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

[Andre]

at this point in time I just want Remco to go to the team that will help him improve. It's like Logic is your Friend said: he needs a team where the staff, and the handlers, and the management is going to be a significant upgrade over what Soudal is doing. UAE would be the exception for reasons that can't be mentioned here.

 

[Red Rick]

If we use Landa as a proxy I'm very unconvinced Evenepoel would make a major jump in performance at another team.

The improvement I can see for him is consistency and raising his floor level, not his ceiling.

 

[Berflamand]

If we use Landa as a proxy I'm very unconvinced Evenepoel would make a major jump in performance at another team.

The improvement I can see for him is consistency and raising his floor level, not his ceiling.

He already showed that with his ceiling he can win the biggest (hilly) classics (including Worlds, Olympics) and basically any GT without Pogacar or Vingegaard.

So raising his consistency and floor level would definitely help him improve his palmares because I guess that should mean he (finally) starts winning the big 7 stage races and other (semi-)classics.

I don't know if he'll ever be able to beat Pogacar and Vingegaard in the Tour on this team or any other but as a fan I remain hopeful that with a couple of injury-free seasons (fingers crossed) he can improve enough to eventually compete with them.

Personally I would hate to see him leave QuickStep as I have been a fan of the team all my (cycling-related) life but I do understand the criticism and would understand the decision to leave.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

He absolutely should move to Bora unless he wins or is extremely close to winning the Tour this year. Assuming he is still a ways behind Pogacar in the Tour this year, he should move to Bora and target a Giro victory plus Tour as second leader with Roglic. Roglic Tour with Remco plus Vuelta. Remco makes sense as the post-Roglic leader of Bora. Roglic IMO will be fine as long as he isn’t pushed into secondary status in his targeted races. And their ambitions only truly cross over at the Tour.

 

[Berniece]

If we use Landa as a proxy I'm very unconvinced Evenepoel would make a major jump in performance at another team.

The improvement I can see for him is consistency and raising his floor level, not his ceiling.

If he wants to really have a shot at winning TDF, he'll also have to increase his ceiling

 

[Andre]

so he basically has to increase his floor, walls, and ceiling...might as well go to another house

 

[Krzysztof_O]

If he wants to really have a shot at winning TDF, he'll also have to increase his ceiling

That's absolutely a must (at least as long as Pogi and Vingo keep their level).

 

[Berflamand]

so he basically has to increase his floor, walls, and ceiling...might as well go to another house

Well in that case he should only go to Bora-Hansgrohe for his kitchen and bathroom once his floors have been done at Quick Step and he has stacked up enough Soudal glue.

 

[AmRacer]

so he basically has to increase his floor, walls, and ceiling...might as well go to another house

It's weight related 😅

 

[Sciatic]

Well in that case he should only go to Bora-Hansgrohe for his kitchen and bathroom once his floors have been done at Quick Step and he has stacked up enough Soudal glue.

Bora's kitchen appliance ads (with Sagan) on Eurosport during Tour's past is still lodged in my brain: "BORA . . . efficace et silencieux"

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

If we use Landa as a proxy I'm very unconvinced Evenepoel would make a major jump in performance at another team.

The improvement I can see for him is consistency and raising his floor level, not his ceiling.

His ceiling isn't the problem at this point. But it's hard to reach your ceiling if your weight is such a big issue, when you consistently lose half your opportunities either due to crashes during the season or by missing most of your pre-season preparation, or simply by *** team (car) decisions/directions. I'm still waiting for the season where he can start with a good, uninterrupted winter preparation, start all secondary GC races with an acceptable weight fitting the task, not get sick, not crash during the season, and after altitude come to whatever GT he wants to ride, with even less weight. Once that happens, we can talk about his ceiling not being high enough.

 

[KenFiamingo]

so he basically has to increase his floor, walls, and ceiling...might as well go to another house

His dad has a plastering business...

 

[CyclistAbi]

I mean SOQ has a rather hefty budget and hence the salary can't be such a big issue, furthermore at SOQ Remco is undisputed leader and at least to my knowledge is improving in terms of results. Motivation to change teams hence needs to come down to higher salary, better material and support. Regardless of the team this won't just fall into your arms, you will still need to invest a season or two, to build it up. What becomes of SOQ if Remco leaves? So, moving to Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe, or to whatever will become of Ineos, Lidl, Bahrain ... There needs to be a plausible reason behind it. More money? Better material? I doubt Specialized isn't already providing the best material to Remco. We'll see.

 

[pastronef]

Better material? I doubt Specialized isn't already providing the best material to Remco. We'll see.

Specialized will go where Remco goes and viceversa. he'll ride Spec in any team he'll sign for

 

[CyclistAbi]

Specialized will go where Remco goes and viceversa. he'll ride Spec in any team he'll sign for

Beats me, but access to good material is IMHO already there.

 

[CyclistAbi]

All in all if Remco comes to Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe, we'll manage, till then game on.

 

[pastronef]

All in all if Remco comes to Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe, we'll manage, till then game on.

Rogla's contract ends this year. if Remco exits one year earlier from his Soudal contract and signs for Redbull already in 2026, will Roglic stay? I dont know...

 

[houtdffan]

He already showed that with his ceiling he can win the biggest (hilly) classics (including Worlds, Olympics) and basically any GT without Pogacar or Vingegaard.

So raising his consistency and floor level would definitely help him improve his palmares because I guess that should mean he (finally) starts winning the big 7 stage races and other (semi-)classics.

I don't know if he'll ever be able to beat Pogacar and Vingegaard in the Tour on this team or any other but as a fan I remain hopeful that with a couple of injury-free seasons (fingers crossed) he can improve enough to eventually compete with them.

Personally I would hate to see him leave QuickStep as I have been a fan of the team all my (cycling-related) life but I do understand the criticism and would understand the decision to leave.

He finished a whole 3 mins behind vingo. He can beat vingo

 

[Unchained]

His ceiling isn't the problem at this point. But it's hard to reach your ceiling if your weight is such a big issue, when you consistently lose half your opportunities either due to crashes during the season or by missing most of your pre-season preparation, or simply by *** team (car) decisions/directions. I'm still waiting for the season where he can start with a good, uninterrupted winter preparation, start all secondary GC races with an acceptable weight fitting the task, not get sick, not crash during the season, and after altitude come to whatever GT he wants to ride, with even less weight. Once that happens, we can talk about his ceiling not being high enough.

All good points he is 25 and needs win or podium at 2 tours in a year. He is a good climber, obviously effective at everything, so sprinting and TTs are not a weakness. But he needs an injury free couple of years for accumulation volume, can't keep doing rebuild cycle. I think discussion about weight issues are probably just a function of volume, more hundreds of kilometers per month of climbing specific training.
Don't know what the future holds for Landa, but short term, Remco needs to look for GC focused teams, sooner rather than later. Because of completely #$cked up cycling business model Tudor may grow, Q36 may grow, but for sure you see big crowd in a phone booth at UAE, Giro good example, void of Pogacar there is lots of talent parity and it looks like guys are going to get impatient waiting to race for themselves instead of support of Pog. Remco can fit many places, it's weird to see the opposite at Visma, if Jonas is rebuild riding from another injury, team doesn't have many dimensions, a healthy Remco could make many teams, but for me he would make Tudor complete, maybe add Kung!!

 

[Krzysztof_O]

He finished a whole 3 mins behind vingo. He can beat vingo

Vingo had a terrible crash and the worst preparation of all Tour contenders last year (Remco's preparation wasn't optimal as well, I realize that). I imagine Vingo being much closer to Pogi and farther from other GC guys under normal circumstances: I think he's the only guy who can really challenge Pogi this year (he actually beat him twice).

 

[CyclistAbi]

Rogla's contract ends this year. if Remco exits one year earlier from his Soudal contract and signs for Redbull already in 2026, will Roglic stay? I dont know...

There is always a possibility of using Rogla expertise to build a good GT team and then to install a younger leader and basically ditching you. Sometimes simply due to ageism, a trade deeply embedded in human nature. Rogla was a role model for Pogi and IMHO did took him under his wing, Jonas is his successor at Visma. Remco or some talented youngster will hence ultimately likely replace Rogla at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe. Lets just hope that whomever it will be it will be worthy successor. As for the king of the peloton, he'll manage. He will always be able to look back, on what he left behind, no ruins, healthy habitat of goats, salmons, wolves and similar. Being a true eagle having a good overview, an eye for it.

So if Remco joins for the 2026 season i expect stronger classics campaign for the team and at the Tour the usual. Rogla to suck Remcos wheel, what else would there be? If egos would prevail then one will likely need to leave the team and if still competitive there are always teams out there in search of such qualities.

 

[Oldman]

I mean SOQ has a rather hefty budget and hence the salary can't be such a big issue, furthermore at SOQ Remco is undisputed leader and at least to my knowledge is improving in terms of results. Motivation to change teams hence needs to come down to higher salary, better material and support. Regardless of the team this won't just fall into your arms, you will still need to invest a season or two, to build it up. What becomes of SOQ if Remco leaves? So, moving to Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe, or to whatever will become of Ineos, Lidl, Bahrain ... There needs to be a plausible reason behind it. More money? Better material? I doubt Specialized isn't already providing the best material to Remco. We'll see.

Qualified tactical advice, disciplined and injury-free racing with a team on par with the other guys. Like Logic said; it's all got to happen and he may be able to crush those long climbs. It may come at the expense of what he he's totally confident and prepares for now: time-trialing dominance.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@Oldman

And Remco doesn't get that at SOQ? That si the main motivation for potentially switching teams?

 

[KoopaCycling]

I think Bora might be the best choice in the long run. But I think Ineos is maybe most likely atm. They will change to specialized if Remco comes. Lots of money, and once upon a time knowhow. presumable not all knowhow is lost.

 

[peterfin]

If we use Landa as a proxy I'm very unconvinced Evenepoel would make a major jump in performance at another team.

The improvement I can see for him is consistency and raising his floor level, not his ceiling.

At UAE he would jump through the ceiling.