let alone winning with minutes.

Let's first see how he is after covid, he looked 20 years older after that Giro ITT and someone like Ganna still hasn'd full recovered from it and is skipping the TdS. From what I've heared Gesink was also feeling pretty bad for some time.

 

[Unchained]

Let's first see how he is after covid, he looked 20 years older after that Giro ITT and someone like Ganna still hasn'd full recovered from it and is skipping the TdS. From what I've heared Gesink was also feeling pretty bad for some time.

I wonder if there is frequent testing on his lung function.. Don't know about lasting effects or recovery in elite, elite athletes.. but for whatever reasons Remco and his circle are proceeding cautiously I respect their decisions and am super disappointed that he will not contest TDF stages..

 

[bill1109]

No tdf but already bragging about big altitude training ride before tdsuiss .When was he fully over covd that stopped him from the giro? Lance looked like death after a tour time trial too but kept going. No I don't recall what year but that isn't the point.

 

[peterfin]

Sporza doesn’t quote him completely, which is weird. In HLN the quote is:



So a bit more nuanced

A bit but the message is pretty much the same. He fears the press and he don't want to let down his team. It would help him to be a bit more the "stoic Roglic". The best thing that can happen now is that he performs great in the TDS and that an opportunity arises to enter the tour squad because somebody can't start. His "wolf pack" mentality might be greater than fear of the press.

 

[Mayomaniac]

No tdf but already bragging about big altitude training ride before tdsuiss .When was he fully over covd that stopped him from the giro? Lance looked like death after a tour time trial too but kept going. No I don't recall what year but that isn't the point.

I think that was the big Ulle comeback TT in 2003, where Lance ended up dehydrated.

 

[Extinction]

Re: Lemond, he was able to win it on his 2nd attempt, but the team wouldn’t let him. But it’s a different era in terms of how teams bring top talent along for GTs.

I know, but that was only because Hinault broke his face. The point is that he and his team need trial runs.

 

[Big Doopie]

Watch Slaying the Badger. Kochli clearly states Lemond was told not to ride with Roche, but he was free to attack Roche

Hinault was only about 1 minute behind Lemond. Lemond is LYING. Yes, he got bogus info from a CBS cameraman in real time. However, the edited post processed CBS footbage clearly stated Lemond was only ever about a minute ahead

Here is the post processed cbs telecast

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZY9287pYZM

wait u believe Koechli?

Ah well forget it then.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

No tdf but already bragging about big altitude training ride before tdsuiss .

Where have your read about altitude training before Tour de Suisse? According to his Strava he’s only been training in Belgium since he got healthy from Covid. I’m not that familiar with Belgium but I don’t think they have locations suited for altitude training….

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Where have your read about altitude training before Tour de Suisse? According to his Strava he’s only been training in Belgium since he got healthy from Covid. I’m not that familiar with Belgium but I don’t think they have locations suited for altitude training….

Evenepoel has installed a HC climb in his basement.

 

[houtdffan]

I think that was the big Ulle comeback TT in 2003, where Lance ended up dehydrated.

Lance basically had heat stroke.

He was dropped in the first 2 Pyrenean stages as well. Was somewhat similar to Remco last year in TDS

 

[houtdffan]

wait u believe Koechli?

Ah well forget it then.

I do. Koechli had to scream at Lemond to attack in 1986 on the ADH stage if he wanted to win the tour as well

 

[Nick2413]

Dealing with pressure is part of being a top star. One can make their own decisions, or let the media make them for them. This isn’t only relevant to the Tour.

 

[Big Doopie]

I do. Koechli had to scream at Lemond to attack in 1986 on the ADH stage if he wanted to win the tour as well

Seriously, what are you talking about? Hinault attacked his teammate who was in yellow. Why was he even doing that? Then Lemond joins him and the team owner told them to arrive hand in hand, told Greg to let Hinault win as he had basically won the tour. Hinault, knowing exactly what it would look like, told Lemond to stay in his wheel the entire way up the ADH. Lemond was happy enough to comply as he was concerned of being attacked by a rabid Hinault fan (remember Merckx was punched only 11 years before). He says they went up it like a training ride…then during the press conference afterwards Hinault announces that the tour is not over between them. Meanwhile, he had just ensured that LeMond could not take more time out of him on ADH as no doubt he could.

View: https://youtu.be/tsN8a4AKvhY

You do know that Godet warned Lemond to be careful because there were a lot of people who didn’t want him to win. Lemond was rightfully paranoid and did all sorts of precautions with his food and doping tests.

Consider the source. Koechli was a seriously weird dude, who also feared doing anything against Hinault or the team owner.

 

[houtdffan]

Seriously, what are you talking about? Hinault attacked his teammate who was in yellow. Why was he even doing that? Then Lemond joins him and the team owner told them to arrive hand in hand, told Greg to let Hinault win as he had basically won the tour. Hinault, knowing exactly what it would look like, told Lemond to stay in his wheel the entire way up the ADH. Lemond was happy enough to comply as he was concerned of being attacked by a rabid Hinault fan (remember Merckx was punched only 11 years before). He says they went up it like a training ride…then during the press conference afterwards Hinault announces that the tour is not over between them. Meanwhile, he had just ensured that LeMond could not take more time out of him on ADH as no doubt he could.

View: https://youtu.be/tsN8a4AKvhY

You do know that Godet warned Lemond to be careful because there were a lot of people who didn’t want him to win. Lemond was rightfully paranoid and did all sorts of precautions with his food and doping tests.

Consider the source. Koechli was a seriously weird dude, who also feared doing anything against Hinault or the team owner.

Hinault was the team owner. In slaying the badger, Hinault said Tapie was merely the sponsor and that he did not listen to sponsors

 

[Big Doopie]

Lance basically had heat stroke.

He was dropped in the first 2 Pyrenean stages as well. Was somewhat similar to Remco last year in TDS

Lance had heat stroke!? And you believe THAT!? A sociopathic liar!? Holy crap.

They also said he lost like ten liters of liquids during one ITT. it was a ridiculous claim/explanation for a counter-performance which was likely due to the much more nefarious practices of those times.

Seriously? You can’t buy anything that freaking Armstrong says. This is hopeless.

 

[Big Doopie]

Hinault was the team owner. In slaying the badger, Hinault said Tapie was merely the sponsor and that he did not listen to sponsors

And you believe hinaults side of the story. Because he had no stake in the game at all. An innocent bystander.

You do realize that the French don’t even believe his side.

Lol! You are cracking me up here!

 

[red_flanders]

The notion that he needs to be at 150%, whatever the actual *** that means, to start the Tour is one I’ll never understand. Because expectations? Like he’s the only rider with such expectations. Absurd.

I get that he wants to hit it on form the first time he does it, and that’s fine. But making it sound like that’s the only way he can do it, because of external forces just makes him sound foolish.

 

[IndianCyclist]

I can't help but wonder that is something that Lefevre etc. kind of convinced him of there being a massive drama if he were dropped.

you just have to wait till the TDS to find out

 

[Extinction]

The notion that he needs to be at 150%, whatever the actual *** that means, to start the Tour is one I’ll never understand. Because expectations? Like he’s the only rider with such expectations. Absurd.

I get that he wants to hit it on form the first time he does it, and that’s fine. But making it sound like that’s the only way he can do it, because of external forces just makes him sound foolish.

If he's total crap at TdS that's one thing. You don't send a young rider to the Tour for the first time who is not in form. But if he's really good in TdS, which is used to fine tune for the Tour, then I find no reason not to have him at the start in Bilbao.

Now he says he would not be doing TdS if he were out of shape. So I guess that means he's there or thereabouts for a top spot on GC. And if he's good enough to, let's say, get on the podium at the TdS, how would that not be in line with arriving in peak shape at the Tour? It's what Thomas, for example, did last year, which got him third at the subsequent Tour. And I think Soudal would be crazy to give up a third at the Tour with Evenepoel in his first go at the hardest, most competitive race in the world.

Yet I wouldn't be at all surprised were Soudal to do just this and then perhaps see Remco prepare fully for the Tour next year, only to get Giro outcomes. It's madness. You don't sit down in moments when action is called for. You strike while the iron is hot.

At this point I really hope Remco gets dropped like a stone in the mountains in TdS, so there is no question not to send him to the Tour. Since if Evenepoel is flying in the TTs and stays with the best in the mountains of Switzerland and Soudal still maintains these lame reasons (when I hear Remco talk, I'm listening to Soudal's voice) not to have him present in Bilbao, I'll be hoping for a move to Ineos next year.

 

[tobydawq]

Evenepoel explains why going to the Tour was never an option after his DNF in the Giro. There is no way for him to start without major expectations and when he goes to the Tour he wants to be 150%, which is impossible now. He says he was getting sicker the first days after the positive covid test. He wasn't able to ride a bike for 10 days, and after his Giro peak, it wouldn't be possible to get the same level for the Tour.

Google translated article:

Evenepoel is klaar voor rentree, maar rijdt Tour niet: "Want als ik los in bergen, ontploft er bom in België" | sporza

Na een fysiek en mentaal moeilijke periode kan Remco Evenepoel weer aan koersen denken. Daags voor de start deelt de wereldkampioen zijn beweegredenen om naar Zwitserland te trekken. En waarom hij "absoluut nee" zegt tegen de Tour: "Als ik los in eerste bergrit, ontploft er een bom in België."

sporza-be.translate.goog

Aw, all he needed was a good math teacher to tell him that you can't be above 100% of your level, and then he might have gone to the Tour