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

[Red Rick]

It's clear what happened, skijimper Roglic fan is not active on the forum anymore, because they are too busy being the full time trainer of remco

Now they finally get their experiment, when they can take a rider and do everyday 4 hours bodybuilding sessions, squats and shoulder presses, and then 45 minutes intervals on the spin bike. Remco has built an impressive physique. Bulbous and striated deltoids

And at the same time they turned remo back to a time trialise and specialist in baloise tour Belgium, so he is unable to compete with Roglic, and their beloved skijumper can take many more victories

None of this makes any sense.

I love it.

 

[Tim Cahill]

It's clear what happened, skijimper Roglic fan is not active on the forum anymore, because they are too busy being the full time trainer of remco

Now they finally get their experiment, when they can take a rider and do everyday 4 hours bodybuilding sessions, squats and shoulder presses, and then 45 minutes intervals on the spin bike. Remco has built an impressive physique. Bulbous and striated deltoids

And at the same time they turned remo back to a time trialise and specialist in baloise tour Belgium, so he is unable to compete with Roglic, and their beloved skijumper can take many more victories

Does anyone know where they went? It's been a while since a random stage race thread was taken wildly off course by someone posting borderline pornography describing the 'glistening thighs and bulging lats of Samuel Welsford.'.

 

[Karl Merckx]

To do what? That's the question.

He'll be on the podium

 

[Froome]

To do what? That's the question.

Podium/top 5, plus winning 2/3 stages. The goal he wanted to accomplish.

 

[Volderke]

From credible source: he has a collarbone plate. No scapula plate.

Doubting he is GT material is equivalent to saying he is approx on par with roglic and a level below Vingegaard and pogacar, so he’s having chances to win whenever Vingegaard and pogacar don’t show up or are in terrible shape or have bad luck, but he still has to be very well prepared to beat roglic or even any up and coming talent. So that’s the state of affairs, being among the 5 best stage racers in the world and about the best TT-ist, and there is nothing to be ashamed about it.

 

[Berniece]

To do what? That's the question.

Podium?

 

[Extinction]

Shipping 40 secs today, considering he was off the bike for three weeks after breaking his scapula seven weeks ago, isn't that bad. He should be using this Dauphine to build form after all. Now, he is stocky of build, for which the team must find the formula to make him leaner without sacrificing power. 2 kg lighter and a bit more lithe with the same power might make him able to close the gap. Is this possible in 3 weeks, to then be optimal in 5 (during week three of the Tour)? That is the Shakespearean question. At the moment he needs to do what he did today, namely fight like a lion, not thinking of the GC result, and not exausting himself over the weekend and bank it. Then you see if the investment pays back with dividends. Don Patrick said the Dauphine result isn't a concern, but doing the work over these three mountain stages. We'll see tomorrow already if he has spent too much or if it is coming.

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

I think it's now pretty clear what's happening here, the Jan Ullrich comparisons and @Ilmaestro99 analysis has gotten me thinking.

Remco enjoys the good life. Unlike the fraud Pogacar who just acts in front of the cameras but otherwise lives like a monk only staying at home getting beaten at FIFA by his girlfriend or Vingegaard who lives in his remote protected castles somewhere in Denmark and Switzerland at the same time enjoying the "family love".
So I'm pretty sure Remco has been out partying a lot as part of his mental recovery. But as we famously know from Ullrich, who once got busted by anti doping agents for partying on MDMA all while testing negative on all the actual doping medicaments, you just can't afford to be on social drugs as a cyclist with WADA sniffing around.
So he has to resort to legal means as in drinking loads of beer. This also adds up with him being buddies with Eden Hazard who famously said "It's time to enjoy life drinking beers" while robbing Real Madrid of wages Froome style. Hazard has also been seen cycling Mont Ventoux in a shape that makes Bentacur look like Vingegaard. So Remco has just been in a "mass gaining" phase with a beer and cake diet.

Now you might think this is not ideal but it's actually the opposite. Remco is still training hard so the watts are there he's just carrying some extra calories. Now this helps for three reasons: A) he'll have a healthy cushion for all these first week crashes in the Tour. B) while he'll drop on the Galibier stage he'll easily get back those two minutes on the descent being about twice as heavy as all these lightweights around him. C) On the gravel stage you actually need weight and power as it's flat so he'll put 2 minutes into everyone there while his opponents are left to eat the dust. And while he will lose some of that advantage in the Pyrenees, in the third week he'll have finally shed all that weight and will perform at his best in order to honour Belgium legend Vandenbroucke a quarter century after his legendary Vuelta 99 third week.

 

[dercuforever]

I think it's now pretty clear what's happening here, the Jan Ullrich comparisons and @Ilmaestro99 analysis has gotten me thinking.

Remco enjoys the good life. Unlike the fraud Pogacar who just acts in front of the cameras but otherwise lives like a monk only staying at home getting beaten at FIFA by his girlfriend or Vingegaard who lives in his remote protected castles somewhere in Denmark and Switzerland at the same time enjoying the "family love".
So I'm pretty sure Remco has been out partying a lot as part of his mental recovery. But as we famously know from Ullrich, who once got busted by anti doping agents for partying on MDMA all while testing negative on all the actual doping medicaments, you just can't afford to be on social drugs as a cyclist with WADA sniffing around.
So he has to resort to legal means as in drinking loads of beer. This also adds up with him being buddies with Eden Hazard who famously said "It's time to enjoy life drinking beers" while robbing Real Madrid of wages Froome style. Hazard has also been seen cycling Mont Ventoux in a shape that makes Bentacur look like Vingegaard. So Remco has just been in a "mass gaining" phase with a beer and cake diet.

Now you might think this is not ideal but it's actually the opposite. Remco is still training hard so the watts are there he's just carrying some extra calories. Now this helps for three reasons: A) he'll have a healthy cushion for all these first week crashes in the Tour. B) while he'll drop on the Galibier stage he'll easily get back those two minutes on the descent being about twice as heavy as all these lightweights around him. C) On the gravel stage you actually need weight and power as it's flat so he'll put 2 minutes into everyone there while his opponents are left to eat the dust. And while he will lose some of that advantage in the Pyrenees, in the third week he'll have finally shed all that weight and will perform at his best in order to honour Belgium legend Vandenbroucke a quarter century after his legendary Vuelta 99 third week.

I like this therefore it must be true.

 

[peterfin]

So we can now conclude that Remco was not sandbagging but simply telling the truth from the start. He has work to do. He is not concerned and sees rapid progress in his power values. He expects to be ready when the Tour starts. If he times it well and assuming he is one of the few that can improve during an exhausting GT, he may have his peak during the important third week. His training companion, De Plus, tells basically the same story. He also said that he knew Remco was not top yet - so he saw an opportunity to attack -but he sees him improving and expects him to be ready for the Tour. I know many want to write books about his weight, his GT quality or his climbing ability but today was not useful evidence for a new chapter. You will have to wait.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Due to accumulated injuries some hard choices to be made. Target GC podium at the Tour, likely still in reach but realistically to finish behind healthy Rogla and Pogi. Or go stage hunting, experience gathering, still have some fun ... The latter seems like a reasonable plan to me in regards to Tour 2024. We'll see.

 

[Extinction]

So we can now conclude that Remco was not sandbagging but simply telling the truth from the start. He has work to do. He is not concerned and sees rapid progress in his power values. He expects to be ready when the Tour starts. If he times it well and assuming he is one of the few that can improve during an exhausting GT, he may have his peak during the important third week. His training companion, De Plus, tells basically the same story. He also said that he knew Remco was not top yet - so he saw an opportunity to attack -but he sees him improving and expects him to be ready for the Tour. I know many want to write books about his weight, his GT quality or his climbing ability but today was not useful evidence for a new chapter. You will have to wait.

It's the Dauphine entered in sub-optimal circumstances, however, which is already a step back for using it to prepare for the Tour. Nevertheless, he has a good condition, which the TT showed, but it remains to be seen if he has the margin of growth AND the capacity to up his climbing game. The next 3-5 weeks will tell, but still the Itzulia crash leaves room for uncertainty in regards to what a he can actually achieve with a perfect run. On the other hand, upping his climbing game may ultimately depend upon the blessings, or lack their of, of genetic predisposition.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

I think it's now pretty clear what's happening here, the Jan Ullrich comparisons and @Ilmaestro99 analysis has gotten me thinking.

Remco enjoys the good life. Unlike the fraud Pogacar who just acts in front of the cameras but otherwise lives like a monk only staying at home getting beaten at FIFA by his girlfriend or Vingegaard who lives in his remote protected castles somewhere in Denmark and Switzerland at the same time enjoying the "family love".
So I'm pretty sure Remco has been out partying a lot as part of his mental recovery. But as we famously know from Ullrich, who once got busted by anti doping agents for partying on MDMA all while testing negative on all the actual doping medicaments, you just can't afford to be on social drugs as a cyclist with WADA sniffing around.
So he has to resort to legal means as in drinking loads of beer. This also adds up with him being buddies with Eden Hazard who famously said "It's time to enjoy life drinking beers" while robbing Real Madrid of wages Froome style. Hazard has also been seen cycling Mont Ventoux in a shape that makes Bentacur look like Vingegaard. So Remco has just been in a "mass gaining" phase with a beer and cake diet.

Now you might think this is not ideal but it's actually the opposite. Remco is still training hard so the watts are there he's just carrying some extra calories. Now this helps for three reasons: A) he'll have a healthy cushion for all these first week crashes in the Tour. B) while he'll drop on the Galibier stage he'll easily get back those two minutes on the descent being about twice as heavy as all these lightweights around him. C) On the gravel stage you actually need weight and power as it's flat so he'll put 2 minutes into everyone there while his opponents are left to eat the dust. And while he will lose some of that advantage in the Pyrenees, in the third week he'll have finally shed all that weight and will perform at his best in order to honour Belgium legend Vandenbroucke a quarter century after his legendary Vuelta 99 third week.

Wow my god you cracked it. A good and deep analysis of advanced strategy by remco

 

[AmRacer]

He has won the Vuelta, so ofc he is GT material. He's just too fat lmao, its *** laughable. Look at Vingegaard pictures in Mallorca, that guy was inactive for so long and still is ripped as *** cause he's a pro and have a good eating regiment and know what he needs to do.

S. Yates, Carapaz....

 

[Berniece]

S. Yates, Carapaz....

Wasn’t Simon Yates 4th last year in the TDF?

 

[Krzysztof_O]

It's the Dauphine entered in sub-optimal circumstances, however, which is already a step back for using it to prepare for the Tour. Nevertheless, he has a good condition, which the TT showed, but it remains to be seen if he has the margin of growth AND the capacity to up his climbing game.

Margin of reduction in this case.

 

[gregrowlerson]

This guy needs to lose at least 2 kg to stand any chance. Prolly closer to 3 kg

Quite pathetic this close to the Tour honestly. Had expected better from him

Pathetic? I reckon he is where he wants to be, right on track to contend in July.

 

[gregrowlerson]

None of this makes any sense.

I love it.

It makes perfect sense.

I love it too.

 

[Berniece]

Pathetic? I reckon he is where he wants to be, right on track to contend in July.

But with the wrong weight goals. I don’t think he’ll lose 2kg’s by the start of the Tour. Although that isn’t the only problem. He’s also not pushing the numbers he can at his best, and that has nothing to do with his weight.

 

[gregrowlerson]

But with the wrong weight goals. I don’t think he’ll lose 2kg’s by the start of the Tour. Although that isn’t the only problem. He’s also not pushing the numbers he can at his best, and that has nothing to do with his weight.

Probably doesn't need to lose that much. He is not too far away.

 

[Berniece]

Probably doesn't need to lose that much. He is not too far away.

I don’t know, he was very lean at the Vuelta ‘22

 

[Karl Merckx]

Lefevre said in today's HNB that Remco is still 1kg/1,5kg too heavy and he's gonna lose it without any problem.

 

[Motopace]

I began following non-TDF races only in 2020, so now my favorite riders are those where you can pretend that they're capable of beating everybody else but then for some reason they never get their act right, they're always struggling in races - keeping me on the edge, excited, eagerly awaiting and anticipating, OK next time then. So I wasted my 2022 and 2023 following live updates of every race Mark Padun was in - and, so far, 2022 Simon Yates is my favorite season of any cyclist (my most anticipated race ever was 2023 Romandie). But I think Simon Yates had a great and very consistent season last year, finally showing (to me) how he's a brilliant, "best of the rest"-type GC rider - which, unfortunately, I find little excitement in cheering for.

I was laughing at Remco and his "limit your losses"-type riding in Tirreno and Itzulia 2022, back when he was all hype and no palmares. But I'm warming up to him, he has potential for occupying some of that rare niche - in a few years, I'll be shouting at the QuickStep sougnier on TV that now it's time to inject some Wegovy into your boy, Pog's up the road, 10 kilometers ahead.

 

[Frobisher Bay]

Might be he will be just too late in peak for the Tour. On the other hand, this would mean he will be bang on track for the Olympics. (And to become sole victory leader in CSS )

I know he won't be riding Donostia.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Lefevre said in today's HNB that Remco is still 1kg/1,5kg too heavy and he's gonna lose it without any problem.

Hahahaha

1-1.5kg, for real. I think he meant 5-5.1kg. At SQS they still seem to believe he can go toe to toe with the elite while weighing 63-64. That's the problem. He weighs what climbers over 10cm taller than him weigh. Or maybe he meant 1.5kg over what he should be weighing right now, and not at the start of the Tour, which would mean he needs to lose 3kg by the start of the Tour, which is not happening. Vuelta '23 all over again.

Good news though, if he gets dropped again today, it won't be due to being fat, it will be because of an allergic reaction to dust mites in the hotel last night.