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

[Monsi]

If the single ITT is closer to 60 km (could easily get it to that length by including a loop at the start or finish), has Vingo ever done a very long ITT?

Remco has won 2 WCTTs on very long ITTs (23, 24)

According to PCS, the longest TT Jonas has ridden was a 40.7 km ITT in stage 20 of the 2022 TDF, where he should've won but he elected to gift it to Wout by slowing down in the final kilometer to savor his first Tour win.

Realistically, I think if Jonas and Remco rides the Giro and let's say, there's a 60 km ITT (which we can only dream of but we know it's not gonna happen) on the menu, I think Remco gains 1 minute to 1 minute and a half, if both are on a good day.

 

[KoopaCycling]

According to PCS, the longest TT Jonas has ridden was a 40.7 km ITT in stage 20 of the 2022 TDF, where he should've won but he elected to gift it to Wout by slowing down in the final kilometer to savor his first Tour win.

Realistically, I think if Jonas and Remco rides the Giro and let's say, there's a 60 km ITT (which we can only dream of but we know it's not gonna happen) on the menu, I think Remco gains 1 minute to 1 minute and a half, if both are on a good day.

Hard to say, much depends on how fresh Remco and Jonas come into this. But a minute seems about right.
Two minutes if this was a TT only race.

 

[houtdffan]

Hard to say, much depends on how fresh Remco and Jonas come into this. But a minute seems about right.
Two minutes if this was a TT only race.

Remco takes >3 min on pog over 40-50 in a itt standalone race. At 60 km, it would be ugly. And vingo can do a worse tt than pog.

2 min would be remco on a bad day

 

[vappaxbipmv]

Remco takes >3 min on pog over 40-50 in a itt standalone race. At 60 km, it would be ugly. And vingo can do a worse tt than pog.

2 min would be remco on a bad day

I agree. Flat ITT of an hour in a standalone event, I wouldn't expect Jonas to be under 3 minutes

 

[James M]

Jonas is not very strong in pancake‑flat time trials, even in GTs. However, he is really strong when the course is even slightly hilly. On a pancake‑flat 60 km TT, indeed around 3minutes. The longer and flatter the course, Evenepoel gets exponential better relative vs him for every km opposed to hilly ones where Jonas holds his own really good.

Remco has arguably the best sustained position to power ratio of all time in TT, very clear by now.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Hard to gauge Jonas vs Tadej when it comes to TT. Every now and then Jonas surprises me, whilst Tadej dissapoints. Maybe cause i'm naturally inclined to rate Tadej higher than Jonas overall. That said, Jonas tends to be nowhere in standalone races. Still i went for a conservative time gap since he always performs in stage racing.

I fully agree that the flatter the TT the bigger Remco gap can possible get. These days, even flat TT 's tend to have some amount of hilly terrain. rarely do we get an all flat TT these days.

Tomorrow Giro 2026 reveal no? though much we already now.

 

[Monsi]

Jonas is not very strong in pancake‑flat time trials, even in GTs. However, he is really strong when the course is even slightly hilly. On a pancake‑flat 60 km TT, indeed around 3minutes. The longer and flatter the course, Evenepoel gets exponential better relative vs him for every km opposed to hilly ones where Jonas holds his own really good.

Remco has arguably the best sustained position to power ratio of all time in TT, very clear by now.

Not in a GT, imo, where recovery matters. A 60 km ITT in a GT will always be placed around stage 8 onwards. In a fresh, one day ITT, then yes, Remco can take more than 3 minutes on Jonas in 60 km.

 

[hayneplane]

The best scenario for Remco would be a long ITT on stage 3-5 of a Grand Tour when everyone is still quite fresh. This is closest to the one off championship environment where Remco is as good as anyone in history whereas a day 20 ITT helps Jonas and Tadej to be much more in the mix.

 

[houtdffan]

we could settle this debate once and for all if Gouvenou would show some guts and have a TDF course like 1992.

Of course, 2 65km ITT plus a prologue would cause him to have a triple coronary heart attack, then the Sestreies and ADH stages back to back would cause him a mega stroke

 

[houtdffan]

The best scenario for Remco would be a long ITT on stage 3-5 of a Grand Tour when everyone is still quite fresh. This is closest to the one off championship environment where Remco is as good as anyone in history whereas a day 20 ITT helps Jonas and Tadej to be much more in the mix.

something like the 1989 or 1991 routes then?

He'd love 1991. I think that one had a 70km ITT into a headwind. Remco would take >5 mins that day

 

[Cycling111]

According to PCS, the longest TT Jonas has ridden was a 40.7 km ITT in stage 20 of the 2022 TDF, where he should've won but he elected to gift it to Wout by slowing down in the final kilometer to savor his first Tour win.

Realistically, I think if Jonas and Remco rides the Giro and let's say, there's a 60 km ITT (which we can only dream of but we know it's not gonna happen) on the menu, I think Remco gains 1 minute to 1 minute and a half, if both are on a good day.

2022 ITT wasn't flat.

 

[Cycling111]

The best scenario for Remco would be a long ITT on stage 3-5 of a Grand Tour when everyone is still quite fresh. This is closest to the one off championship environment where Remco is as good as anyone in history whereas a day 20 ITT helps Jonas and Tadej to be much more in the mix.

we could settle this debate once and for all if Gouvenou would show some guts and have a TDF course like 1992.

Of course, 2 65km ITT plus a prologue would cause him to have a triple coronary heart attack, then the Sestreies and ADH stages back to back would cause him a mega stroke

The problem is that Remco isn't Indurain, who won mountain stages and holds the record for the Plagne.

Whatever he gains, he'll lose in a couple of mountain stages.

By the way, mountain stages in the '90s were longer.
Therefore, the old routes with those mountain stages wouldn't suit him either.

 

[houtdffan]

The problem is that Remco isn't Indurain, who won mountain stages and holds the record for the Plagne.

Whatever he gains, he'll lose in a couple of mountain stages.

By the way, mountain stages in the '90s were longer.
Therefore, the old routes with those mountain stages wouldn't suit him either.

let's see him be able to try on a course like that. He'd only need to limit his losses on 1 of the 2 extreme mountain stages to likely win the TDF.

Also, he's not exactly that much worse of a climber than was Indurain. Some people are making Remco out to be Tony Martin or Cancellara, neither of whom could climb a lick. It's just that Vingo is a little better and Pog is the best climber of all time

 

[vappaxbipmv]

let's see him be able to try on a course like that. He'd only need to limit his losses on 1 of the 2 extreme mountain stages to likely win the TDF.

Also, he's not exactly that much worse of a climber than was Indurain. Some people are making Remco out to be Tony Martin or Cancellara, neither of whom could climb a lick. It's just that Vingo is a little better and Pog is the best climber of all time

I wouldn't classify Jonas as "a little better (climber)"

 

[Berniece]

I wouldn't classify Jonas as "a little better (climber)"

I agree, in 2024 Vingegaard was still much better. I do think Evenepoel is closing the gap to him, and I didn't find Vingegaard impressive in 2025. Would love to see both of them at their best in the Giro, but Evenepoel probably won't ride it.

 

[vappaxbipmv]

I agree, in 2024 Vingegaard was still much better. I do think Evenepoel is closing the gap to him, and I didn't find Vingegaard impressive in 2025. Would love to see both of them at their best in the Giro, but Evenepoel probably won't ride it.

He was infinitely more impressive at climbing than Remco this year. Saying that Remco is closing the gap is pure speculation at best and completely wrong at worst

 

[Cycling111]

I agree, in 2024 Vingegaard was still much better. I do think Evenepoel is closing the gap to him, and I didn't find Vingegaard impressive in 2025. Would love to see both of them at their best in the Giro, but Evenepoel probably won't ride it.

In 2025, he was also far superior to Remco in the mountains at Dauphiné and Hautacam.

There's no indication in 2025 that Remco can maintain a two-minute lead over Vingegaard in mountain stages.

 

[Cycling111]

let's see him be able to try on a course like that. He'd only need to limit his losses on 1 of the 2 extreme mountain stages to likely win the TDF.

Also, he's not exactly that much worse of a climber than was Indurain. Some people are making Remco out to be Tony Martin or Cancellara, neither of whom could climb a lick. It's just that Vingo is a little better and Pog is the best climber of all time

Yes, he's worse than Indurain because you have to compare what Indurain did against the best climbers of his era. He could win mountain stages and even set records surpassing the best climbers.

Remco hasn't even come close to winning a mountain stage in the Tour.

He's no Tony Martin, but it's also a mistake to do these constant analyses as if he were Indurain in mountain stages against the best of his era.
And we're talking about longer mountain stages with four categorized climbs. Remco would lose even more time than he's already been losing on mountain stages.

 

[Berniece]

In 2025, he was also far superior to Remco in the mountains at Dauphiné and Hautacam.

Because Evenepoel in the mountains in 2025 was a fair assessment of his strength...

 

[Berniece]

He was infinitely more impressive at climbing than Remco this year. Saying that Remco is closing the gap is pure speculation at best and completely wrong at worst

Yes, but for Evenepoel there was an excuse. While I didn't find Vingegaard impressive compared to his 2022-2024 level, for example. If he rides the Giro like he did the Vuelta and Evenepoel would be at his best, I don't think Vingegaard would win that Giro.

 

[vappaxbipmv]

Yes, but for Evenepoel there was an excuse. While I didn't find Vingegaard impressive compared to his 2022-2024 level, for example. If he rides the Giro like he did the Vuelta and Evenepoel would be at his best, I don't think Vingegaard would win that Giro.

Yes but saying that Remco is closing the gap is a very big stretch. There was nothing this season indicating that this is the truth. Even more, if Jonas was at his standard level, the gap would probably look even bigger