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

[Berniece]

It's only 43 racing days because after Liège only the big goals are mentioned. I would assume he'd ride a stage race before the Tour de France (Dauphiné, Suisse, Tour of Belgium) + the NC's and he'll probably also ride warm up races before the WC and Lombardia.

Personally I prefer he limits himself to one GT a year because I feel like he needs a long and hard preparation to realistically compete for the win in a GT while there are so many one day races (including monuments) he can win if he sets his mind to it.

Indeed, and if he does a second one, he should do the Vuelta so that his first and sole GT focus is the TDF.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Remco is a very versatile cyclist so a schedule similar to Tadej's makes sense: one GT plus a lot of one-day races.

 

[Mayomaniac]

His schedule according to Journalists from HLN (Belgian sensation newspaper).

• Volta ao Algarve
• Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico
• Milano San Remo
• Amstel Gold Race and/or Fleche Wallone
• Liège
• Tour de France
• Olympic Games
• World Championship
• Lombardia

There are still some gaps to be filled, but the major goals make sense. Quite the year this will be.

Sounds like a really reasonable schedule to me. Unless Paris-Nice includes some sterrato I'd add Strade Bianche, but otherwise it's a smart plan until the Tour.

 

[Blanco]

Something tells me he's going to do the Giro once again...

 

[houtdffan]

Something tells me he's going to do the Giro once again...

seems obvious given the massive gap in the schedule

Best to take a near guaranteed victory at the giro and placate Merlierat the tour

 

[AmRacer]

Giro 2024, Remco vs WvA. I can't wait,

 

[wheresmybrakes]

It doesn't make sense for him to race the giro. He needs to test himself against the best in the Tour. He's got many years to win the giro, it's more easy to win the giro because the competition is not so stronger than in the tour, so he is naturally gonna win the giro in the future. Now, he needs to try the tour.

He needs to be able to finish a Giro first. He's got many years to win a Tour, once the best are passed their best.

 

[Berniece]

He needs to be able to finish a Giro first. He's got many years to win a Tour, once the best are passed their best.

It’s like you don’t know Remco at all, as if he wants to win a random TDF where the best aren’t present

 

[Extinction]

Let's face it, winning the Tour next year is a big ask for Remco. Now this season had it's ups and downs and I really think Evenepoel's Vuelta was compromised in the mountains by his prep to win the WCITT. He would need to improve his climbing considerably, however, to have a shot at wearing yellow in Nice. This is why doing the Giro perhaps isn't a bad idea, as the course seems taylor made for him, and then go to the Tour for experience. I suppose it depends on his climbing numbers. If they suggest he is capable in theory to climb with the best, then he can still do a good Tour.

 

[meat puppet]

He needs to be able to finish a Giro first. He's got many years to win a Tour, once the best are passed their best.

Chances are someone new emerges.

Anyway, I think he needs to improve resilience (especially not getting ill) and recovery along with climbing to really contend for a TDF, but this is just me.

 

[Berniece]

I don’t think we should expect him to go for victory. He should go for top 5, and be very happy with a podium.

 

[red_flanders]

It’s like you don’t know Remco at all, as if he wants to win a random TDF where the best aren’t present

Feel like there's a lot of projecting people do with regard to Remco. "Afraid of the competition" doesn't seem like a Remco mental trait. Or any big champion, really.

 

[Froome]

Chances are someone new emerges.

Anyway, I think he needs to improve resilience (especially not getting ill) and recovery along with climbing to really contend for a TDF, but this is just me.

I don’t think someone new will emerge if we don’t count ayuso and uijdtbroeks in the next years.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

It’s like you don’t know Remco at all, as if he wants to win a random TDF where the best aren’t present

I'm just having a little joke. I'm looking forward to seeing him up against the best, with perfect prep and health. Something tells me though that , that may not happen. Just like last year with Pog breaking his wrist, Remco with Covid, there's always some random spanner that gets thrown in the works for one of the top riders. Kuss was the spanner in the works for the Vingo and Roglic in last years Vuelta. I'm also not saying he's needs to/is trying to avoid the best to win the best. I just don't think he's quite good enough to beat them, but there's nothing wrong in trying.

 

[shadowrider]

seems obvious given the massive gap in the schedule

Best to take a near guaranteed victory at the giro and placate Merlierat the tour

Which massive gap in the schedule ? An altitude trainingcamp before Liege. After Liege one or two weeks rest. Than training again, a shorter altitude training, the Dauphine, the nationals.... the Tour. A perfect schedule. Even (to) hard for most riders. I think Evenepoel can handle it. Especially because he will not race in january and will not be at his best in february and march.

 

[shadowrider]

He needs to be able to finish a Giro first. He's got many years to win a Tour, once the best are passed their best.

Being fit, he'll be able to finish a Giro or a Tour. He proved it in the Vuelta 2022. Even coming back in the second part of that Vuelta, after a double crash and a few bad days. I'm not saying Evenepoel is able to win the Tour 2024. He will experience this next year. Once he and his team will be convinced he can't win the Tour riding defensively, taking a few seconds in TT and in uphillsprints, but losing time in almost every stage with different high altitude and/or steep climbs, he could change tactics. Doing what he is strong it. With long range attacks (hopefully with other young riders as Ayuso or Uijtdebroeks ). Being destroyed most of the time (but winning one or two (mountain)stages. But also beating Vingegaard, Pogacar, and surely the older Roglic, when one or two of them (or all two or three) have not the legs, or neutralising each other. During the next 7 or 8 years, I'm convinced Evenepoel could win another two or three GT's, including once the Tour de France. Combined with winning some monuments, classics, smaller stage races, worlds..... a hell af a career. Not a career as Pogacar, but better than Roglic, Vingegaard, Thomas, Bernal, Ala etc.

 

[CHGJ2000]

And that was a month ago and worth what next season? Every season is a reboot although a little less variable for the specialists. Unless, of course; they found a stash of worms....

I mean sure but everyone other than one rider in the top 10 at worlds had aero bars and one had round pole bars. There isn’t really a comparable step in that part of setup that others can make. Fwiw though Remco had a new suit and new to him wheels at Chrono des Nations though that will probably be his suit for the 2024 season. The each season is a reboot point is also a bit fanciful. Remco before Chrono des Nations had a helmet from 2022, position from 2022, a suit from 2020, a bike from 2019 and wheels from 2020.

I’d imagine there’s a good chance Spesh will update their TT bike before Paris for him but TT setups and kit in general I think are a bit more static than people give them credit.

 

[meat puppet]

I don’t think someone new will emerge if we don’t count ayuso and uijdtbroeks in the next years.

I don't think Pog and Vinge will be past their best very soon, so the time frame implied in my response is longer, 5yrs perhaps.

 

[red_flanders]

He needs to be able to finish a Giro first. He's got many years to win a Tour, once the best are passed their best.

For what other rider in history has this been a metric to start the Tour? Bizarre.

 

[Bolder]

For what other rider in history has this been a metric to start the Tour? Bizarre.

IMO he should have done the Tour this year rather than the Giro. Not for the GC but to stagehunt without pressure. He was coming off a monster 2022 and was in the WC kit, as a bonus for Specialized and QS.

 

[RedheadDane]

For what other rider in history has this been a metric to start the Tour? Bizarre.

Yeah, how dared Pogacar and Vingegaard go and win the Tour two times each, without ever having started the Giro?

 

[wheresmybrakes]

For what other rider in history has this been a metric to start the Tour? Bizarre.

I was referring to the quote in my reply, that seemed to insinuate that it was a foregone conclusion that Remco could just turn up to the Giro in the future, against lesser competition and walk it. Taking the Vuelta he won, against a crocked Roglic and lesser competiton, the 2 Giro's he's didn't finish, some folk think that he can go up against the Best riders in the biggest race, and come out on top, Maybe, with optimum prep and health and all the luck in the world, he could win. But what he's show up to now, it doesn't look that way, but like I said, there's nothing wrong in trying.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

Yeah, how dared Pogacar and Vingegaard go and win the Tour two times each, without ever having started the Giro?

Different breed of riders.

 

[RedheadDane]

Different breed of riders.

So, what exactly is the special "breed" Evenepoel is, that would require finishing the Giro before starting the Tour?

 

[wheresmybrakes]

I wasn't saying he had to finish a Giro before starting a Tour. It was tongue in cheek, replying to someone who suggested Remco could go and win a Giro in the future against lesser competition, so he should go to the Tour (supposedly because he's that good, and will be a match for Pog and Vingo), when in fact, looking at his previous GT results, he's not set the world alight, apart from his win in the Vuelta against lesser competion and a crocked Roglic. Any rider can ride any race they want to. They don't need permission from me or anyone else (apart from their bosses).