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

[Berniece]

He could only lose the jersey (by 3 points) if Storer was in the break and won the stage.

As the stage winner would come from the peloton, he could not lose the jersey that day and the overall would not be threatened. KOM was at best an excuse to avoid going against the best, the following stage was always far more important for points.

And this was the last mountain stage? What if Vingegaard took al kom’s and the stage and the days after in the mountains also took the kom’s?

He went for the mountain jersey so you secure it. That’s it.

 

[KZD]

Didn't he also talk about racing Flanders next year?

Yes, he did talk about RVV on the LRCP podcast, maybe he does it instead of MSR or rides both.

 

[Netserk]

I think he didn't have the best preparation for this Vuelta exactly because of the Worlds TT which was before the Vuelta and requires a much different preparation than a Grand Tour.

In 2021, Rogla aimed for the Tour, crashed and broke his back, sacrificed himself for Vingegaard posed as one of his French girls before he abandoned, recovered and aimed for the Olympic TT (which he won by a big margin), and then won the Vuelta in dominant fashion.

And I'm supposed to believe that for the best TTer in the world, riding the WCTT before the Vuelta compromised his tilt at the GC?

 

[Netserk]

And this was the last mountain stage? What if Vingegaard took al kom’s and the stage and the days after in the mountains also took the kom’s?

He went for the mountain jersey so you secure it. That’s it.

Do you imagine that Vingegaard would have gone in the breakaway??? He was never going to take the jersey.

 

[Red Rick]

In 2021, Rogla aimed for the Tour, crashed and broke his back, sacrificed himself for Vingegaard before he abandoned, recovered and aimed for the Olympic TT (which he won by a big margin), and then won the Vuelta in dominant fashion.

And I'm supposed to believe that for the best TTer in the world, riding the WCTT before the Vuelta compromised his tilt at the GC?

Aren't you mixing up 2021 and 2022 here?

 

[Trofonios]

In 2021, Rogla aimed for the Tour, crashed and broke his back, sacrificed himself for Vingegaard before he abandoned, recovered and aimed for the Olympic TT (which he won by a big margin), and then won the Vuelta in dominant fashion.

And I'm supposed to believe that for the best TTer in the world, riding the WCTT before the Vuelta compromised his tilt at the GC?

Maybe you are right. We are just trying to find an explanation here. That olympic TT was quite hilly btw, where if I remember correct, Rogla took a lot of time in the uphill sections. And maybe riders are just different?

 

[Berniece]

Do you imagine that Vingegaard would have gone in the breakaway??? He was never going to take the jersey.

Not the point, you don’t know how a race will unfold. Remco was going for the mountain jersey and was securing that. You try to spin this in a negative again

 

[Netserk]

Aren't you mixing up 2021 and 2022 here?

Lol, yeah.

 

[JosefK]

I wonder whether Remco is pioneering a new strategy for grand tours? Winning a boatload of stages and a polka dot jersey could happen every time, if he's healthy. Preparation would be the same as prepping for GC, but in the tour itself, deliberately dump a load of time in the early stages, then dominate breakaways like a cannibal.

I realize maybe this is a little silly, but ... could it be a temptation? In the breakaways, it would be like stealing candy from a baby.

 

[Nick2413]

I wonder whether Remco is pioneering a new strategy for grand tours? Winning a boatload of stages and a polka dot jersey could happen every time, if he's healthy. Preparation would be the same as prepping for GC, but in the tour itself, deliberately dump a load of time in the early stages, then dominate breakaways like a cannibal.

I realize maybe this is a little silly, but ... could it be a temptation? In the breakaways, it would be like stealing candy from a baby.

The strategy is to try enough times and eventually hit the jackpot. Lose 20 mins in the first few stages then hit big on a 25 min gain and have a 5 minute buffer for the rest of the race.

 

[Ripper]

Say what you want about the guy, whether you love his racing or hate it, he sure makes it a hell of a lot and more interesting to watch a race.

Holy sh*t

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Say what you want about the guy, whether you love his racing or hate it, he sure makes it a hell of a lot and more interesting to watch a race.

Holy sh*t

If he‘s in the breakaway he usually makes it boring because you know he‘s gonna win, but yes, generally, he makes bike races more interesting.

 

[Ripper]

If he‘s in the breakaway he usually makes it boring because you know he‘s gonna win, but yes, generally, he makes bike races more interesting.

Sometimes it's simply for the spectacle

 

[Berniece]

What a Vuelta for Evenepoel, 3 stage wins, 3 times he came in second, and the mountain jersey. He came for the GC but he’ll go home happy with this result

 

[peterfin]

Seeing Evenepoel sprint so good now remains amazing to me. He only lacked a bit of experience here (12 years compared to Poels) and a bit more energy in the tank. He was clearly exhausted but his diesel on the climbs and TT ability in the valley makes it difficult to drop him on a hilly stage.

 

[Red Rick]

Seeing Evenepoel sprint so good now remains amazing to me. He only lacked a bit of experience here (12 years compared to Poels) and a bit more energy in the tank. He was clearly exhausted but his diesel on the climbs and TT ability in the valley makes it difficult to drop him on a hilly stage.

Based on a lot of the talk earlier in the year you would have expected him to win this one easily.

I honestly had expected Evenepoel to win this stage rather easily, especially considering that he had a lot of teammates with him didn't have to do a lot of legwork in the break.

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

Based on a lot of the talk earlier in the year you would have expected him to win this one easily.

I honestly had expected Evenepoel to win this stage rather easily, especially considering that he had a lot of teammates with him didn't have to do a lot of legwork in the break.

He lacked the ability to change rhythm in this Vuelta, he was fine when he could grind at his own pace, but when he was presented with sharp attacks, like on Javalambre or today, he somewhat suffered.

 

[yaco]

Based on a lot of the talk earlier in the year you would have expected him to win this one easily.

I honestly had expected Evenepoel to win this stage rather easily, especially considering that he had a lot of teammates with him didn't have to do a lot of legwork in the break.

QS was too much in for Remco and failed to use their numbers to get up the road and put pressure on the opposition - This was how Ineos used to ride Classics.

 

[Berniece]

I honestly had expected Evenepoel to win this stage rather easily, especially considering that he had a lot of teammates with him didn't have to do a lot of legwork in the break.

he felt the efforts of two days ago still otherwise I would’ve thought he finished solo

 

[Netserk]

he felt the efforts of two days ago still otherwise I would’ve thought he finished solo

Sounds like he has poor recovery.

 

[IndianCyclist]

He was out maneuvered tactically today but his team should have warned him about being the first in the turn and keeping a watch on Wouter Lambertus Martinus Henricus Poels. Not only was Wouter Lambertus Martinus Henricus Poels with their team once upon a time but they are no novices at sprint positioning either.

 

[DNP-Old]

Sounds like he has poor recovery.

Glasgow tells us differently.

 

[Volderke]

Having this much team support in the break was a blessing but also a burden.

The blessing was in not having to work too much.
The burden was that Evenepoel relied on late effort / sprint, while he would have had a much better chance if he started attacking from much further out. The explosive finale was not his strongest talent, and a sprint is always tricky (as it proved to be). I would have been much better if his team tried to split things much earlier and next Remco attacking on the uphill, flat and downhill all the same.

 

[Nick2413]

Having this much team support in the break was a blessing but also a burden.

The blessing was in not having to work too much.
The burden was that Evenepoel relied on late effort / sprint, while he would have had a much better chance if he started attacking from much further out. The explosive finale was not his strongest talent, and a sprint is always tricky (as it proved to be). I would have been much better if his team tried to split things much earlier and next Remco attacking on the uphill, flat and downhill all the same.

Remco - the only rider who is stronger the less support he has

 

[Berniece]

Sounds like he has poor recovery.

Do you even watch cycling?