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

[KenFiamingo]

Honestly, i have my doubts about Remco's TDF. If he doesn't top-10 at the Dauphine, he can forget about top-5'ing at the Tour. We're 29 days away from the Galibier stage in the tour. The chance to significally improve is limited. He's no Geraint Thomas who stays under the radar but enters his target races in solid form.

I'm also wondering how he'll enter the Tour if he hasn't found the confirmation of being better than his Vuelta'22 form. Is he still going to aproach it to aim for the best GC possible, regardles the doubts? Or will the Olympics and, later, the World's/Lombardia start influencing his race behaviour and perhaps have him target some smaller objectives in the Tour?

 

[Berniece]

I'm also wondering how he'll enter the Tour if he hasn't found the confirmation of being better than his Vuelta'22 form. Is he still going to aproach it to aim for the best GC possible, regardles the doubts? Or will the Olympics and, later, the World's/Lombardia start influencing his race behaviour and perhaps have him target some smaller objectives in the Tour?

They'll probably try to aim as high as possible from the start, if he then falls through in a stage like last year, then they'll go for smaller objectives. Although it would build character if he keeps trying to aim for the highest even though he's not reaching it.

 

[Karl Merckx]

I didn't realize Cort was so good a sprinter as to make Evenepoel not even try to go for the stage win. It's highly uncharacteristic of him. And it's surprising Roglstomp got so imperiously stomped in the sprint by the During Gaul Dane.

he wasn't feeling good enough to sprint imo

 

[Berniece]

he wasn't feeling good enough to sprint imo

@Red Rick conclusions makes a lot of sense. If you still wake up with a stiff shoulder everyday, it might be annoying to accelerate and really pull on your bike handles.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

It's also entirely impossible to tell how far back Roglic was when Cort went.

He was probably in the usual place - on Remco's wheel.

 

[Berniece]

Evenepoel responded during the cooling down on his time trial bike. “I felt two kilometers from the finish on my front tire that I had a flat," says the Belgian champion. "Fortunately it wasn't completely empty, because otherwise I would lose time."

Furthermore, Evenepoel is satisfied with its shape. “I have little trouble on the bike and the legs were even better today than yesterday. I feel improvement, but there is still a lot of work. "

After the game, Evenepoel was immediately on his time trial bike at the Cooling Down. His arrows are clearly targeted on The time trial of tomorrow. “Tomorrow is an important measuring point to see how things are going with shorter duration. We hope in a good day and we will see what is possible. Now a good night's sleep and then give everything tomorrow, "concludes the Belgian champion.

 

[Oldermanish]

@Red Rick conclusions makes a lot of sense. If you still wake up with a stiff shoulder everyday, it might be annoying to accelerate and really pull on your bike handles.

It also affects your entire posture. Tomorrow's TT will provide some insight into his recovery for the next few stages. His typically extreme TT position could impact him on the two mountain stages if he overextends his shoulder.

 

[peterfin]

We will know a lot more tomorrow. I start to have a feeling he is better than he and we believe he is.

 

[Didinho]

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Weight analysis @Logic-is-your-friend ?

 

[Didinho]

Weight analysis @Logic-is-your-friend ?

White makes you fatter? And stripes also? 😁 not a good combo.

 

[Netserk]

Weight analysis @Logic-is-your-friend ?

When you see him on the podium, he has a quite bloated face. Too much cake recently.

 

[Nick2413]

We will know a lot more tomorrow. I start to have a feeling he is better than he and we believe he is.

Now tell us what will happen on the mountain stages

 

[Extinction]

Now tell us what will happen on the mountain stages

Wait, let me check my crystal ball...

 

[red_flanders]

Good result for sure. Don't expect him to win in the mountains. If he can hang to within 10-15 seconds on some of these summits, he's in a good place for the Tour. I don't expect more than that. Could be less.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Weight analysis @Logic-is-your-friend ?

Not exactly skinny, is he?
When he was overtaking Kron, he looked twice the size.

Shoulder seems good though.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

He has a great natural frame for Olympic weightlifting, and yet he's winning time trials world championships. Very unique athlete

 

[Red Rick]

Compare this to the Suisse ITT last year. He should be climbing very well.

 

[Oldermanish]

Good result for sure. Don't expect him to win in the mountains. If he can hang to within 10-15 seconds on some of these summits, he's in a good place for the Tour. I don't expect more than that. Could be less.

He may be solid for this level of training. The wild card for the remaining of the Dauphine seems to be Roglic. His TT was rough and uncomfortable to watch.

 

[Extinction]

Compare this to the Suisse ITT last year. He should be climbing very well.

Let's see, huh. If he is climbing very well, then he's been wisely downplaying his form. Let's see too how Roglic is uphill, which I expect to be very good (until proven otherwise, better than Remco at this point). Honestly, though, Remco always seems to me a bit on the stocky side compared to Vingo, Pogi and Roglic. At any rate, if Evenepoel wants to go really well at the Tour then he needs to begin to put up big numbers on the climbs. But again, let's see.

 

[peterfin]

Now tell us what will happen on the mountain stages

As he is ensure about his shape in the mountains, he has now the perfect excuse to wheel-suck Roglic the whole time.

 

[Berniece]

Based on his shown form in this TT I doubt he gets dropped in the mountains. I can even see him take more time and win another stage.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Compare this to the Suisse ITT last year. He should be climbing very well.

I don't think he will be climbing very well this week. Maybe "well enough" but nothing like Pico Jano. And compared to Suisse last year, surprising to see Ayuso lose so much time on the hilly part, while that was where he beat Evenepoel in the Suisse TT last year. I was even more surprised to see Roglic lose time in sector 2 today. So who knows, opposition may not be that much better either.

 

[Red Rick]

Let's see, huh. If he is climbing very well, then he's been wisely downplaying his form. Let's see too how Roglic is uphill, which I expect to be very good (until proven otherwise, better than Remco at this point). Honestly, though, Remco always seems to me a bit on the stocky side compared to Vingo, Pogi and Roglic. At any rate, if Evenepoel wants to go really well at the Tour then he needs to begin to put up big numbers on the climbs. But again, let's see.

There's very few ITTs that are similar to this one in races that then also have big climbs. This TT is comparable in speed to the Algarve ones and the s/min gained are similar to that one.

I think Evenepoel tends to do better the faster an ITT is, so getting a full s/min here vs Roglic is pretty good, though think the false flat gradients of the climbs were better than shorter steeper intervals would have been, and I don't know what to make of Roglic' T1 time.

They should be close uphill and considerably better than the rest.

 

[Mayomaniac]

2015 Contador Giro ITT levels of injury related sandbagging?