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

[red_flanders]

In the beginning a bit bad, I thought Wout was going to drop him and win. But eventually he came through and was better than Wout. Might be because Wout was just more tired, so not sure what to expect in a real cobbled race like RVV.

This was what I saw as well.

I don't know how much was cobbles, or he was just gassed in the first hard accelerations though. Not the hardest cobbles.

 

[Didinho]

In the beginning a bit bad, I thought Wout was going to drop him and win. But eventually he came through and was better than Wout. Might be because Wout was just more tired, so not sure what to expect in a real cobbled race like RVV.

Wout went from 51" on the cobbled Moskes part to 1:01 and 1:00. Remco had less trouble maintaining these times.
On the training day I saw him, he did 1:10 for 5 times back to back, only that fast descent as rest in between. So I knew the cobbled climbs wouldn't be a problem. It's also how fast you recover after the top. I see him maybe getting dropped a couple times in RVV but not losing contact if there are some riders a bit more explosive on these.

 

[AmRacer]

Wout went from 51" on the cobbled Moskes part to 1:01 and 1:00. Remco had less trouble maintaining these times.
On the training day I saw him, he did 1:10 for 5 times back to back, only that fast descent as rest in between. So I knew the cobbled climbs wouldn't be a problem. It's also how fast you recover after the top. I see him maybe getting dropped a couple times in RVV but not losing contact if there are some riders a bit more explosive on these.

Wout was dropped a couple of times at RVV.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Maybe Wout and Remco can help each other. Both reasonable big motors. Help bridge the gap back to the more explosive riders.

 

[Didinho]

Wout was dropped a couple of times at RVV.

Was more thinking about Mathieu and Pogi. If he can stay some seconds behind, maybe he's the only one who can come back.

 

[Jan the Man]

Chapeau - great start to the season

 

[CyclistAbi]

Remco was killing Wout slowly with his legs.

 

[houtdffan]

Remco was killing Wout slowly with his legs.

how Remco wins a majority of his races. Simply grinds the competition into dust over many km

 

[Prim]

Anyone else feel that his positioning/movement on the bike looked a bit wonky on the cobbled uphill sectors? Especially when Wout and him were trading blows and going full gas. I feel I´m used to seeing him more "stable" in the saddle than he looked today. Maybe it´s because of the cobbles, but maybe it´s because of his shoulder affecting him?

 

[AmRacer]

Remco was killing Wout slowly with his legs.

But he didn't drop Wout as others have this spring.

 

[red_flanders]

But he didn't drop Wout as others have this spring.

It was a 160 km race, and Remco's first back from injury.

He may turn out to be a fairly decent rider.

 

[AmRacer]

It was a 160 km race, and Remco's first back from injury.

He may turn out to be a fairly decent rider.

Or Wout was tired getting dropped and gave it all, until the sprint. Wout didn.t want to getting dropped by Remco.

 

[Extinction]

But he didn't drop Wout as others have thies spring.

Right, but Wout is coming into his own for Amstel, after a huge campaign. By contrast Remco did his first race after major injury. The fact that Evenepole was this good, shows immense class.

 

[AmRacer]

Right, but Wout is coming into his own for Amstel, after a huge campaign. By contrast Remco did his first race after major injury. The fact that Evenepole was this good, shows immense class.

We know Remco is good, but the the question is how good Wout is.

 

[Extinction]

We know Remco is good, but the the question is how good Wout is.

Good enough for fourth in Flanders and Roubaix, so he's not cycling bricks. At any rate, the next races against Pog are another story, but an immensely intriguing one.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Remco was killing Wout slowly with his legs.

Easy there, Roberta.

But he didn't drop Wout as others have this spring.

So there was one rider he wasn't able to drop in a 160km junior race... And by the looks of things, had he actually attacked in the last 10km, he might have been able to.
Like I said previously, the race was too short to tell how good his form exactly is.

 

[AmRacer]

Easy there, Roberta.


So there was one rider he wasn't able to drop in a 160km junior race... And by the looks of things, had he actually attacked in the last 10km, he might have been able to.
Like I said previously, the race was too short to tell how good his form exactly is.

Yeah, Wout did better after 200k in the races he was dropped.

 

[KoopaCycling]

The only bad news is, Remco confirming that those shoulder muscles are basically not working anymore.
Apparantly the shoulder felt 'stable' with the help of tape. Not sure how i should interpret that, but in the mountains when you're standing on your pedals, that shoulder may start proving a barrier. Hopefully not. It looked okay in the clips from youtube and today on the road but who knows (except for Remco and his medical team). Then there is the descending in race conditons.

I actually asked AI some questions, and it more or less said that if the recovery goes well, he can more or less be his old self by 2026. However it is definitely against racing the TdF in 25. cause of the injury. Saying there is a big risk of a setback. if he harms the shoulder. The nerve if it heals properly will take a year or so to fully heal. If it heals. It prefers to ease remco back in carefully selected not too hectic races, and use race days to determine how much further the healing process with the nerve is going.

And that if he is determined to go for a GT, he should aim for the Vuelta, if the nerve is not 100% sound by late May/early June. AI thinks the nerve damage is Axonotmesis. Not the lighter Neuropraxia, or the heavier verdict of neurotmesis.
I know I should be just happy with the comeback win, but this nerve damage thing is def. putting a damper on proceedings.

On a brighter note , Remco checked of the first item of my 4 goal bucket list I posted a few weeks ago for this year.

 

[Oldman]

This was what I saw as well.

I don't know how much was cobbles, or he was just gassed in the first hard accelerations though. Not the hardest cobbles.

He used 3 weeks of gas for PR. What do you expect?

 

[peterfin]

Anyone else feel that his positioning/movement on the bike looked a bit wonky on the cobbled uphill sectors? Especially when Wout and him were trading blows and going full gas. I feel I´m used to seeing him more "stable" in the saddle than he looked today. Maybe it´s because of the cobbles, but maybe it´s because of his shoulder affecting him?

I noticed that as well but I am not used to see him going that strong on the cobbles so I thougt it was just due to the power he put on the peddals.

 

[Berniece]

The only bad news is, Remco confirming that those shoulder muscles are basically not working anymore.
Apparantly the shoulder felt 'stable' with the help of tape. Not sure how i should interpret that, but in the mountains when you're standing on your pedals, that shoulder may start proving a barrier. Hopefully not. It looked okay in the clips from youtube and today on the road but who knows (except for Remco and his medical team). Then there is the descending in race conditons.

I actually asked AI some questions, and it more or less said that if the recovery goes well, he can more or less be his old self by 2026. However it is definitely against racing the TdF in 25. cause of the injury. Saying there is a big risk of a setback. if he harms the shoulder. The nerve if it heals properly will take a year or so to fully heal. If it heals. It prefers to ease remco back in carefully selected not too hectic races, and use race days to determine how much further the healing process with the nerve is going.

And that if he is determined to go for a GT, he should aim for the Vuelta, if the nerve is not 100% sound by late May/early June. AI thinks the nerve damage is Axonotmesis. Not the lighter Neuropraxia, or the heavier verdict of neurotmesis.
I know I should be just happy with the comeback win, but this nerve damage thing is def. putting a damper on proceedings.

On a brighter note , Remco checked of the first item of my 4 goal bucket list I posted a few weeks ago for this year.

Well that’s not going to happen, he’ll definitely ride TDF, and after that focus on WC/Lombardia.

He didn’t seem to have a lot of trouble with his shoulder in the sprint, so why would this be an issue in the mountains? He only stands on his pedals when accelerating.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Could the shoulder issue create a bigger problem in TT position?

 

[Berniece]

Could the shoulder issue create a bigger problem in TT position?

His trainer Pelgrim didn’t think so, they did some TT training in Sierra Nevada and that seemed te be going alright. There are 2 ITT’s in Romandie, we’ll see the impact quite soon.

 

[rghysens]

Could the shoulder issue create a bigger problem in TT position?

In an interview during the " sportsman of the year " award, Evenepoel claimed that the main problem was that he couldn´t raise his arm above his head anymore. Which is not necessary in cycling, unless you win. (His quote).

 

[KoopaCycling]

There can be damage to other parts on his body as a result of compensation as well. Lets hope the medical team knows what it's doing, that the nerve is actually healing, as opposed to not healing, and that he simply does not have another bad crash for the forseeable future.