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

[peterfin]

Remco didn't want a traditional sprint today. Another chance for victory lost for many teams. I start to wonder if it is not in the best interest of all non-GC teams to make sure Remco can keep his focus on the GC? If he or his team has a weak moment, they should help. It pays dividends.

 

[Andre]

Muy bien Remco! Muy fuerte. seguimos con esperanzas.

 

[proffate]

Wout >>>>>>Remco in this scenario

The scenario requires winning though. Wout is getting second in diverse ways

 

[witeken]

[Vuelta review]

While it was disappointing the expected top-form Evenepoel vs. top-form Roglic-Vingegaard battle didn't happen (which would finally have settled the debate... or not), Remco nevertheless delivered overall an astonishing GT with 3 wins and 3 second places despite in some stages showing questionable form.

Anyone who is in denial that Remco is capable of being a GT/TDF winner is simply out of their mind. (At least in theory, he has been pushing the watts per kg for years required to compete against Pog-Vinge-Rog and already has 1 GT win, which is more than most.) If he hadn't gotten COVID, he might have won two GTs this year instead of TJV winning all 3.

 

[Berniece]

A week of active vacation (riding bike 2-3h per day), and then back to work with a focus Lombardia and Chrono des Nations. Wonder how fresh he can still be at Lombardia, but we'll see.

 

[Barkintheeye]

Hope Remco will be at his best on October 7. It shall be a good test should he be able to contest the victory. LBL is a tough one but generally Il Lombardia is considered even more for the climbers...

An old article on the "sweep of all five Monuments"

Monuments men: Why the classics sweep is so hard

To win any one of cycling's five monuments is a huge feat, but it is nearly impossible in the modern era to sweep them all.

velo.outsideonline.com

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

If he hadn't gotten COVID, he might have won two GTs this year instead of TJV winning all 3.

If he hadn't gotten COVID in the Giro he wouldn’t be racing the Vuelta. The original autumn schedule was supposed to be the WC, then some other races in Belgium (+ the Canadian races?) and Lombardia.

 

[Elos Anjos]

And Boonen lost to Hayman in a sprint. You can’t win them all.

The point being that expectations being frustrated are a fair gauge to what diversity means.

 

[Elos Anjos]

[Vuelta review]

While it was disappointing the expected top-form Evenepoel vs. top-form Roglic-Vingegaard battle didn't happen (which would finally have settled the debate... or not), Remco nevertheless delivered overall an astonishing GT with 3 wins and 3 second places despite in some stages showing questionable form.

Anyone who is in denial that Remco is capable of being a GT/TDF winner is simply out of their mind. (At least in theory, he has been pushing the watts per kg for years required to compete against Pog-Vinge-Rog and already has 1 GT win, which is more than most.) If he hadn't gotten COVID, he might have won two GTs this year instead of TJV winning all 3.

The battle didn't happen because Remco didn't even manage to show up. There's no debate either.
Roglic won two Vueltas with 3 stages in each without a perfect preparation.
Pogacar was 3rd with 3 stages when he was 20.
All these excuses are really becoming annoying. When will (some) Remco fans start facing reality? Mourn your "GT rider" and move on.

 

[Andre]

A week of active vacation (riding bike 2-3h per day), and then back to work with a focus Lombardia and Chrono des Nations. Wonder how fresh he can still be at Lombardia, but we'll see.

Don't forget a few days of climbing and cornering with Oumi .

 

[Berniece]

All these excuses are really becoming annoying. When are (some) Remco fans start facing reality? Mourn your "GT rider" and move on.

When Remco himself thinks that this isn't possible anymore? According to him there were good enough reasons why he failed this Vuelta, so he can still win multiple GT's.

You are acting as if he was perfectly prepared and then failed. If this was the result of the Giro, sure then you are correct, but for now we've seen him fail a GT for good reasons.
1. His first Giro, he was too skinny, too much training in too short amount of time.
2. He wins the Vuelta
3. He got COVID
4. Bad preparation due to WC ITT, and he weighed 3-4kg more than when he won the Vuelta

 

[Volderke]

The battle didn't happen because Remco didn't even manage to show up.

He didn't take up the GC battle where he left it, but I can see why he did so.
It was much easier (low hanging fruit) to win stages from the breakaway, than it was for him to win stages from the group of favourites.

Winning stages from the group of favourites would require
a team holding it together (although that was more or less guaranteed thanks to JV) and;
Remco beating those favourites. That's a lot harder than beating e.g. Bardet or Caruso in a one-on-one battle from further out.

I agree though that it's a bit sad / frustrating we didn't see him fighting it out at least on one stage, and both the mountain top finishes to Bejes and Angliru would have been perfect for this (with JV controlling, so no work for SQS), without compromising his much-desired blue balls shirt.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

1. His first Giro, he was too skinny, too much training in too short amount of time.

Or more important: first race after a 9 month break after a proper serious crash.

 

[Extinction]

So now Plugge says he wants to "work with Evenepoel"? That he wants to know why he cracked on the Tourmalet stage? The drama continues. The weight of expectations evidently got to him, which, accompanied by a sub-optimal preparation, made his dramatic decline a foregone conclusion. Yet he can't keep folding on the first ascent of a decisive day, if he wants to race with the Bigs.

 

[Volderke]

fun fact: Remco squeezed more PCS points out of his 'disaster GC' Vuelta than any of the GC candidates or any other rider (675 just counting from the top of my head vs. e.g. Kuss around 605 and Vingegaard around 611).

With 2728 points he is 2nd in the ranking with Vingegaard (2715 PCS points) just trailing behind as 3rd, and only 26 points short of his stellar 2022 season.

The difference with Pogacar (2904 PCS points, ranked 1st) is still substantial (176 points), but also bridgeable if only Remco (or Vingegaard) shine at Lombardia (275 points for the winner) while Pogacar doesn't score too many points (all not very likely, but still).

 

[peterfin]

fun fact: Remco squeezed more PCS points out of his 'disaster GC' Vuelta than any of the GC candidates or any other rider (675 just counting from the top of my head vs. e.g. Kuss around 605 and Vingegaard around 611).

With 2728 points he is 2nd in the ranking with Vingegaard (2715 PCS points) just trailing behind as 3rd, and only 26 points short of his stellar 2022 season.

The difference with Pogacar (2904 PCS points, ranked 1st) is still substantial (176 points), but also bridgeable if only Remco (or Vingegaard) shine at Lombardia (275 points for the winner) while Pogacar doesn't score too many points (all not very likely, but still).

If he started stage hunting from day one (or better: day two) he would be much closer to Pogacar now. I believe it was in the TdF Netflix series where they said: "Give WVA a team just for him an he wins 6-7 stages." If there is one guy I would bet on doing this then its Evenepoel.

 

[Sciatic]

How can you not like this guy, always makes the race ;⁠-⁠)

That’s a great way to look at him—he helps turn races on their head to make things we never expect to happen—such as a breakaway staying away on the final day of a GT ceremonial/sprint stage. He was doing pulls 2-3 times longer than most of the others. The result may be that it’s not always going to get him wins, but will provide us with action.

 

[Sciatic]

Hope Remco will be at his best on October 7. It shall be a good test should he be able to contest the victory. LBL is a tough one but generally Il Lombardia is considered even more for the climbers...

An old article on the "sweep of all five Monuments"

Monuments men: Why the classics sweep is so hard

To win any one of cycling's five monuments is a huge feat, but it is nearly impossible in the modern era to sweep them all.

velo.outsideonline.com

He knows at least he won’t have to try follow Nibali on the descents!

 

[Sciatic]

He didn't take up the GC battle where he left it, but I can see why he did so.
It was much easier (low hanging fruit) to win stages from the breakaway, than it was for him to win stages from the group of favourites.

Winning stages from the group of favourites would require
a team holding it together (although that was more or less guaranteed thanks to JV) and;
Remco beating those favourites. That's a lot harder than beating e.g. Bardet or Caruso in a one-on-one battle from further out.

I agree though that it's a bit sad / frustrating we didn't see him fighting it out at least on one stage, and both the mountain top finishes to Bejes and Angliru would have been perfect for this (with JV controlling, so no work for SQS), without compromising his much-desired blue balls shirt.

Funny—now I will always associate that jersey with “blue balls”— the condition not the kit

 

[TrekCyclist]

Though Evenepoel is a great rider, I somehow do not think he gives Vingo or Pogacar sleepless nights when it comes to next TdF.
Jan Ullrich, for example, at the same age, showed already a completely different level in a grand tour (he had some problems later on, but thats a different story)

 

[Elos Anjos]

He didn't take up the GC battle where he left it, but I can see why he did so.
It was much easier (low hanging fruit) to win stages from the breakaway, than it was for him to win stages from the group of favourites.

Winning stages from the group of favourites would require
a team holding it together (although that was more or less guaranteed thanks to JV) and;
Remco beating those favourites. That's a lot harder than beating e.g. Bardet or Caruso in a one-on-one battle from further out.

I agree though that it's a bit sad / frustrating we didn't see him fighting it out at least on one stage, and both the mountain top finishes to Bejes and Angliru would have been perfect for this (with JV controlling, so no work for SQS), without compromising his much-desired blue balls shirt.

This is just REMCO-GT-WASHING.
Notwithstanding his stage wins and other 2nd places what matters is that he didn't take up the GC battle because he realized that he would loose it and not take anything from it.
Some Remco fans see it a strategical choice that postpones the debate on the battle between him and the big boys.
The truth is that Remco just decided what to grab what he could and that it would be better than a 8-10th place. There cannot be any debate because Remco is not taylored as a GT rider with a proper course.

 

[Red Rick]

So now Plugge says he wants to "work with Evenepoel"? That he wants to know why he cracked on the Tourmalet stage? The drama continues. The weight of expectations evidently got to him, which, accompanied by a sub-optimal preparation, made his dramatic decline a foregone conclusion. Yet he can't keep folding on the first ascent of a decisive day, if he wants to race with the Bigs.

There is literally 0 drama there. Any team manager would want Evenepoel in their team.

It would be drama if someone asked Plugge "Would you like to have Evenepoel in your team?" and if he then said "No absolutely not in no way do I want to work with Evenepoel".

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

Remco to domestique for Kuss at next Giro CONFIRMED

 

[Red Rick]

This is just REMCO-GT-WASHING.
Notwithstanding his stage wins and other 2nd places what matters is that he didn't take up the GC battle because he realized that he would loose it and not take anything from it.
Some Remco fans see it a strategical choice that postpones the debate on the battle between him and the big boys.
The truth is that Remco just decided what to grab what he could and that it would be better than a 8-10th place. There cannot be any debate because Remco is not taylored as a GT rider with a proper course.

It's not really about cracking and giving up. The real GT washing is that most pundits seem to argue like cracking on the Aubisque was his only problem and that otherwise he would've been up there with Roglic and Vingegaard, when he wasn't at the right level the entire race.

 

[Volderke]

This is just REMCO-GT-WASHING.
Notwithstanding his stage wins and other 2nd places what matters is that he didn't take up the GC battle because he realized that he would loose it and not take anything from it.
Some Remco fans see it a strategical choice that postpones the debate on the battle between him and the big boys.
The truth is that Remco just decided what to grab what he could and that it would be better than a 8-10th place. There cannot be any debate because Remco is not taylored as a GT rider with a proper course.

Noted. Close the door on the way out!