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

[Berniece]

Tactically what should Belgium do in the RR? I'm in between 2 strategies.

• Take the lead in the peloton, close gaps, and eventually follow with Van Wilder/Hermans/Uijtdebroecks when high profile rider attacks.
• Make the race as hard as possible from the start. Use Vermeersch, Vervaeke, and Meurisse to drop as many riders from Slovenia as possible. Place Evenepoel in Pogacar's wheel and attack with Van Wilder/Hermans/Uijtdebroecks.

 

[rghysens]

Tactically what should Belgium do in the RR?

Be passive as long as possible until after mount Kigali, and then create chaos.

 

[KoopaCycling]

i would try and make sure zurich does not happen again. By keeping Remco well positioned and not much more.
Ofcourse if zurich repeats, you look like garbage. Cause you did not do much, and the train to close down Pogacar blew up in a heartbeat again.

If possible have 2 decent sattelite riders up front (that can climb and sprint somewhat). Use the WVA visma tactic. Either for defense or offense on top of keeping your main train ready for when stuff explodes.

If Remco has a great day, he'll want to battle Pogacar Mano a mano. wether that's smart is a different matter.
But i wouldn't mind seeing an honest fight. Amstel Gold one of the races of the season for me.

It would be a welcome surprise if Remco can make it that exciting again. Personally i still think nothing will be able to stop Pogacar from grabbing his second WC. But we live on hope, so hope remains.

Perfect scenario would be if Pogacar goes 100 km of the finish. And team belgium lets him swim before actually managing to reel him back 40 kms off the finish line (instead of imploding within 10 km). Then let Remco loose, try and see how far he can go.
Maybe he fails, maybe not.

 

[Berniece]

Be passive as long as possible until after mount Kigali, and then create chaos.

Wouldn't you want to isolate Pogacar? So that if you get over mount Kigali and want to create chaos, they don't easily deflect that?

 

[KoopaCycling]

Wouldn't you want to isolate Pogacar? So that if you get over mount Kigali and want to create chaos, they don't easily deflect that?

What's the point of that. Pogacar can handle himself in the peloton. save for a flat tire/mechancial isolating him won't matter much imo. Also if Roglic has the legs, you ain't isolating pogacar.

 

[Berniece]

What's the point of that. Pogacar can handle himself in the peloton. save for a flat tire/mechancial isolating him won't matter much imo. Also if Roglic has the legs, you ain't isolating pogacar.

If you isolate him, you can create chaos with Van Wilder/Uijtdebroeks/Hermans which means Pogacar has to do more work himself. Which tires him. Evenepoel can just cruise along.

 

[KoopaCycling]

If you isolate him, you can create chaos with Van Wilder/Uijtdebroeks/Hermans which means Pogacar has to do more work himself. Which tires him. Evenepoel can just cruise along.

That is the theory. In practice (if pogacar has his legs) Pogacar will counterattack and drop most of the belgian team whilst spending almost no energy himself. If Roglic is good. it will leave Roglic + Pogacar vs Remco + Van wilder.

 

[Berniece]

That is the theory. In practice (if pogacar has his legs) Pogacar will counterattack and drop most of the belgian team whilst spending almost no energy himself. If Roglic is good. it will leave Roglic + Pogacar vs Remco + Van wilder.

Roglic does his own thing, so I don't think that matters much. If Pogacar has his legs does any tactic matter? The only thing you can do then is hope he attacks early and blows himself up. But why would he attack early if his team is still around.

 

[red_flanders]

Nah, wout season was done by Tour's end. a wout in shape sure. This season wout (in the fall) would be no help at all.

Definitely. 2 GT's plus all the other things. Big season. Just saying I'd have loved to have seen him on the Belgian team and his presence will be missed.

 

[Lequack]

Remco ending the drought in Africa

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZabowjkV98

 

[proffate]

Team Belgium is a bit worried about the impact of the altitude. They are worried not everyone will be ready in time with adapting to it.

Campenaerts:
There is a big difference between the feeling I had before I left here and the feeling that I have now. The wattages that I ride here are 10% lower than normal. There was a climb in the course of the Mixed Relay that took five minutes. It immediately felt very difficult. While I was riding a pace that I can ride in the Tour for 45 minutes. In addition, it may not feel extremely warm, but as soon as you cross your limit, you cannot cool down due to the great humidity. Your sweat cannot evaporate.

One other minor effect of altitude is that it diminishes the effectiveness of drafting, similar to a slight tailwind. Advantage long-range attackers (who don't overestimate their diminished aerobic capacity, obv).

 

[scribers]

that might explain why Pogi looked like dog *** last weekend

 

[Low is rhe new high]

Tactically what should Belgium do in the RR? I'm in between 2 strategies.

• Take the lead in the peloton, close gaps, and eventually follow with Van Wilder/Hermans/Uijtdebroecks when high profile rider attacks.
• Make the race as hard as possible from the start. Use Vermeersch, Vervaeke, and Meurisse to drop as many riders from Slovenia as possible. Place Evenepoel in Pogacar's wheel and attack with Van Wilder/Hermans/Uijtdebroecks.

Trick Pogacar to attack early let him go solo for 60 k then catch up with him 20 k to go with Remco and Cian/ van Wilder one of them attacks the other one follows Pogacar. The import thing is to make Pogacar work into his redzone for longer then he wants. With UAE this is not possible but with Slovenia it should be doable.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Around the 25 minute mark, these guys debate whether Evenepoel is the best TT'er/rouleur of his generation or of all time:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBv701ESIWY

A bit later, you can have a laugh at Küng trying to convince us that Ganna is a better rouleur than Evenepoel (according to his definition) after listing the qualities a rouleur should possess at which Evenepoel pummels Ganna. Küng probably meant (but was afraid to say) that he thinks a rouleur also needs to be 1m90 and weigh 85 kg and not win GC's.

 

[Oldman]

Bruyneel sez today on the Outcomes podcast that “it’s a rumor right now, but it’s gonna happen…Remco has apparently set his mind on the hour record. That’s on his wish list”.

At about 15:05

This is kinda non-news. Remco would do it at some time in his sleep and he won't bother to tell Johann. He's not in the same "social group" as Remco I would guess.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Around the 25 minute mark, these guys debate whether Evenepoel is the best TT'er/rouleur of his generation or of all time:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBv701ESIWY

A bit later, you can have a laugh at Küng trying to convince us that Ganna is a better rouleur than Evenepoel (according to his definition) after listing the qualities a rouleur should possess at which Evenepoel pummels Ganna. Küng probably meant (but was afraid to say) that he thinks a rouleur also needs to be 1m90 and weigh 85 kg and not win GC's.

Ganna and Evenepoel are close.

Remco 47 sec faster than Ganna in 2019 WC
Ganna 43 sec faster than Remco in 2021 WC
Remco 45 sec faster than Ganna in 2022 WC
Remco 12 sec faster than Ganna in 2023 WC
Remco 7 sec faster than Ganna in 2024 WC

Remco 23 sec faster than Ganna in 2019 UEC
Ganna 7 sec faster than Remco in 2021 UEC

I would say it's close but save for2021 it's been advantage Remco so far.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Ganna and Evenepoel are close.

Remco 47 sec faster than Ganna in 2019 WC
Ganna 43 sec faster than Remco in 2021 WC
Remco 45 sec faster than Ganna in 2022 WC
Remco 12 sec faster than Ganna in 2023 WC
Remco 7 sec faster than Ganna in 2024 WC

Remco 23 sec faster than Ganna in 2019 UEC
Ganna 7 sec faster than Remco in 2021 UEC

I would say it's close but save for2021 it's been advantage Remco so far.

Hard to call a rivalry when it's always the same guy losing.
Remco has shown when he is good, he is unbeatable in long TTs (and medium lenght too).

 

[Berniece]

Ganna and Evenepoel are close.

Remco 47 sec faster than Ganna in 2019 WC
Ganna 43 sec faster than Remco in 2021 WC
Remco 45 sec faster than Ganna in 2022 WC
Remco 12 sec faster than Ganna in 2023 WC
Remco 7 sec faster than Ganna in 2024 WC

Remco 23 sec faster than Ganna in 2019 UEC
Ganna 7 sec faster than Remco in 2021 UEC

I would say it's close but save for2021 it's been advantage Remco so far.

But it’s also about being a rouleur. That’s just not close at all. How many solo wins does Ganna have on rolling terrain?

 

[KoopaCycling]

Yeah but Ganna main strenght is the flat or 1-4 procent gradients.
Well all that weight should help on the downhill as well.

Also if Ganna does not win the UEC TT, that will be a blow. Cause he had all the prep, whereas Remco will be coming off a hard WC.

 

[red_flanders]

This is kinda non-news. Remco would do it at some time in his sleep and he won't bother to tell Johann. He's not in the same "social group" as Remco I would guess.

Bruyneel is very connected in Belgian cycling and has been right about pretty much any questions or speculation about Remco’s career. When he says something with confidence about Remco, I find it worth listening. YMMV.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

This is kinda non-news. Remco would do it at some time in his sleep and he won't bother to tell Johann. He's not in the same "social group" as Remco I would guess.

Im pretty sure Bruyneel is in the same “social group” as Remcos father. Not in the way that they hang out in the bar together (Bruyneel lives in Spain) but it seems like Bruyneel has been getting a lot of info from Remcos father over the years, so I guess they are talking/writing quite a lot.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Ganna and Evenepoel are close.

Remco 47 sec faster than Ganna in 2019 WC
Ganna 43 sec faster than Remco in 2021 WC
Remco 45 sec faster than Ganna in 2022 WC
Remco 12 sec faster than Ganna in 2023 WC
Remco 7 sec faster than Ganna in 2024 WC

Remco 23 sec faster than Ganna in 2019 UEC
Ganna 7 sec faster than Remco in 2021 UEC

I would say it's close but save for2021 it's been advantage Remco so far.

If it weren't for Evenepoel's Lombardia crash, Ganna would have zero world championships. You know what year that happened right? It's not close at all. Evenepoel comes out of the Tour riding for GC while Ganna can rest and prepare and he still beats him in the rain on a technical course. Evenepoel wins CSS, LBL... with insane solos. How many has Ganna?

Not in the same league.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Let's hope Pauwels has learned a valuable lesson with the current tactical disasterclass at the U23. Don't bury your entire team for a leader especially if there are indications he is not in top shape. He didn't do the ITT for a reason.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Im pretty sure Bruyneel is in the same “social group” as Remcos father. Not in the way that they hang out in the bar together (Bruyneel lives in Spain) but it seems like Bruyneel has been getting a lot of info from Remcos father over the years, so I guess they are talking/writing quite a lot.

Speaking as one father to another.

 

[Red Rick]

But it’s also about being a rouleur. That’s just not close at all. How many solo wins does Ganna have on rolling terrain?

It's on a timetrial bike. Road bike aerodynamics don't matter.