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

[peterfin]

if he wins La Vuelta he stays, if he doesn't he leaves

The only thing he really cares about now is the TdF. That's his focus for 2024. He wants to maximize his chances so SQS better does that too or they will lose him.

 

[Big Doopie]

It would appear that Ineos is doing SOMETHING. by letting go of several riders while suddenly halting on bringing in those that had been planned.

They may not have the space to take on all of QS but they could have the room for Remco and the teammates he wants to bring over.

A little like Contador reported. Though I really hesitate to take him as a source.

Maybe “normally, yes” is also semantics if QS is being bought by Ineos. He will still be with QS only QS has been bought.

 

[Andre]

The only thing he really cares about now is the TdF. That's his focus for 2024. He wants to maximize his chances so SQS better does that too or they will lose him.

I must disagree with you Peterfin. Right now is all for La Vuelta. The Tour of 2024 will come when it comes....and Remco will be ready for that as well; he doesn't joke around. But right now all eyes on La Vuelta.

 

[Andre]

I'm wondering if EF Education has any riders that QS can sign to help Remco. Shout out to Logic if he's able.

 

[Andre]

Hugh Carthy....Cepeda....Powless...Padun...I'm just looking at their roster

 

[peterfin]

I must disagree with you Peterfin. Right now is all for La Vuelta. The Tour of 2024 will come when it comes....and Remco will be ready for that as well; he doesn't joke around. But right now all eyes on La Vuelta.

Sure but I doubt that the outcome of the Vuelta changes his mind on the team.

 

[Sciatic]

Hugh Carthy....Cepeda....Powless...Padun...I'm just looking at their roster

? Their men’s team isn’t going caput, only the women’s

 

[Andre]

? Their men’s team isn’t going caput, only the women’s

oh man...sorry about that.

 

[Ricco']

It would appear that Ineos is doing SOMETHING. by letting go of several riders while suddenly halting on bringing in those that had been planned.

They may not have the space to take on all of QS but they could have the room for Remco and the teammates he wants to bring over.

A little like Contador reported. Though I really hesitate to take him as a source.

Maybe “normally, yes” is also semantics if QS is being bought by Ineos. He will still be with QS only QS has been bought.

Ciro reported yesterday that a lot of riders from Ineos were extending, which would bring their total contracted riders for 2024 to 22/23, not a lot of room to a merger.

 

[Jagartrott]

OK, minor training ride...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1692956719372963944

 

[Ulle97]

OK, minor training ride...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1692956719372963944

I never knew Pailheres could be linked with Port d'Envalira.
Interesting!!

What a monster ride by Remco.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Remco should join UAE to form a dream team of two Merckxes and send the Skeletor back to fishing industry.

 

[Riek s]

He seems to be finalizing his climbing form by setting some big rides on climbs before toning down for the Vuelta start.
edit: he did the final 40k on the TT bike, according to the graph above, that would be TT on port d'Envalira. (~5%)

Hope he can get as close as possible to his peak (or his peak) so we get some action in the Vuelta. He has the opportunity to test out how he fares against a fully prepped Roglic who has a teammate that won the TDF on a parcour that suits him less than this years Giro with a team that is less. Hopefully he has an ally in Ayuso. (because G/Almeida probably will do the same as roglic, follow wheels while Roglic is in red after stage 2). (they should all try to take time in vingegaard in the first week when that one is still lacking some race rythm... Even Roglic to be the 1st leader...).

It will be a major uphil battle to bring it home this year, but looking forward to see the fruits of his labor and his climbing legs. Lets hope he can get red as late as possible so the fight will be mano a duo a mano a mano.

 

[Andre]

OK, minor training ride...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1692956719372963944

oh my God! That's insane

 

[Mayomaniac]

oh my God! That's insane

Clearly super impressive, but someone like Aru was still doing sinilar training rides even in his final season when his engine was totally fried and his recovery pretty much gone (I remember him doing 8 hour rides). So it's not that uncommon among pros.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Will Remco torch the mountain sprinter again?

 

[joseph89]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1693580476814917655

View: https://twitter.com/soudalquickstep/status/1693580476814917655?t=RKkP15IVCcmiHaiF80Rwow&s=19


No Cerny?!?

Time to leave for ineos!

 

[wickedw]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1693580476814917655

View: https://twitter.com/soudalquickstep/status/1693580476814917655?t=RKkP15IVCcmiHaiF80Rwow&s=19


No Cerny?!?

Time to leave for ineos!

That's an even weaker team than I expected. Why isn't Alaphilippe going? He isn't going to win anywhere in the meantime.. Guess we'll see some guys drop off at the start of the last climb because "they weren't needed anymore for the rest of the stage".

I guess I sort of understand the absence of van wilder but it just shows the weakness that QS has in depth and why signing only Landa is not enough. Unexpected things happen, people crash or get sick.. And as Remco mentioned himself in the LR interview, there should be competition to get into the main GC team.

I hope that he will have at least someone to get some water bottles once in a while. Jesus.

 

[Extinction]

That's an even weaker team than I expected. Why isn't Alaphilippe going? He isn't going to win anywhere in the meantime.. Guess we'll see some guys drop off at the start of the last climb because "they weren't needed anymore for the rest of the stage".

I guess I sort of understand the absence of van wilder but it just shows the weakness that QS has in depth and why signing only Landa is not enough. Unexpected things happen, people crash or get sick.. And as Remco mentioned himself in the LR interview, there should be competition to get into the main GC team.

I hope that he will have at least someone to get some water bottles once in a while. Jesus.

Well, as Patrick has always said, all you have to do is follow the wheels, in an inexorable game of attrition, and then beat them. Sometimes this fundamental rule of cycling is forgotten. Be the ace, the trump card that nulifies others strengths. Easier said than done, however, but that's what it boils down to.

 

[samhocking]

Problem is the team strength and depth is what gives the leader the option to control the race. Following wheels you lose control of how you want the finish line to look. We've seen Jumbo pretty much adopt a Froome approach, but as they have such depth use satellites a little more than Sky did but fundamentally it's just evolution of Postal>Sky>Jumbo. Probably a little less controllable in La Vuelta, but Le Tour is all about less is more and more control is less unpredictability.

 

[Volderke]

I'm wondering if EF Education has any riders that QS can sign to help Remco. Shout out to Logic if he's able.

I wonder...

Why buy team mates, when you can give your DS a bag of money, and ask, in the race, if some other teams are willing to do some work for your team?
It has happened many times before and I think it's cheaper than actually signing a domestique. Just lease them

 

[dobrien]

Well, as Patrick has always said, all you have to do is follow the wheels, in an inexorable game of attrition, and then beat them. Sometimes this fundamental rule of cycling is forgotten. Be the ace, the trump card that nulifies others strengths. Easier said than done, however, but that's what it boils down to.

Which is a lot easier said than done if you have ONE rival to follow, rather than two. It's going to be very difficult for Remco to compete with both Rog and Ving on the same team; hopefully he'll be able to forge some alliances on the road but Jumbo look so strong for this race, the antithesis of SQS.

 

[Sciatic]

Which is a lot easier said than done if you have ONE rival to follow, rather than two. It's going to be very difficult for Remco to compete with both Rog and Ving on the same team; hopefully he'll be able to forge some alliances on the road but Jumbo look so strong for this race, the antithesis of SQS.

It’s (SQS) strategy also depending on nothing going wrong, but as we know that’s rarely the case over three weeks. It’s when things go wrong that team strength can really make a difference. I don’t think Roglic would have won the Giro unless Kuss was there the day Rog faltered. Or having folks who stay close on climbs to help chase in the valley of a multi-mountain stage if gapped early on. Obviously there aren’t enough elite climbing doms for every team to have one. But to argue that it doesn’t really make much a difference is a weak rationalization to defend his team’s deficits.

 

[Extinction]

Which is a lot easier said than done if you have ONE rival to follow, rather than two. It's going to be very difficult for Remco to compete with both Rog and Ving on the same team; hopefully he'll be able to forge some alliances on the road but Jumbo look so strong for this race, the antithesis of SQS.

I know, I never said the theory was easy or the practice realistic, however, it's what Remco simply has to do under the circumstances. But if he pulls it off, he will ascend to the heights of Olympus.

 

[Extinction]

It’s (SQS) strategy also depending on nothing going wrong, but as we know that’s rarely the case over three weeks. It’s when things go wrong that team strength can really make a difference. I don’t think Roglic would have won the Giro unless Kuss was there the day Rog faltered. Or having folks who stay close on climbs to help chase in the valley of a multi-mountain stage if gapped early on. Obviously there aren’t enough elite climbing doms for every team to have one. But to argue that it doesn’t really make much a difference is a weak rationalization to defend his team’s deficits.

To the bolded, if you think that's what I was arguing, then you have totally missed the point. I was simply trying to look on the positive side of a bleak situation. On the other hand, with such a weak team what other rationalization would you give? Fold over?