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

[KoopaCycling]

Personally I think Pogacar will attack for a solo again in LBL. He did not stop attacking Vingegaard in the Tour. Why would he stop attacking Evenepoel. Nothing says he won't stay away next time. The way I see it Pogacar remains the biggest baddie on the block. It's on Evenepoel to prove he can hang not just once but consistantly. I have faith for next year if he avoids major crashes, that we'll get a grand show. I'm not 100% sure yet this year. Coming back from injury surely will come with it's up & downs. Don't get me wrong i would love a Remco win. But I don't think it's fair to expect to much from him this year. This year every win that comes before the fall persiod is just gravy in my books. I don't expect the very best Evenepoel till september or so. Don't get me wrong. He'll ride results, he's just that talented & a winner. I just don't think he had the training opportunity to go beyond his former best self yet. The way Pogacar clearly came back stronger after they dialed up some stuff during the winter after the second TdF defeat against Vingegaard.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Personally I think Pogacar will attack for a solo again in LBL. He did not stop attacking Vingegaard in the Tour. Why would he stop attacking Evenepoel. Nothing says he won't stay away next time. The way I see it Pogacar remains the biggest baddie on the block. It's on Evenepoel to prove he can hang not just once but consistantly. I have faith for next year if he avoids major crashes, that we'll get a grand show. I'm not 100% sure yet this year. Coming back from injury surely will come with it's up & downs. Don't get me wrong i would love a Remco win. But I don't think it's fair to expect to much from him this year. This year every win that comes before the fall persiod is just gravy in my books. I don't expect the very best Evenepoel till september or so. Don't get me wrong. He'll ride results, he's just that talented & a winner. I just don't think he had the training opportunity to go beyond his former best self yet. The way Pogacar clearly came back stronger after they dialed up some stuff during the winter after the second TdF defeat against Vingegaard.

Attacking Vingegaard in the TDF was playing the long game, slowly tearing him down. That's completely different in one day races, especially when that one day race is the last of a series and there are no further rewards to reap after that.
I don't think we are seeing the best Pogacar either. Last year he seemed stronger [content deleted]. It is also Pogacar's last spring race, and he has been racing for months, while Evenepoel started last week. Maybe we'll get a better idea on Wednesday.

 

[Sciatic]

Question is if Pog will choose to go solo from far out given what happened in Amstel. A chasing Remco in good form is something different from what he is used to. He might be more cautious and wait to later before he attacks.

Anyway, will be interesting to see which tactics they choose.

I think Pogacar might have waited even longer to go but simply followed Ala's attack at 46 km to go. And even that is not really "from far out" anymore for Pogacar.

 

[houtdffan]

Pretty much.

Debuting in the TdF in his 6th year at WT level is pretty wtf honestly. And yes I know the 2020 crash lost him a lot of momentum, but that's also why the 2021 Giro looks so insane to me. Calmly building up to the Vuelta in 2021 and then reevaluating seems like a nobrainer to me.

Then I think prioritizing the Giro because of some strange "Vuelta then Giro then Tour" obsession in 2023 was just strange as well.

to be fair, he had a guaranteed GT win had QS allowed him to finish the giro with covid

 

[rghysens]

to be fair, he had a guaranteed GT win had QS allowed him to finish the giro with covid

Or a heart attack, like Colbrelli.
Evenepoel was really affected by covid, would have never won it.

 

[yaco]

A long drawn out 1v1 is in Evenepoel's best interest imho. Even if it comes to a sprint. The fresher Pogacar is, the zappier he remains, which is not in Evenepoel's favor.

Agree. Remco has to attack first and draw out Pogacar.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Or a heart attack, like Colbrelli.
Evenepoel was really affected by covid, would have never won it.

Colbrelli had a cardiac arrest caused by ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia, not a heart attack. That is why he has an implanted defibrillator now incase his heart goes into the fatal rhythm, it can shock him out of it. A heart attack is from loss of blood flow to the heart muscle and tissue through the coronary arteries that’s caused by a blockage, usually plaque.

 

[Unchained]

So Evenepoel converted to Islam it seems, though my translator could be wrong? I guess that rules a potential Visma transfer out in the future.

Mocking Remco's wife's religious background is a thing? Really?

 

[rghysens]

Colbrelli had a cardiac arrest caused by ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia, not a heart attack. That is why he has an implanted defibrillator now incase his heart goes into the fatal rhythm, it can shock him out of it. A heart attack is from loss of blood flow to the heart muscle and tissue through the coronary arteries that’s caused by a blockage, usually plaque.

Ok, I cut some corners to make my point. Shouldn´t have done it.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Mocking Remco's wife's religious background is a thing? Really?

If you got mockery from that then I really don't know what to tell you.

 

[Unchained]

If you got mockery from that then I really don't know what to tell you.

You can obviously see his wife practices something secular, her dress and behavior are well outside strict observance. So I thought the guy wearing some headdress to play on stereotypes was sort of cheap.

 

[Berniece]

Agree. Remco has to attack first and draw out Pogacar.

It’s going to depend a bit on how Wednesday goes. If it goes well, he’s going to become very bullish and attack early to make a statement

 

[HashRouge]

It’s going to depend a bit on how Wednesday goes. If it goes well, he’s going to become very bullish and attack early to make a statement

I think this too. I also am not sure what to make of Pogacar's form. If he's not quite there again on Wednesday, I think Remco will be even more confident. I'd like them both to be as close to 100% as possible on Sunday though.

 

[Oldman]

So how should Remco try to beat Pog on sunday?

Just try to follow Pog's attack and try to win a sprint?

Try to get away with Pog on La Redoute and try to wear Pog out with hard pulls, hoping Pog's form is on a downward trajectory.

Pog might be a bit more cautious on sunday, maybe saving his energy for an all-out attack on Roche-aux-Faucons. Don't think this is a scenario Remco wants. A relatively fresh Pog will take 10s on Remco on Faucons and then it is probably over.

A gruelling race should be the best scenario for Remco given Pog's tough spring schedule.

Let's be honest: Pogacar got sucked into following Alaphilippe thinking/hoping someone was coming up. He definitely misjudged the wear and tear from PR and tried to go the final 40km solo. That turned out to be a mistake and he had too much confidence in his sprint. He got second for his trouble and now Remco is the guy that's going to test him? I agree that Pog will be more cautious. Of should be.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Let's be honest: Pogacar got sucked into following Alaphilippe thinking/hoping someone was coming up. He definitely misjudged the wear and tear from PR and tried to go the final 40km solo. That turned out to be a mistake and he had too much confidence in his sprint. He got second for his trouble and now Remco is the guy that's going to test him? I agree that Pog will be more cautious. Of should be.

Who else do you suggest will be the guy to test him? Skjelmose? Powless? Vlasov? Pidcock? Honest question.

He got sucked into following Alaphilippe... sure if he really thought Alaphilippe was a threat, but he could just as easily have waited for the peloton. I mean, assuming he is not intellectually challenged, why should he decide to power on after Alaphilippe got dropped (something everybody vaguely familiar with the current state of the peloton could see coming a mile away and something he must have realised that very instance) when he saw nobody was coming and he didn't feel he had the legs? Pride? Arrogance? There is no rule against getting caught on purpose if you think that's your best road to victory. But he did it during Worlds, he did it in Strade, he did it in Lombardia, he tried it in MSR... So he didn't really get "sucked" into it, he simply did what he always does. He got triggered in the moment, but had Alaphilippe not accelerated, how long would Pogacar otherwise have waited? Ten seconds? Five kilometers? Have you known Pogacar to "hope" somebody to come up, like, ever? Maybe it has happened but i can't think of an instance, at least not in a 1 day race lately.

Either he overestimated himself or he underestimated the opposition. Same difference. Maybe because Evenepoel was no match during the WCC and Lombardia, assuming he was beating a top Evenepoel then, which he wasn't. Who knows. But Evenepoel is still a former world champ and the current Olympic champ, the best rouleur and TT'er in the world on flat roads. So why would you act so condescending towards Evenepoel as a rival? I honestly don't get it. You still actually think Evenepoel is just another one like Pidcock, Healy or Hirschi? It boggles my mind.

 

[houtdffan]

Who else do you suggest will be the guy to test him? Skjelmose? Powless? Vlasov? Pidcock? Honest question.

He got sucked into following Alaphilippe... sure if he really thought Alaphilippe was a threat, but he could just as easily have waited for the peloton. I mean, assuming he is not intellectually challenged, why should he decide to power on after Alaphilippe got dropped (something everybody vaguely familiar with the current state of the peloton could see coming a mile away and something he must have realised that very instance) when he saw nobody was coming and he didn't feel he had the legs? Pride? Arrogance? There is no rule against getting caught on purpose if you think that's your best road to victory. But he did it during Worlds, he did it in Strade, he did it in Lombardia, he tried it in MSR... So he didn't really get "sucked" into it, he simply did what he always does. He got triggered in the moment, but had Alaphilippe not accelerated, how long would Pogacar otherwise have waited? Ten seconds? Five kilometers? Have you known Pogacar to "hope" somebody to come up, like, ever? Maybe it has happened but i can't think of an instance, at least not in a 1 day race lately.

Either he overestimated himself or he underestimated the opposition. Same difference. Maybe because Evenepoel was no match during the WCC and Lombardia, assuming he was beating a top Evenepoel then, which he wasn't. Who knows. But Evenepoel is still a former world champ and the current Olympic champ, the best rouleur and TT'er in the world on flat roads. So why would you act so condescending towards Evenepoel as a rival? I honestly don't get it. You still actually think Evenepoel is just another one like Pidcock, Healy or Hirschi? It boggles my mind.

Pog also got caught on the way to Le Lorian by Vingo. Remco had closed most of the gap by the line as well.

As for the worlds, that was Remco riding like an idiot. Instead of riding his bike, he was trying to imitate Koko B. Ware

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvBEvG8XShY


Flapping his wings cost him the worlds. He wins if he simply rides. Probably starts 30 seconds behind at the start of the final lap. Given how much time he made up on the climb, he probably drops Pog and wins solo.

At Amstel, he after some initial flapping of wings, decided to ride and was easily able to catch Pog

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Flapping his wings cost him the worlds. He wins if he simply rides. Probably starts 30 seconds behind at the start of the final lap. Given how much time he made up on the climb, he probably drops Pog and wins solo.

At Amstel, he after some initial flapping of wings, decided to ride and was easily able to catch Pog

Come on, he was clearly not even remotely the best Evenepoel at the WCC. At one point he could barely follow Van der Poel, O'Conner and Hirschi.

 

[houtdffan]

Come on, he was clearly not even remotely the best Evenepoel at the WCC. At one point he could barely follow Van der Poel, O'Conner and Hirschi.

He was not at his very best. However, he did that final climb much faster than Pog and VDP. He starts with VDP on the final lap instead of a group behind, he wins the race

 

[Oldman]

Who else do you suggest will be the guy to test him? Skjelmose? Powless? Vlasov? Pidcock? Honest question.

He got sucked into following Alaphilippe... sure if he really thought Alaphilippe was a threat, but he could just as easily have waited for the peloton. I mean, assuming he is not intellectually challenged, why should he decide to power on after Alaphilippe got dropped (something everybody vaguely familiar with the current state of the peloton could see coming a mile away and something he must have realised that very instance) when he saw nobody was coming and he didn't feel he had the legs? Pride? Arrogance? There is no rule against getting caught on purpose if you think that's your best road to victory. But he did it during Worlds, he did it in Strade, he did it in Lombardia, he tried it in MSR... So he didn't really get "sucked" into it, he simply did what he always does. He got triggered in the moment, but had Alaphilippe not accelerated, how long would Pogacar otherwise have waited? Ten seconds? Five kilometers? Have you known Pogacar to "hope" somebody to come up, like, ever? Maybe it has happened but i can't think of an instance, at least not in a 1 day race lately.

Either he overestimated himself or he underestimated the opposition. Same difference. Maybe because Evenepoel was no match during the WCC and Lombardia, assuming he was beating a top Evenepoel then, which he wasn't. Who knows. But Evenepoel is still a former world champ and the current Olympic champ, the best rouleur and TT'er in the world on flat roads. So why would you act so condescending towards Evenepoel as a rival? I honestly don't get it. You still actually think Evenepoel is just another one like Pidcock, Healy or Hirschi? It boggles my mind.

You just said what I said. It's just the difference between Sucked and Triggered. It sucked that he got triggered, then. Either way he was not recovered enough from PR to think it could be a solo.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

You just said what I said. It's just the difference between Sucked and Triggered. It sucked that he got triggered, then. Either way he was not recovered enough from PR to think it could be a solo.

There is an important distinction imho. Sucked implies he had no choice in the matter.
That he may not have been recovered from PR, perhaps, i think his spring is just starting to take its toll in general. But you haven't explained who should be the guy to test him if not Evenepoel.

 

[Lequack]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1914022207002390706

View: https://x.com/EvenepoelRemco/status/1914022207002390706

 

[pelotonIQ]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1914022207002390706

View: https://x.com/EvenepoelRemco/status/1914022207002390706

Of course he had to add ''due to a crash'' in there

 

[Berniece]

Of course he had to add ''due to a crash'' in there

He's just speaking the truth. SOQ won't forget that UAE was riding hard when this happened.

 

[Medvind]

From Het Nieuwsblad:

The Walloon Arrow is usually stuck in its traditional pattern, in which the top favorites wait until the last time of the Mur de Huy, but Evenepoel sees opportunities for a different scenario on Wednesday with the reintroduction of the Côte de Cherave: “The approach to Huy has become more difficult than in previous editions, with the extra slope that has been added. That is not an easy climb either. I think we can race differently.”

Set a course

Evenepoel seems to want to shake off the puncher types. “Of course we don't want to bring Thibau Nys to the final 'for free'. Of course we're going to make a race. The Walloon Arrow is a very nice race, and if there's punch in my legs, I'll definitely try. There are two days between the Amstel and the Walloon Arrow, one day more than after the Brabant Arrow, so I hope I'll be well recovered at the start.”

So Remco believe the course is tough enough to bring som real fatigue into Nys' legs. Guess we will see some real action before Huy then.

Might Remco think a hard race on wednesday increases his chances in LBL, thinking it benefits him more than Pog?

https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20250422_93442403

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

From Het Nieuwsblad:


So Remco believe the course is tough enough to bring som real fatigue into Nys' legs. Guess we will see some real action before Huy then.

Might Remco think a hard race on wednesday increases his chances in LBL, thinking it benefits him more than Pog?

I don't think that has anything to do with the gameplan for wednesday tbh. People seem to believe that him saying he doesn't want to give Nys a free ride to the Mur, automatically means he will attack. I think it can be interpreted in more ways than that. It could be the team wants to put the tempo very high and sufficate the typical puncheurs. It could be that they send other riders (Vansevenant, Van Wilder or Schachmann...) in the attack so that other teams (including Trek) have to ride. Or it could mean he will attack. Or it could be a mix of all of the above. Send a rider in the attack first, have the team set the pace very high on the penultimate climb, attack and bridge to the teammate.