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

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Pogacar is a great bike handler. But i wonder if he ever will get his come uppance. So far when he crashed he got away relative scotch free. Today he again took unnecessary risks with those red thingies in the middle of the road.

Remco descending in TdF 2024 was far worse, than what we saw today. I think his current level of descending is def. good enough.

Remco has done good descents before. But clearly he isn't comfortable enough that he can do it consistently. So in order for us to assume his descending is good enough, he will need to show us at least this level consistently.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Remco has done good descents before. But clearly he isn't comfortable enough that he can do it consistently. So in order for us to assume his descending is good enough, he will need to show us at least this level consistently.

Fair, but i've seen quite a bit of better bike handling/descending in comparison to the beginning of his career.
I think he'll only get better with time. I don't fear for remco in descents anymore. He ain't exceptional, but he's gotten decent.

I don't think any Red Bull rider has the chance to do what Quick-Step did with Remco today. Remco is comfortably in a league above them all imo in one-days. Remember this aint the past, this aint peak Roglic.

Landa dropped not long after Roglic and did not do much once the climb started. Beyond that i saw a push to the climb from soudal, positioning Remco. i don't see how Red Bull can't do that.

Edit: Nvm, i saw your edit.

 

[houtdffan]

Didn't see him sprinting after every turn. As i said, imho that was why Pog was able to put 40s into Evenepoel on the flat after the descent.

at least we won't have any Galiber or Puy Mary disasters

 

[Netserk]

Like when Simmons dropped? And eventually Storer?

Duh, I also thought he could drop a breakaway rider and Storer on rolling terrain yesterday.

But previous discussion was about Pogi. Can he cook Pogi on rolling terrain merely by riding hard in front of him?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

at least we won't have any Galiber or Puy Mary disasters

I have not seen anything that takes away those doubts. Him sprinting from hairpin to hairpin doesn't mean his technique has improved. It just meant he didn't lose time on the descent itself, but instead on the flat following the descent.

 

[Red Rick]

Remco should finally try Milan-San Remco! This monument is more unpredictable than others and has a few different winning patterns: Remco could win it with a solo in the finale (if riders from his group hesitate for a moment). I can't believe he hasn't tried it yet.

I can easily believe he hasn't raced Sanremo yet. I believe it has something to do the the curvature of objects in sheds.

 

[Berniece]

Duh, I also thought he could drop a breakaway rider and Storer on rolling terrain yesterday.

But previous discussion was about Pogi. Can he cook Pogi on rolling terrain merely by riding hard in front of him?

I think so, but this race didn’t proof that.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Remco should finally try Milan-San Remco! This monument is more unpredictable than others and has a few different winning patterns: Remco could win it with a solo in the finale (if riders from his group hesitate for a moment). I can't believe he hasn't tried it yet.

The main issue is his positioning, he’ll probably find himself in the middle of the peloton when Pogacar attacks and MVDP follows. If Evenepoel stays well positioned, it will be an interesting race and forces MVDP to work more if Evenepoel escapes.

 

[dobrien]

Remco has done good descents before. But clearly he isn't comfortable enough that he can do it consistently. So in order for us to assume his descending is good enough, he will need to show us at least this level consistently.

This. His current main competitors can arguably descend the Poggio much better than he can; he'd have to have a pretty massive gap to pull this off. Wishful thinking otherwise imho.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

This. His current main competitors can arguably descend the Poggio much better than he can; he'd have to have a pretty massive gap to pull this off. Wishful thinking otherwise imho.

I was talking about today's descent, but i understand your point regarding MSR. Of course that is a very short descent, and it might actually not be a bad thing for him if he has to bridge a small gap. Let's say he loses the wheels of his nearest competitors (let's assume Van der Poel, Pogacar, Del Toro, Van Aert...) and is dangling 50 meters behind a select group like that. That way he could come from behind and they might not see him coming straight away. If he can scooter past them, who is going to close the gap and burn his own chances?

 

[Red Rick]

This. His current main competitors can arguably descend the Poggio much better than he can; he'd have to have a pretty massive gap to pull this off. Wishful thinking otherwise imho.

Pedalling descent. He only needs a gap big enough that it doesn't get closed in the first corner and he's gone.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

Monument count is getting lopsided against Remco. He has been better than it looks numerically, IMO.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1977036924272754890

View: https://x.com/ammattipyoraily/status/1977036924272754890?s=46

 

[AlpRaid]

I hope giro has at least 100 kms of ITT.

Then a good, healthy winter. win Basque or Catalonia, finish 2nd to Pog at LBL, race Giro to win.

and then ride TDF to see how his body will respond to two GTs.

 

[Red Rick]

Yeah the Giro also needs to be a total non contest.

 

[AlpRaid]

Yeah the Giro also needs to be a total non contest.

meaning?

don't think so if del toro is there again, and maybe vingo...

 

[Oldman]

I only saw highlights but Remco looked comfortable on that twisty descent. Storer was lost early for a guy on a Swiss team with Alaphillippe. He needs more camp time with Julien.

 

[Berniece]

Remco should finally try Milan-San Remco! This monument is more unpredictable than others and has a few different winning patterns: Remco could win it with a solo in the finale (if riders from his group hesitate for a moment). I can't believe he hasn't tried it yet.

He should try a lot of new things in my opinion. Another season of focusing on Ardennes, TDF, WC/Lombardia is going to be so boring. Just ride a lot of things casually, have a bit of fun in your schedule. Just like Pogacar does basically.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Pedalling descent. He only needs a gap big enough that it doesn't get closed in the first corner and he's gone.

I'm not seeing him dropping Pog. Mat or Del Toro on that climb tbf. I think his best shot is at the foot of the descent, when others have to decide who is going to pull. If he can come from behind, the others might start looking at each other because nobody likes to chase Evenepoel as it is pretty much forfeiting their own chances.

 

[AmRacer]

the others might start looking at each other because nobody likes to chase Evenepoel as it is pretty much forfeiting their own chances.

Same result with not chasing Remco.

 

[dobrien]

Pedalling descent. He only needs a gap big enough that it doesn't get closed in the first corner and he's gone.

This is the same descent which the legendary Sean Kelly used to close the gap to Moreno Argentin to win one of the best ever MSR's, and which Matej Mohoric used to dump the field to win his MSR (watch that descent again if you've forgotten). It might be pedaling MOST of the way, but there are plenty of corners where you are exiting right up against the walls, centimeters from disaster. Current Remco would need a pretty significant gap turning left onto that descent to stay away from an MVDP for example, and that's a gap imho I don't think he's getting.

Of course, just my .02, YMMV as always.

 

[topt]

It needs to be rolling terrain, and the race needs to be long and hard.

oh man, you actually believe this....

 

[topt]

lol, sure. Great strategy in case Visma pays him.

he will cook Jonas next

 

[AmRacer]

he will cook Jonas next

Cook fish

 

[topt]

Like when Simmons dropped? And eventually Storer?

hm, I though his competition is Pog and Jonas

 

[Krzysztof_O]

He should try a lot of new things in my opinion. Another season of focusing on Ardennes, TDF, WC/Lombardia is going to be so boring. Just ride a lot of things casually, have a bit of fun in your schedule. Just like Pogacar does basically.

No reason not to try De Ronde. It's in his home country and there shouldn't be many doubts anymore regarding his abilities on cobbled hills. Sure, MVP and Pogacar are monsters there but why not having some fun and trying to challenge them? He wouldn't be favoured but top3 seems within his reach.