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

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I still think Thomas de Gendt podium in the giro is so weird. Dude finished within 2 mimutes of the eventual winner. Yet never seemed to have any GC ambitions. Such a strange cyclist.

That Giro he wasn't even planned to race for GC yet iirc, it was supposed to be a test case because he did some great stuff in the previous TDF. I guess he proved to himself he could do it, and that was enough for him. He said he didn't like it, didn't like riding conservatively and attentively in a peloton, didn't like the specific training, didn't like managing his food etc...

 

[peterfin]

That Giro he wasn't even planned to race for GC yet iirc, it was supposed to be a test case because he did some great stuff in the previous TDF. I guess he proved to himself he could do it, and that was enough for him. He said he didn't like it, didn't like riding conservatively and attentively in a peloton, didn't like the specific training, didn't like managing his food etc...

He didn't even like to ride in a peloton. Still, he had a long career - he really loves the bike- and tried to maximize his opportunities. The Gendt was well aware of his limits and was a smart rider. He prepared races well tactically, studying the route in detail and assessing where he had an opportunity and what watts he would need to make a gap. I can imagine that a DS had little impact on his plans.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

He didn't even like to ride in a peloton. Still, he had a long career - he really loves the bike- and tried to maximize his opportunities. The Gendt was well aware of his limits and was a smart rider. He prepared races well tactically, studying the route in detail and assessing where he had an opportunity and what watts he would need to make a gap. I can imagine that a DS had little impact on his plans.

Had he gone into that Giro with the intent to go for GC from the start, and do a GC preparation for it as well, he could have won that Giro. He also lost time when he had a flat tire in the final kms of a MTF. That said, it was a weak field.

 

[AmRacer]

Same amount of GT wins as Hindley or TGH.

And Kuss

 

[AlpRaid]

And Kuss

And Cadel Evans, and Van Impe, and…

Oh, and only one less than Vingo.

Hmm. This could go on forever. 🙄

 

[Salvarani]

And Cadel Evans, and Van Impe, and…

Oh, and only one less than Vingo.

Hmm. This could go on forever. 🙄

Exactly, I think that may have been the point. There are a few GT winners in the peloton. Many with ”only” one.

 

[Oldman]

I still think Thomas de Gendt podium in the giro is so weird. Dude finished within 2 mimutes of the eventual winner. Yet never seemed to have any GC ambitions. Such a strange cyclist.

What kind of guy finishes the Tour then does a 2 week bike riding trip home? Someone who probably doesn't Zwift, Strava or otherwise distract himself from the joy of riding in the world. And he got paid well to do it. I've raced with a few guys that just enjoyed racing hard enough to make the winners honest and shared the same enjoyment of huge rides for the sake of it. Not me but I admire their strength.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Had he gone into that Giro with the intent to go for GC from the start, and do a GC preparation for it as well, he could have won that Giro. He also lost time when he had a flat tire in the final kms of a MTF. That said, it was a weak field.

De Gendt got that close though from going off on a long range attack that no one but Cunego cared about that gained 3’36” on Ryder.

 

[Red Rick]

I'm convinced De Gendt didn't really believe he could be a top GC rider anyway. Likely he sort of realized the 2012 Giro podium was gonna be a fluke with several factors going very right for him, and he quit while he was ahead.

 

[tobydawq]

Same as Hindley

1 more than Lipowitz.

 

[Salvarani]

1 more than Lipowitz.

Same as Hindley

Bernal also won one back in 2019

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Same as Hindley

Bernal also won one back in 2019

Bernal even has two GTs.

 

[Ulle97]

Is Remco going to do the WC ITT before the end of the season?
He will hardly do Lombardia??

 

[Salvarani]

Bernal even has two GTs.

S. Yates also

There are many GT-winners still around

 

[KoopaCycling]

De Gendt got that close though from going off on a long range attack that no one but Cunego cared about that gained 3’36” on Ryder.

He was already top 10 by that point though. But the mindset is important. Could De Gendt have raced better results than say Steff Cras GT wise, i'm certain of it. If he had the mindset. He didn't, and had one hell of a career all the same doing what he enjoyed doing.

 

[Berniece]

Is Remco going to do the WC ITT before the end of the season?
He will hardly do Lombardia??

Of course, why wouldn’t he?

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Could De Gendt have raced better results than say Steff Cras GT wise, i'm certain of it. .

Well, duh, he actually did that. Not a question of could when it‘s one 3rd place vs. zero Top 10s.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

De Gendt got that close though from going off on a long range attack that no one but Cunego cared about that gained 3’36” on Ryder.

He was 8th in GC at that point, and like i said, he had already lost time due to a puncture 2k from the finish on a MTF. It's not like he was 27th and was allowed to take back 15 minutes. Since Hesjedahl got dropped by direct competitors, i think it's safe to assume they were all going as fast as they could and this was not a matter of De Gendt getting it for free. He went from far, others would have exploded, he didn't. I think at one point Gadret tried to bridge to him, and you can see in the results what happened to him, he got caught and left behind.

 

[Berniece]

Maybe the female team should run the male team if they are smart enough to work on shortcomings of their riders

Ploeg van Sarah Gigante betreurt haatberichten over daalkunsten: "We hebben er alles aan gedaan om te verbeteren" | sporza

Ook voor de laatste dag van de Tour de France Femmes zijn de daalkunsten van Sarah Gigante (helaas) nog een gespreksonderwerp. De Australische van AG Insurance - Soudal hield meestal stand bergaf, maar toch krijgt ze veel haatberichten op sociale media. "Laat Sarah afdalen met gewone amateurs en...

sporza.be

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Maybe the female team should run the male team if they are smart enough to work on shortcomings of their riders

Ploeg van Sarah Gigante betreurt haatberichten over daalkunsten: "We hebben er alles aan gedaan om te verbeteren" | sporza

Ook voor de laatste dag van de Tour de France Femmes zijn de daalkunsten van Sarah Gigante (helaas) nog een gespreksonderwerp. De Australische van AG Insurance - Soudal hield meestal stand bergaf, maar toch krijgt ze veel haatberichten op sociale media. "Laat Sarah afdalen met gewone amateurs en...

sporza.be

Jep, just read it and came to post the same thing. Of course, it all starts with acknowledging the problem.

 

[SHAD0W93]

He was already top 10 by that point though. But the mindset is important. Could De Gendt have raced better results than say Steff Cras GT wise, i'm certain of it. If he had the mindset. He didn't, and had one hell of a career all the same doing what he enjoyed doing.

Yes but that breakaway helped a lot to move up. He absolutely could have had a good GC career but he said he didn’t like it and preferred only focusing on stages vs the constant grind of GC racing.

He was 8th in GC at that point, and like i said, he had already lost time due to a puncture 2k from the finish on a MTF. It's not like he was 27th and was allowed to take back 15 minutes. Since Hesjedahl got dropped by direct competitors, i think it's safe to assume they were all going as fast as they could and this was not a matter of De Gendt getting it for free. He went from far, others would have exploded, he didn't. I think at one point Gadret tried to bridge to him, and you can see in the results what happened to him, he got caught and left behind.

He was still 5’40” behind first; none of the top 4 cared that he went and Cunego went on the attack and the gap went out. That doesn’t negate that he was still strong to maintain it and the others absolutely underestimated him. Did the flat cost him 2 minutes? If he was 3 mins behind do you think he’s attacking from that far like that?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Yes but that breakaway helped a lot to move up. He absolutely could have had a good GC career but he said he didn’t like it and preferred only focusing on stages vs the constant grind of GC racing.

Yep, that's what i said in a previous post.

He was still 5’40” behind first; none of the top 4 cared that he went and Cunego went on the attack and the gap went out. That doesn’t negate that he was still strong to maintain it and the others absolutely underestimated him. Did the flat cost him 2 minutes? If he was 3 mins behind do you think he’s attacking from that far like that?

There is no way of knowing how much he lost with that puncture, because he didn't get a new bike/wheel, he had to climb his way to the finish on a flat tire for 3km and lost 1m11s to Rodriguez who got pink that day. He said he felt great and his legs were amazing that day.

Gisteren voelde De Gendt zowaar nog meer power in de benen. Maar op drie kilometer van de top van Pian dei Resinelli sloeg het noodlot toe. "Compleet lek. De volgwagen raakte door de vele gelosten niet meteen tot bij mij. Toen hij op anderhalve kilometer van de finish toch langszij kwam, besloot ik gewoon verder te rijden. Omdat een wielwissel me zoveel meer tijd zou kosten. Ik reed dus drie kilometer op een platte band. Lastig. Ik kon geen snelheid pakken en in de bochten hield ik me ternauwernood overeind. Jammer, want de benen waren fantastisch goed.

My point wasn't that he would have won the Giro, my point was that his podium spot was deserved and not because of some tactical mistake by the other GC guys. They also didn't follow Cunego, why? Because they couldn't. Hesjedahl also didn't stay with Rodriguez. Because he couldn't. Gadret tried and failed, he was closer in GC.

 

[Red Rick]

De Gendt did the 4th fastest time on the Stelvio that year. Which was pretty slow as a 25 man group went only 15s slower in 2017.

Altogether the picture is pretty clear that De Gendt is the sort of rider who trived in highly attritional races when the purer climbers are just gassed, and in that situation, saving energy does not directly lead to doing a much faster climb later.

I have not gone back to check the pacing of the actual climb and if the GC group started it way too slow, but alas.

In hindsight, we should have anointed him the future 7 times TdF champion, for he put 46 minutes into Geraint "Future TdF winner" Thomas that day

 

[wheresmybrakes]

So, what will Remco De Gendt's next race be? Sticking to ITT's and avoiding the big boys?

 

[KoopaCycling]

So, what will Remco De Gendt's next race be? Sticking to ITT's and avoiding the big boys?

He hasn't been avoiding them though. So not sure what you're implying.