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

[CyclistAbi]

I don't agree that the career of Remco was mismanaged, that is he signed for a strong classics and Co. orientated team and they developed him in one of the finest in their own domain. In terms of manager the pay check is rather hefty too, so no real complaints. At some point the idea came lets do stage racing too and be good at it. Here realistically they haven't made the transition successfully, not Remco and not the team, basically Remco is their GT GC team, the rest is not. Landa was a nice addition but somehow it ends there.

 

[Extinction]

I don't agree that the career of Remco was mismanaged, that is he signed for a strong classics and Co. orientated team and they developed him in one of the finest in their own domain. In terms of manager the pay check is rather hefty too, so no real complaints. At some point the idea came lets do stage racing too and be good at it. Here realistically they haven't made the transition successfully, not Remco and not the team, basically Remco is their GT GC team, the rest is not. Landa was a nice addition but somehow it ends there.

But Remco has said from the start that his goal was to win all three GTs. Not the right team for that.

 

[Barkintheeye]

This kid's career has been mismanaged, with few exceptions, since the Lombardia crash. In hindsight it was a bad idea to commit to a Belgian team, which, on the one hand, puts the weight of a nation on his shoulders and, on the other, was not geared for GT GC success, nor the budget to make it happen. The last point has become decisive in today's cycling.

Remco has proven not only not being up to the task of being a professional bike rider - cf Pogacar, Van der Poel, Van Aert etc - but also not being able to manage the massive pressure of modern pro cycling I.e. to learn how to survive and prosper in the peloton and to learn to deal with the suck in bad days and deal blows on the good days. I see a cry baby wanting to have everyone serve him his “meal” and that’s not happening. That’s all I had. Go away now.

 

[CyclistAbi]

But Remco has said from the start that his goal was to win all three GTs. Not the right team for that.

I mean it's possible, even at SOQ, but it's like using a hammer to saw. On the other hand Remco is good at what SOQ is good at, one of the finest. So there is that.

 

[Gratemans]

This kid's career has been mismanaged, with few exceptions, since the Lombardia crash. In hindsight it was a bad idea to commit to a Belgian team, which, on the one hand, puts the weight of a nation on his shoulders and, on the other, was not geared for GT GC success, nor the budget to make it happen. The last point has become decisive in today's cycling.

On top of that, it turned one of the most entertaining teams in the World Tour into one of the most "meh" teams.

 

[peterfin]

Remco has proven not only not being up to the task of being a professional bike rider - cf Pogacar, Van der Poel, Van Aert etc - but also not being able to manage the massive pressure of modern pro cycling I.e. to learn how to survive and prosper in the peloton and to learn to deal with the suck in bad days and deal blows on the good days. I see a cry baby wanting to have everyone serve him his “meal” and that’s not happening. That’s all I had. Go away now.

Everyone has his opinion but it's clear yours doesn’t match facts. A double Olympic champion, triple World Champion, double Monument winner and GT winner does something right as a professional biker.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Remco has proven not only not being up to the task of being a professional bike rider - cf Pogacar, Van der Poel, Van Aert etc - but also not being able to manage the massive pressure of modern pro cycling I.e. to learn how to survive and prosper in the peloton and to learn to deal with the suck in bad days and deal blows on the good days. I see a cry baby wanting to have everyone serve him his “meal” and that’s not happening. That’s all I had. Go away now.

Lets see you trying to overcome multiple massive crashes while still delivering an insane palmarés at 25 years old

 

[Karl Merckx]

He does have a tendency to exaggerate. On his Strava there are trainings after Dauphine. Not many decent ones though, only col de la loze was a good training. But why did he do an extra 55km’s after NC… Protect him from himself

This is a case of bad journalism / translating :
He did train, he just meant he couldn't do the exercises he should have done while training.

 

[AmRacer]

Everyone has his opinion but it's clear yours doesn’t match facts. A double Olympic champion, triple World Champion, double Monument winner and GT winner does something right as a professional biker.

TT's are special
Remco has only won one monument, twice.
There's a selected group of riders who have won at least one GT.
.
Of course, 95 % of the peloton would happily retire with Remco's palmares. But the expectation is he should've won a lot more. Which didn't happen, partly due to crashes and other things.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I don't agree that the career of Remco was mismanaged, that is he signed for a strong classics and Co. orientated team and they developed him in one of the finest in their own domain. In terms of manager the pay check is rather hefty too, so no real complaints. At some point the idea came lets do stage racing too and be good at it. Here realistically they haven't made the transition successfully, not Remco and not the team, basically Remco is their GT GC team, the rest is not. Landa was a nice addition but somehow it ends there.

He said he wanted to win every GT long before he signed at SQS, and that was exactly what Lefevere wanted because that was all that was missing on his palmares as a CEO.

Yes his career has been mismanaged. From never addressing his lack of bike handling or cornering skills (leading to numerous crashes), to supporting him with inexperienced DS's (leading to numerous tactical blunders) and inexperienced coaches (leading to numerous ill timed weight/form issues without clear improvements over the years). Not to mention a lack of support.

 

[greyclouds]

He said he wanted to win every GT long before he signed at SQS, and that was exactly what Lefevere wanted because that was all that was missing on his palmares as a CEO.

Yes his career has been mismanaged. From never addressing his lack of bike handling or cornering skills (leading to numerous crashes), to supporting him with inexperienced DS's (leading to numerous tactical blunders) and inexperienced coaches (leading to numerous ill timed weight/form issues without clear improvements over the years). Not to mention a lack of support.

Spot on.

Remco might not have the stereotypical GT winner build that guys like Pogacar and Vingo have, but he is still a serial GC rider and even without trying hard he would always be successful in GTs.

A reminder that at 20-yo he won Burgos, Poland, San Juan and Algarve, all in the same calendar year. That he hasn't won a single of the Big-7 since then and have finished only 2 out 6 GTs in top positions says more about the management of his career than his abilities.

 

[CyclistAbi]

He said he wanted to win every GT long before he signed at SQS, and that was exactly what Lefevere wanted because that was all that was missing on his palmares as a CEO.

Yes his career has been mismanaged. From never addressing his lack of bike handling or cornering skills (leading to numerous crashes), to supporting him with inexperienced DS's (leading to numerous tactical blunders) and inexperienced coaches (leading to numerous ill timed weight/form issues without clear improvements over the years). Not to mention a lack of support.

So if Remco wanted it and Lefevere wanted it, why haven't they cut the ties with their heritage and done it? As for the rest, lack of support was likely demotivating to some extend, beyond that i don't feel the rest contributed to this years abandonment.

Currently UAE is the only team, full support for their leader, Visma is good at it but not a full support team. Then there is RBH, building up, transforming slowly, IMHO mostly due to Rogla, Beyond that i don't see it ATM. All in all teams do struggle, transitioning and maintaining on what can be called an AAA GT GC orientated team status. So even if both Remco wanted it and Lefevere wanted it, the truth is they never have done it. They remained a strongly classics and Co. focused team and at that Remco is good at, here it would be hard to hold anything against them.

 

[Extinction]

So if Remco wanted it and Lefevere wanted it, why haven't they cut the ties with their heritage and done it? As for the rest, lack of support was likely demotivating to some extend, beyond that i don't feel the rest contributed to this years abandonment.

Currently UAE is the only team, full support for their leader, Visma is good at it but not a full support team. Then there is RBH, building up, transforming slowly, IMHO mostly due to Rogla, Beyond that i don't see it ATM. All in all teams do struggle, transitioning and maintaining on what can be called an AAA GT GC orientated team status. So even if both Remco wanted it and Lefevere wanted it, the truth is they never have done it. They remained a strongly classics and Co. focused team and at that Remco is good at, here it would be hard to hold anything against them.

All the reports said they were transitioning from a classics team to a GT team to support Remco's dreams. The problem has always been they didn't have the money to do it. All the rest has been a conseqence of that.

 

[Charlyghoul]

The thing is if Remco was on a par with Pogacar and vingegaard at the tour then the team dynamic would probably change, but he isn’t.
His team have probably been poor in managing him in some ways , but how much more would he have won on another team ? I don’t think a lot, tour, no, a giro? Maybe
He could have a team of hand picked climbing donestiques what would it change? He’s still getting dropped. He’d probably have trouble keeping up with his own teammates some of the time.

 

[KoopaCycling]

They thought they would have more time and then when they realised they needed to get into action the money wall hit them.

 

[CyclistAbi]

All the reports said they were transitioning from a classics team to a GT team to support Remco's dreams. The problem has always been they didn't have the money to do it. All the rest has been a conseqence of that.

I don't buy it, that is i never really seen the effort backing the claims and IMHO they have a rather hefty budget.

If i would have to guess, does predominately Belgium sponsored team having a superstar from Belgium really care more about GT racing, compared to the classics?

 

[AmRacer]

I don't buy it, that is i never really seen the effort backing the claims and IMHO they have a rather hefty budget.

If i would have to guess, does predominately Belgium sponsored team having a superstar from Belgium really care more about GT racing, compared to the classics?

When was the last time Belgium had a GT superstar?

 

[CyclistAbi]

When was the last time Belgium had a GT superstar?

I meant more in the direction in Slovenia you can be a superstar if you are good in ski jumping, doubt that is a thing in Belgium. That doesn't mean, historically speaking, we didn't have skiers, such as Tina Maze. So the point being was SOQ and Lefevere ever really into GT racing as much as winning (Belgian) classics? Just like in Slovenia we do tend to keep the focus on omnipresence of superstars in ski jumping.

 

[CyclistAbi]

What i worry is Remco signs for Ineos, they send him directly to the Tour and then what? So i am leaning more towards joining RBH, on where it seems they now got the basics covered, nutrition experts, aerodynamic experts ... How on earth are you going to win GTs if that is an afterthought. On top of that is seems that RBH doesn't want to cut the ties with classics completely, that is a plus for somebody like Remco. We'll see.

 

[AmRacer]

I meant more in the direction in Slovenia you can be a superstar if you are good in ski jumping, doubt that is a thing in Belgium. That doesn't mean, historically speaking, we didn't have skiers, such as Tina Maze. So the point being was SOQ and Lefevere ever really into GT racing as much as winning (Belgian) classics? Just like in Slovenia we do tend to keep the focus on omnipresence of superstars in ski jumping.

When they got a prospect GT superstar, they went all in.

 

[CyclistAbi]

When they got a prospect GT superstar, they went all in.

With Remco?

 

[red_flanders]

With Remco?

If these posts are a mission to demonstrate a lack of understanding of the team, its composition, and cycling in general…mission accomplished.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@red_flanders

By whom? You are defending SOQ and claim they went all in with Remco, on where it comes to GT racing? IMHO you don't have to be an expert to see that is not the case.

 

[AmRacer]

@red_flanders

By whom? You are defending SOQ and claim they went all in with Remco, on where it comes to GT racing? IMHO you don't have to be an expert to see that is not the case.

But they did, this is the best they could do. See other posts by other users for further explanation.

 

[CyclistAbi]

But they did, this is the best they could do. See other posts by other users for further explanation.

OK i give up, if some of you claim you are experts and for you this is an all in support. Then it would be impossible for our views to align in any meaningful way. And lets leave it at that.