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

[red_flanders]

...perhaps someone like Evenepoel can bring the best out of everyone, though he's a capricious lad it could also have the opposite effect.

Fair.

Evenepoel riding with Roglic could be highly entertaining I must admit, what a clash of styles.

Which could work if the chemistry is good. I feel like the fans play up the Roglic/Remco stuff way more than it's actually a thing.

 

[Berniece]

"Sources close to Evenepoel, who for anonymities sake we will refer to as R.Denk"

Exclusive: Remco readies Quick-Step exit with Red Bull ready to pounce

The Belgian's oft-rumoured exit from Soudal-Quick Step is again the talk of the Tour.

escapecollective.com

Interesting, maybe they can already start helping him out. It’s a case of convincing Evenepoel, so maybe RBH can do a “Dries De Bondt” for him during the TDF if he’s alone without teammates

 

[CyclistAbi]

Lidl-Trek the less shambolic option right now I think, they have everything in place but a 1A GC rider, the stacked rouler squad, 4 possible top mountain doms and they seem to have their performance seriously dialled in. They sounded keen to sign someone of his calibre back in the winter;

'We have to step up' - Lidl-Trek manager Guercilena ready to sign Tour de France contender

Lidl-Trek team aim high for Grand Tour leader, 'you can develop them in-house, or you buy them'

www.cyclingnews.com

For classics season this would likely be a good team. For GTs and especially the Tour i am sceptical, too much quality sprinters and then you end up riding in a team without GC focus again.

Interesting, maybe they can already start helping him out. It’s a case of convincing Evenepoel, so maybe RBH can do a “Dries De Bondt” for him during the TDF if he’s alone without teammates

From this point of view beating Remco would likely be the most compelling reason to sign for RBH.

 

[Berniece]

For classics season this would likely be a good team. For GTs and especially the Tour i am sceptical, too much quality sprinters and then you end up riding in a team without GC focus again.

I don't feel having a sprinter added to the roster is such a big issue. Visma can also go for green with WVA. You just need a very solid team, and SOQ doesn't have this, and it has nothing to do with Merlier at the moment.

 

[CyclistAbi]

I don't feel having a sprinter added to the roster is such a big issue. Visma can also go for green with WVA. You just need a very solid team, and SOQ doesn't have this, and it has nothing to do with Merlier at the moment.

Trine was against it and note we are talking about a very special case here, an outlier, Wout doesn't need a lead out in traditional sense and he doesn't need to be babysit to get him to the last 50 meters or so. Top notch sprinters are high maintenance and hence forget that, for that not to cause troubles in regards to the GC side of the team. Furthermore Lidl-Trek is now really packed with top notch sprinter talent and hence from this point of view GT GC ambitions are a bit of an afterthought. As for Remco not suffering, bringing sprinter, well, in numbers it already cost him 40s in GC.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Hypothetically, signing for RBH at the end of this season then i assume sprinter won't made it in the 2026 Tour selection, where on at SOQ the focus likely indeed to be more on sprinting.

 

[Rackham]

Evenepoel and Rog becoming besties would heal the world.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@Rackham

I wouldn't be surprised if Rogla ends up achieving world peace.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Trine was against it and note we are talking about a very special case here, an outlier, Wout doesn't need a lead out in traditional sense and he doesn't need to be babysit to get him to the last 50 meters or so. Top notch sprinters are high maintenance and hence forget that, for that not to cause troubles in regards to the GC side of the team. Furthermore Lidl-Trek is now really packed with top notch sprinter talent and hence from this point of view GT GC ambitions are a bit of an afterthought. As for Remco not suffering, bringing sprinter, well, in numbers it already cost him 40s in GC.

Not true. Merlier wanted yellow, hence also needed to be in the first echelon. Him not making that echelon has nothing to do with his current team. As in current teammates. (it did have to do with soudal making the wrong decision) Soudal don't have enough climbers/rouleurs who can also climb. So once it goes uphill they'll get in trouble fast. On a flat stage they should in theory be perfectly fine. There is def. enough quality in that squad to be in theory perfectly fine on a flat stage.

 

[Cycling111]

I have a feeling Roglic will retire at the end of 2026. You have to keep in mind that he started skiing, has been a professional athlete for many years, and will be burned out.

BORA's position to win a Tour is complicated. Pogacar isn't much older than Remco. When Pogacar can't fight for a Tour, Remco will also be a veteran, and the next Tour contenders will surely be better climbers than him, since Remco has quite a few shortcomings in the mountains.

He's practically Pogacar's age, and by the time Pogacar leaves the Tour, there will be younger climbers.

The problem is that BORA, with so much money, doesn't want to wait.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@KoopaCycling

When you say Merlier wanted yellow, there indeed lies the problem, on why Remco lost 40s in GC at stage 1. Anyway, that is yesterdays news. So, if Remco wants to sign for a new team, better supported at the Tour for his GC ambitions, then i assume his new team won't have a top notch sprinter. We'll see.

@Cycling111

Yeah, lets not get ahead of ourself, Tour 2025 only started.

 

[KoopaCycling]

@KoopaCycling

When you say Merlier wanted yellow, there indeed lies the problem, on why Remco lost 40s in GC at stage 1. Anyway, that is yesterdays news. So, if Remco wants to sign for a new team, better supported at the Tour for his GC ambitions, then i assume his new team won't have a top notch sprinter. We'll see.

@Cycling111

Yeah, lets not get ahead of ourself, Tour 2025 only started.

Please explain how that resulted in remco losing 40 sec. I truly don't see it.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Please explain how that resulted in remco losing 40 sec. I truly don't see it.

They kept pursuing sprinter orientated goals even when it became obvious that train has left the station. They should have instead immediately switch back to GC mode and close the gap. Obviously that would hurt their sprinters, feelings.

 

[KoopaCycling]

They kept pursuing sprinter orientated goals even when it became obvious that train has left the station. They should have instead immediately switch back to GC mode and close the gap. Obviously that would hurt their sprinters, feelings.

Their sprinter goal was to get back to the first echelon so as to sprint for the victory. Same for Remco. Wanting to make it back to the first echelon. So they were committed to closing that gap, alongside everyone else that missed the boat not named UAE, Visma and Alpecin. I'm sorry but Merlier wanting to sprint for yellow did not hurt Remco chances one bit.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@KoopaCycling

If they would relay be doing what you say they have been doing, then the gap would be closed or in worse case scenario to be less substantial. On what Remco really felt at the end of the stage, that kid took the heat for it and the very next day rumours started circulating on how he is supposedly joining RBH. Ironically a team that took a sprinter to the Tour too and their GC leader also paid the price for it on stage 1.

Anyway, enough about this, yesterdays news.

 

[Berniece]

Their sprinter goal was to get back to the first echelon so as to sprint for the victory. Same for Remco. Wanting to make it back to the first echelon. So they were committed to closing that gap, alongside everyone else that missed the boat not named UAE, Visma and Alpecin. I'm sorry but Merlier wanting to sprint for yellow did not hurt Remco chances one bit.

Indeed, win the race (Merlier) and don't lose time (Evenepoel) have the same result, being part of the first group.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Indeed, win the race (Merlier) and don't lose time (Evenepoel) have the same result, being part of the first group.

Yeah, we seen it.

 

[KoopaCycling]

I'm sorry but this has nothing to do with relaying. They chased the first echelon as best as they could.
It has to do with their team position in the peloton. When Alpecin & Visma floored it, they where to far back.
Even if the entire team was made of remco support riders, it would not have changed a thing, if, as they did now, decided all was calm and nothing was going to happen and for safety sake they were going to hang further back in the belly of the peloton.

 

[Berniece]

Yeah, we seen it.

Try explaining it again, because no one is understanding you. We've seen what? That they didn't want Merlier to win, and also didn't want Evenepoel to lose time?

 

[AmRacer]

Their sprinter goal was to get back to the first echelon so as to sprint for the victory. Same for Remco. Wanting to make it back to the first echelon. So they were committed to closing that gap, alongside everyone else that missed the boat not named UAE, Visma and Alpecin. I'm sorry but Merlier wanting to sprint for yellow did not hurt Remco chances one bit.

The sprinter didn't pull?

 

[CyclistAbi]

@Berniece

I feel that i was verbose enough, but OK, to put it in the most bluntly possible way i can think of ATM and to conclude this debate from my side, as after all this is yesterdays news.

On where both SOQ and RBH did wrong, stage 1. When it became clear the train has left, that is their main objective of the day, to win a stage with their sprinters, they should have dropped their sprinters ASAP and save time for their respective GC leaders. At that point there was no Remco and Tim holding hands when crossing the finish line together any more, at that point it should have been only about GC mitigation.

 

[Berniece]

@Berniece

I feel that i was verbose enough, but OK, to put it in the most bluntly possible way i can think of ATM and to conclude this debate from my side, as after all this is yesterdays news.

On where both SOQ and RBH did wrong, stage 1. When it became clear the train has left, that is their main objective of the day, to win a stage with their sprinters, they should have dropped their sprinters ASAP and save time for their respective GC leaders. At that point there was no Remco and Tim holding hands when crossing the finish line together any more, at that point it should have been only about GC mitigation.

So you just want to say that you feel Merlier should have chased too?

 

[CyclistAbi]

So you just want to say that you feel Merlier should have chased too?

For at least a kilometre, before blowing up.

 

[Berniece]

For at least a kilometre, before blowing up.

There's a case to be made indeed. WVA even when going for green would've sacrificed his own chances for the sprint by working to get Vingegaard back.

I don't think it would've mattered much in the case of Merlier helping though. I was surprised that we didn't automatically see the whole team in front AND also surprised Evenepoel didn't work himself.

 

[AmRacer]

There's a case to be made indeed. WVA even when going for green would've sacrificed his own chances for the sprint by working to get Vingegaard back.

I don't think it would've mattered much in the case of Merlier helping though. I was surprised that we didn't automatically see the whole team in front AND also surprised Evenepoel didn't work himself.

If Merlier wasn't at the Tour team....