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

[Cookster15]

If today wasn't a bad day then he's in trouble. Using Mas as a benchmark the level at this Vuelta is much higher.

 

[Volderke]

Nope. If he was at 95% of his level he would have lost minutes.

It’s just a way of saying he was close to his best level, but obviously lacking something (small). But Vingegaard and roglic are also lacking something probably (due to crashes, little illness, a bit of fatigue).

Just to say he is not at 100% but not far from it either, and with no structural excuse, just a bit worse than some others.

 

[KZD]

He must be deprived of sleep having nightmares about Angliru every night.

Remco doesn't strike me as the type of person that suffers for anticipation... If there is a GC contender having nightmares about Angliru its probably the rider that almost lost Vuelta 2020 there, Roglic.

 

[IndurainsTdF1994]

Remco doesn't strike me as the type of person that suffers for anticipation... If there is a GC contender having nightmares about Angliru its probably the rider that almost lost Vuelta 2020 there, Roglic.

I think it's less stressful if the danger is only coming from the riders on your own team...

 

[Volderke]

What happens if today was actually a good day?

If this was the last day of the Vuelta before a 70K tt, it was a very good day!

 

[KZD]

I think it's less stressful if the danger is only coming from the riders on your own team...

Even if you think Remco is an overrated climber, I think that you are forgetting Ayuso, Mas or even Almeida...

 

[Riek s]

“Ik had geen superdag en ook geen slechte dag. Ik had last van hoofdpijn, de blessure is er nog. De hitte heeft ook niet geholpen. De benen voelden zwaar en de rug deed zeer.”

I didn't have a super day, but also not a bad day. I did have some headache, so the injury is still there. The heat didn't help. The legs felt heavy and my back hurt.


Still take the statements from Evenepoel with a grain of salt, but it looks like the crash does/did play a role. (Which wouldn' be completely illogical since it was a heavy crash, not a slide at all).

 

[ManicJack]

I didn't have a super day, but also not a bad day. I did have some headache, so the injury is still there. The heat didn't help. The legs felt heavy and my back hurt.


Still take the statements from Evenepoel with a grain of salt, but it looks like the crash does/did play a role. (Which wouldn' be completely illogical since it was a heavy crash, not a slide at all).

Tenderness around the stitches is one thing and not even close to an excuse for a "poor" performance, but if he still has a headache, especially if caused by exertion, what the hell is he doing racing his bike?

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Remco disappointed me today. I waited years to see him get dropped on a big Grand tour mountain stage and throw a super tantrum, vockeler style with bidons therowing everywhere, it would be the peak of entertainment in cycling, in the eyes of my 2021 self. But sadly he calmly composed himself, got to work limiting the losses and fought like a warrior to the end. The Gorilla of Aalst, some are calling him. Hope to see him on the attack this vuelta.

 

[Red Rick]

I didn't have a super day, but also not a bad day. I did have some headache, so the injury is still there. The heat didn't help. The legs felt heavy and my back hurt.


Still take the statements from Evenepoel with a grain of salt, but it looks like the crash does/did play a role. (Which wouldn' be completely illogical since it was a heavy crash, not a slide at all).

Headache from a fall 3 days before? That can't be good

 

[houtdffan]

This shows why Remco climbs best by getting his ass on the front and doing his own tempo. Very few can follow it for more than a couple of km.

He does not respond to changes in pace. That got him dropped last year, and that's what got him dropped today. When he dictated to the pace, he rode everyone off his wheel.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Tenderness around the stitches is one thing and not even close to an excuse for a "poor" performance, but if he still has a headache, especially if caused by exertion, what the hell is he doing racing his bike?

The crash most likely messed up his arm, shoulder, and flank too. It was a hard crash.

 

[Riek s]

Headache from a fall 3 days before? That can't be good

He said hoofdpijn, don't know if the dutch I read was translated or from a real dutch interview. Can make a difference in understanding/translation. I assume he meant pain from the place he fell and not stitches. Could be radiating affecting his sinus cavities, which gives a headache but that's guessing.

This shows why Remco climbs best by getting his ass on the front and doing his own tempo. Very few can follow it for more than a couple of km.

He does not respond to changes in pace. That got him dropped last year, and that's what got him dropped today. When he dictated to the pace, he rode everyone off his wheel.

In this case he didn't try to follow, I think hirt accelerated a bit and Remco immediately went out the back. You are right he is better in his speed, but that wouldn't have changed the outcome. He just didn't have it today.

 

[Ripper]

The crash most likely messed up his arm, shoulder, and flank too. It was a hard crash.

I am thinking the headache could be more related to shoulder and neck strain more than any concussive type of stuff, so not totally unexpected. He could also have a headache if a wee bit under the weather. Or he could be BS'ing folks

 

[RedheadDane]

He has never worn the BYR jersey in a GT while he was actually leading said competition, because at those times he also held the "Big Boys' Jersey".
However, in the 2021 Giro he wore it on behalf of first Valter, and then Bernal. And now - in the Vuelta - he'll wear it on behalf of Martinez.

 

[Red Rick]

He has never worn the BYR jersey in a GT while he was actually leading said competition, because at those times he also held the "Big Boys' Jersey".
However, in the 2021 Giro he wore it on behalf of first Valter, and then Bernal. And now - in the Vuelta - he'll wear it on behalf of Martinez.

He won't, because he's Belgian champion. Champions jerseys go before babysitting leaders jerseys that aren't yours

 

[Salvarani]

Remco disappointed me today. I waited years to see him get dropped on a big Grand tour mountain stage and throw a super tantrum, vockeler style with bidons therowing everywhere, it would be the peak of entertainment in cycling, in the eyes of my 2021 self. But sadly he calmly composed himself, got to work limiting the losses and fought like a warrior to the end. The Gorilla of Aalst, some are calling him. Hope to see him on the attack this vuelta.

Another great assessment. There is still some time left for this to come true, unless the Gorilla goes after the hunters in a raid. Swinging himself up the slopes on the next big mountain stage.

 

[RedheadDane]

He won't, because he's Belgian champion. Champions jerseys go before babysitting leaders jerseys that aren't yours

Aah, of course. Similar reason to why he didn't wear it on behalf of Leknessund in the Giro this year.

 

[danielovichdk2]

All these excuses to diminish the fact that he could not follow the top contenders. Crash, illness, bad day. Whatever. He lost 30 seconds. Period.

A brilliant move by JV to play Kuss into the overall GC, because now Remco also have to take him into consideration.

And the kid should beware of the fuse blowing. The outbursts and his temper will tire him mentally too.

JV puts the foot down the coming weekend and then waits for week 3 to drill the knife on everybody.

The TT is not saving him.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

This shows why Remco climbs best by getting his ass on the front and doing his own tempo. Very few can follow it for more than a couple of km.

He does not respond to changes in pace. That got him dropped last year, and that's what got him dropped today. When he dictated to the pace, he rode everyone off his wheel.

Definitely Remco doesn't like frequent changes of pace, which showed at the WC and on other occasions. It seems that setting his own steady tempo (even at the cost of his rivals drafting) is better for him. And if he's in a good form it's actually better for him to set a steady, strong tempo on a steep climb (due to less drafting benefits, better chance to drop others). Still, this won't work with in-form Roglic and Vingegaard.

 

[Berniece]

All these excuses to diminish the fact that he could not follow the top contenders. Crash, illness, bad day. Whatever. He lost 30 seconds. Period.

A brilliant move by JV to play Kuss into the overall GC, because now Remco also have to take him into consideration.

And the kid should beware of the fuse blowing. The outbursts and his temper will tire him mentally too.

JV puts the foot down the coming weekend and then waits for week 3 to drill the knife on everybody.

The TT is not saving him.

Lol, good one

 

[topcat]

As the most mature, neutral and objective viewer on the forum-Remco is still in the hunt but it will be an uphill battle (apart from the tt).

 

[Cookster15]

This shows why Remco climbs best by getting his ass on the front and doing his own tempo. Very few can follow it for more than a couple of km.

He does not respond to changes in pace. That got him dropped last year, and that's what got him dropped today. When he dictated to the pace, he rode everyone off his wheel.

I understand this - Remco is a diesel. But when he did this it was against lesser competition. Roglic looks much better now than in 2022. But 2022 watts isn’t enough this year. For Remco’s sake I hope yesterday was just a bad day.

 

[CyclistAbi]

A crash more or less always produces some cosequneces.

 

[Jagartrott]

Evenepoel had some help from Cattaneo (or Hirt?) the first km or so after JV's attack, but then had to do everything himself. Roglic and Vingegaard had each other plus Valter for a while. Still Evenepoel, but also Ayuso and others (bar Mas) managed to actually claw back time towards the end. Which tells me that at least Roglic and Vingegaard are not head and shoulders above the rest.