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

[Berflamand]

Regarding his weight I have a feeling they actually tried to keep him at (or near) his climbing weight during the off season so he could maintain it during the whole season.

This is what I wrote in this thread a few days before his crash:

Also, at the risk of starting a new Fatco/Slimco endless discussion, I have a feeling that he's looking leaner/sharper this offseason than during previous offseasons. Maybe he's trying to keep his climbing weight during the whole year with fewer fluctuations. Or maybe it's just the haircut and my eyes are deceiving me.

That plan obviously went out the window the moment he crashed. I think when he's healthy and fit it shouldn't be that much of an issue to maintain his weight but when he has to recover (which he had to do far too often unfortunately) and can't train properly for a while he gains weight rather quickly and it's more difficult to get back to his climbing weight.

I think (the severity of) his crash ruined quite a lot yet again, but if any it's great to see him back at or near his top level.

 

[Medvind]

And we saw how that panned out in the Vuelta right after. Maybe his focus should not be on 2 TTs per year, but all those other races.

Yep, it didn't go well. But Worlds ITT was his big goal that year, he really wanted to win efter coming 3rd two times and 2nd one time. And the course was quite flat. Could he have won weighing only 61 kilos? Maybe, but if he and the team decided for a higher weight I trust they had a good reason for it.

 

[Red Rick]

Some riders just can‘t hold their weight quite as low without slowly losing power. Remco of course has massive watts so he can even go fast uphill, but his main skill is as a rouleur so you can‘t just assume he‘s capable of riding like a climber. Plenty of riders have had this issue before and mentality and the way their body works both play into it.

It's not a problem for him in GTs clearly.

I think he just decompresses way too hard after his targets are over

 

[AmRacer]

The case for Remco tomorrow.

Already in his first races Remco has shown a very high level and shape is improvning. Climbing legs should be quite good after altitude camp in Sierra Nevada.

Pog has had a long and tough spring campaign and should therefore be a bit fatigued.
He probably has one or two extra kilos on him because he needed them in the cobbles monuments. LBL has 4300 meters of elevation gain, so an extra kilo or two will have affect.

Last year Pog he prepared for the Giro-Tour double and did Catalunya ahead of LBL, not RVV, PR, etc. The different preperation this year should mean his climbing shape probably are not as sharp as last year at this time. LBL is not AGR, climbs are longer and steeper.

Soudal Quick-Step will make it a hard race. Because of a hard race and factors mentioned above Pog will be quite fatigued in the end and will therefore not be able to drop Remco, or Remco will claw back any gap Pog's creates on climbs.

Remco will be a bit fresher in the final and will therefore have more sting in his sprint than Pog. So conclusion is he beats Pog in the sprint and wins LBL.

This is based on several assumptions of course.

Anything to it you think?

Post this in the race thread.

 

[Medvind]

Post this in the race thread.

You are right. I delete here and post there instead.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Regarding his weight I have a feeling they actually tried to keep him at (or near) his climbing weight during the off season so he could maintain it during the whole season.

This is what I wrote in this thread a few days before his crash:



That plan obviously went out the window the moment he crashed. I think when he's healthy and fit it shouldn't be that much of an issue to maintain his weight but when he has to recover (which he had to do far too often unfortunately) and can't train properly for a while he gains weight rather quickly and it's more difficult to get back to his climbing weight.

I think (the severity of) his crash ruined quite a lot yet again, but if any it's great to see him back at or near his top level.

For what it's worth. He does look leaner than he did in '23 before LBL. Fingers crossed. Though I'm sure Mr Flanders will tell you I'm imagining things because it's just the lens that makes him look leaner.

 

[Extinction]

No, but he was still muscular and with broad shoulders for a GC guy, Even his GT weight is relatively large when compared to rider of the same height. Pogacar is also a couple of kg over his July weight, but has far less problems uphill

He has a feisty fireplug build, which, optimizing power, should not hinder his climbing. It's a matter of losing those 2-3 kilos over time to let the body adjust. But they should know the science behind this and bring him at the Tour at a banging 61 km firing on all cilanders.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

He has a feisty fireplug build, which, optimizing power, should not hinder his climbing. It's a matter of losing those 2-3 kilos over time to let the body adjust. But they should know the science behind this and bring him at the Tour at a banging 61 km fireing on all cilanders.

It is indeed a good remark about his upper body. His arms/chest are always more muscular than those of most other climbers. Is this out of fear of getting sick? Or because they can't reduce the mass in his upper body (he was much leaner in the 2020 Giro iirc, so it should be possible) or haven't they tried/thought of it to reduce weight there?

 

[Extinction]

It is indeed a good remark about his upper body. His arms/chest are always more muscular than those of most other climbers. Is this out of fear of getting sick? Or because they can't reduce the mass in his upper body (he was much leaner in the 2020 Giro iirc, so it should be possible) or haven't they tried/thought of it to reduce weight there?

That's build, so I don't know. Yet, if you need to shave off those 2-3 kilos without losing power, you do it by gradually decreasing calorie intake at dinner. Get up from the table when you don't feel quite satiated. In 20 minutes you will, then go to bed. Meditate, pray, have sex, whatever creates a sense of well-being, and then you will be a lion in no time.