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

[houtdffan]

merckx, to my knowledge, was never overtaken in an ITT.

pog has now been caught twice (Ganna in 23?).

GOAT debate is over.

You cannot be GOAT without being great at every discipline. Pog comes close, but I think he benefits hugely in people's estimation because today's routes almost uniformly prioritize watts/kg over anything else. And, before anyone gets their panties in a twist, Pog is the best at that for sure.

Pantani today also would be unbeatable in any stage race because of the same reasons

 

[AlpRaid]

Pantani today also would be unbeatable in any stage race because of the same reasons

sure. but that era was also arguably different.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Completely unimportant. But whilst i did not 'dig' the look of remco's kit this year. His kit looked good today.
Black bike, belgian themed socks, black pants, sky blue belgian, shirt, golden helmet (that works in this setup) with some nice little touches (some earthlike map).

 

[AlpRaid]

Completely unimportant. But whilst i did not 'dig' the look of remco's kit this year. His kit looked good today.
Black bike, belgian themed socks, blue pants, sky blue belgian, shirt, golden helmet (that works in this setup) with some nice little touches (some earthlike map).

the Belgian kit is just the best. and iconic. they should never change it like they did in the 90s (Museeuw).

 

[Low is rhe new high]

Yes it will be - but i am not really convinced it will be down to positioning. His shape is good but he will need to be able to follow Pogs seated accelerations - whereas Pog unlikely to get as good a lead out as when with UAE and Belgium team is much stronger than Slovenia- Pog will probably repeatedly surge assuming his shape is good. Obviously the race will dictate because of breakaways etc but I am expecting a good fight.

Does he really have to follow the accelerations? In shape Remco has proved that he can catch up with Pog later. He has to play it cool a let Van Wilder and Cian do some work and maybe if necessary finish it of himself. I think it will come down to a sprint where Pog will win 8 out of 10 times.

 

[peterfin]

Remco has a medal in all 6 WC ITT's he competed. Only Cancellara and Martin have 1 more. He would match Martin's record of 4 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze if he wins next year but the 4 consecutive wins would make it even more special so that will be a clear target next year.

What amazed me most today was not Remco catching Pogacar on that climb. It was that 45 seconds gap after less than 15 min racing. That ~7-8 km flat made all the difference. I have the impression he is still making progress in flat ITTs too. I am curious to see how he does against Ganna and Tarling at the EC ITT. Hopefully his WC program is not giving him too much of a disadvantage so we see the best Evenepoel at the EC too.

 

[Berniece]

Remco has a medal in all 6 WC ITT's he competed. Only Cancellara and Martin have 1 more. He would match Martin's record of 4 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze if he wins next year but the 4 consecutive wins would make it even more special so that will be a clear target next year.

What amazed me most today was not Remco catching Pogacar on that climb. It was that 45 seconds gap after less than 15 min racing. That ~7-8 km flat made all the difference. I have the impression he is still making progress in flat ITTs too. I am curious to see how he does against Ganna and Tarling at the EC ITT. Hopefully his WC program is not giving him too much of a disadvantage so we see the best Evenepoel at the EC too.

The EC ITT is very close after the WC RR. He arrives Monday evening in Europe and has to ride the EC ITT on Wednesday. So it might be a bit more difficult

 

[Oldman]

Shouldn’t it in theory be a lot easier with the positioning in a race with national teams as there are not 170 world tour quality riders here?

There are plenty of world tour guys there. Few national teams are strong enough to bully without the occasional help from their trade team buddies from other countries. Subtle assistance is preferred but it's one of the elements that can make the RR less predictable and interesting, IMO.

 

[HashRouge]

Does he really have to follow the accelerations? In shape Remco has proved that he can catch up with Pog later. He has to play it cool a let Van Wilder and Cian do some work and maybe if necessary finish it of himself. I think it will come down to a sprint where Pog will win 8 out of 10 times.

He's done it once, so I don't know how much I'd extrapolate from that. My possible concern with Remco for the road race is whether his incredible TT shape will translate over to being super strong in the RR. Obviously it might do, it's just a bit hard to judge at the moment. I know on the BBC coverage yesterday Alex Dowsett said he thought that Remco would win the RR because he thinks that Remco will essentially take a flyer and then TT to the finish. I'm not sure that the constant ups and downs of the circuit will lend themselves to that though. There doesn't seem to be a lot of flat on the course (based on the parcours) and the descents seem to incorporate lots of short climbs. It might be the sort of course that really tires Remco out if he's primarily focused on his TT shape rather than his endurance.

 

[KoopaCycling]

There is always a bit of hyperbole after seeing Remco in full TT flight.
Remco is just that special on a TT bike. Road Race will be different.
But at least i'm feeling confident he'll be competitive. Maybe not against Pogacar with a chip on his shoulder but def. against the rest. I'm starting to hope he can make it a game against Pogacar himself. But not feeling that confident about it yet. That's already a big win in my books. Just seeing him healthy and smiling. It does not look like a false dawn, the way it ended up being after Brabantse. He's starting to be himself again.

 

[Berniece]

Two pictures to remember the day by

 

[KenFiamingo]

There is always a bit of hyperbole after seeing Remco in full TT flight.
Remco is just that special on a TT bike. Road Race will be different.
But at least i'm feeling confident he'll be competitive. Maybe not against Pogacar with a chip on his shoulder but def. against the rest. I'm starting to hope he can make it a game against Pogacar himself. But not feeling that confident about it yet. That's already a big win in my books. Just seeing him healthy and smiling. It does not look like a false dawn, the way it ended up being after Brabantse. He's starting to be himself again.

He's definitely in a better shape than last year when he needed to rush back in shape after the Olympics.

 

[Barkintheeye]

He's done it once, so I don't know how much I'd extrapolate from that. My possible concern with Remco for the road race is whether his incredible TT shape will translate over to being super strong in the RR. Obviously it might do, it's just a bit hard to judge at the moment. I know on the BBC coverage yesterday Alex Dowsett said he thought that Remco would win the RR because he thinks that Remco will essentially take a flyer and then TT to the finish. I'm not sure that the constant ups and downs of the circuit will lend themselves to that though. There doesn't seem to be a lot of flat on the course (based on the parcours) and the descents seem to incorporate lots of short climbs. It might be the sort of course that really tires Remco out if he's primarily focused on his TT shape rather than his endurance.

That's a good point. An undulating course favors the peloton / group and makes it really tough for a single rider in a breakaway. Last year's course in Zurich had a +300 metres hill to be cleared 9 times over 279 km. Pog made his breakaway 100K from the finish and MVDP, Remco et al couldn't catch him.

Maybe Remco can do something similar but it looks harder if he does it right after Mt Kigali. Then awaits some 12 smaller undulating climbs of 100 metres. Can he hold the chasers off?

 

[Berflamand]

Canada should be a route where Evenepoel prioritizes the road race IMO

One of the first things he said after his win was that now he wants to become the first rider to win four WC ITT titles in a row so I doubt that will happen.

 

[Berflamand]

I hoped Remco would win but I feared Pogi might take it. I definitely never expected this demolition job. Incredible performance further cementing his legacy as one of the greatest TT riders ever.

Head says this doesn't mean anything for the Road Race and Pogi is still the overwhelming favorite.
Heart is getting a little bit more excited though.

 

[Berflamand]

The EC ITT is very close after the WC RR. He arrives Monday evening in Europe and has to ride the EC ITT on Wednesday. So it might be a bit more difficult

IIRC he actually only arrives in Europe (France) on tuesday morning.

It will definitely be tricky because of the timing but he does have another chance at realising something exceptional as right now he is the reigning:

• World Champion ITT
• Olympic Champion ITT
• National (Belgian) Champion ITT

So only the European title is missing for a full set.

 

[Berniece]

IIRC he actually only arrives in Europe (France) on tuesday morning.

It will definitely be tricky because of the timing but he does have another chance at realising something exceptional as right now he is the reigning:

• World Champion ITT
• Olympic Champion ITT
• National (Belgian) Champion ITT

So only the European title is missing for a full set.

Would be beautiful if he could add it, and just have all 4 in 1 season. I rather have him win WC RR though.

 

[Berflamand]

Would be beautiful if he could add it, and just have all 4 in 1 season. I rather have him win WC RR though.

Definitely. And perhaps even ECC RR if it were a choice because then he would have collected all possible titles in his career as it's the only one missing.

 

[Berniece]

Definitely. And perhaps even ECC RR if it were a choice because then he would have collected all possible titles in his career as it's the only one missing.

Indeed, but he also still has to win Lombardia, Giro, TDF at least once. Some more realistic to achieve than others.

 

[Berflamand]

Indeed, but he also still has to win Lombardia, Giro, TDF at least once. Some more realistic to achieve than others.

I was strictly talking about Championship titles because he has won:

• NC RR and ITT
• Worlds RR and ITT
• Olympic RR and ITT
• ECC ITT

So only ECC RR is missing to collect them all.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Great performance at a TT.

Ultimately Remco took Pogi birthday cake and ate it too. No more gummy bears and i guess Tour 2026 participation confirmed.

 

[peterfin]

I was strictly talking about Championship titles because he has won:

• NC RR and ITT
• Worlds RR and ITT
• Olympic RR and ITT
• ECC ITT

So only ECC RR is missing to collect them all.

I still remember his anger when Colbrelli was just glued to his wheel when he attacked and then easily finished it off in the sprint. That 2nd place at the ECC RR is an emotional gap that need closure. Sometimes I think this how Remco finds that power to create his biggest successes. He had a major blow in the tour, being catched by Vingegaard in a TT. He must have felt that enormously. Yesterday was all about erasing that feeling.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

There was some talk about Evenepoel being too fat before this weekend. And you all know i like to poke some fun when he is not light enough, but i did not find that to be the case now. Usually you can really tell by looking at his face if he is carrying a less optimal amount of weight, but his face seemed relatively lean.

This is a picture of right before the ITT

 

[Berniece]

There was some talk about Evenepoel being too fat before this weekend. And you all know i like to poke some fun when he is not light enough, but i did not find that to be the case now. Usually you can really tell by looking at his face if he is carrying a less optimal amount of weight, but his face seemed relatively lean.

This is a picture of right before the ITT

Looks sharp enough. He's has just been training for more explosive racing compared to GT/long mountains, which makes a lot of sense.

 

[KenFiamingo]

There was some talk about Evenepoel being too fat before this weekend. And you all know i like to poke some fun when he is not light enough, but i did not find that to be the case now. Usually you can really tell by looking at his face if he is carrying a less optimal amount of weight, but his face seemed relatively lean.

This is a picture of right before the ITT

He's clearly holding his breath.