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

[Red Rick]

How do we define he is the strongest if he is not able to drop his competitors?

If the MTF comes down to an uphill sprint and you swerve across your rival 3 times and still drop seconds on the finish line, then you know you were the strongest.

 

[vappaxbipmv]

How do we define he is the strongest if he is not able to drop his competitors?
Is Evenepoel just stronger by default until he isn't?

Yes. Unless somebody proves that they're better on that specific day. Then and only then can we say that somebody was stronger than Remco unless there's a logical explanation such as bad preparation, dropped seat or too much weight. In that case Remco was still the strongest, he just couldn't show it for various objective reasons

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

Since you didn't rewatch it, here's a summary.

Stage 1
Roglic won, Evenepoel 2nd, while Evenepoel rode the fastest sprint and came from far back.

Stage 2
Evenepoel attacked multiple times, wasn't able to drop Roglic and Ciccone. Evenepoel kept pulling those two up the mountain, no one helping, to eventually see Ciccone win, Roglic 2nd.
I would already call this dumb and arrogant of Evenepoel

Stage 3
Evenepoel attacked but wasn't able to drop Roglic, but everyone else was behind. Eventually in the last hundreds of meters Evenepoel was able to drop Roglic, and started cheering 20-30m before finish costing him multiple seconds.
I call this dumb and arrogant again.

Stage 4
Bunch sprint

Stage 5
Remco starts with attacking, but eventually Roglic finally does the same too. Stopped sitting in the wheel and tried to drop Remco, failed. Then at 300m before the finish Evenepoel already launches his sprint, he's already fading after 150m while Roglic was happy with someone being his leadout. In the last 50m, Roglic stomps on Evenepoel, and takes 5-6s.
It isn't the first time that Evenepoel overestimated himself in the last hundreds of meters of a mountain finish. Started way too soon, and collapsed very quickly. Arrogant of him.

Stage 6
Small bunch sprint

Stage 7
Evenepoel kept trying to drop Roglic, but wasn't able to. Remco eventually won the sprint, but Roglic didn't put much effort in it since he already won the tour by 6s.

So yeah overall I would say that Roglic won Catalunya due to being more mature, riding smarter while Remco was stronger, but arrogant and overestimating his own abilities. Remco could've won this by purely sprinting to the finish in stage 3, and waiting a bit longer on stage 5.

I’m not sure how this proves Remco was the strongest. After all, you don’t know what Roglic could have done had he ridden with Remco’s lack of restraint. As it stands, he rode a measured race and won. Sure, LanterneRouge chose to represent La Port on their map as Evenepoel’s superior performance, bizarre given that Roglic won several seconds clear, but you also have to ask yourself: Was Roglic maxed out there? He sure looked cool as a cucumber hitting his Garmin stop button as Remco died a thousand deaths behind him. Seems like you’re giving Remco all the credit for hypotheticals but none to Roglic…you’re framing it as if this was Talansky stealing a Dauphine from a far superior Contador. This is far from that.

 

[peterfin]

How do we define he is the strongest if he is not able to drop his competitors?
Is Evenepoel just stronger by default until he isn't?

Dropping somebody requires explosivity (burst) not strength (duration). If they keep drafting in his wheel it's because they can't work with him (lack of strength) or don't want to (tactics). Many times competitors say afterwards that he was too strong. They would waste their chances if they help him. He is the best TT'er after all. 'Footballer' Remco typically tries to persuade them with hand gestures.

 

[aphronesis]

This isn’t strictly true. You can drop someone on tempo by holding and bringing it up. At which point burst/explosivity is on top of that.

But, say, Basso’s Zoncolan does it mostly on tempo.

Maybe that applies less now; distances, etc.

 

[Berniece]

I’m not sure how this proves Remco was the strongest. After all, you don’t know what Roglic could have done had he ridden with Remco’s lack of restraint. As it stands, he rode a measured race and won. Sure, LanterneRouge chose to represent La Port on their map as Evenepoel’s superior performance, bizarre given that Roglic won several seconds clear, but you also have to ask yourself: Was Roglic maxed out there? He sure looked cool as a cucumber hitting his Garmin stop button as Remco died a thousand deaths behind him. Seems like you’re giving Remco all the credit for hypotheticals but none to Roglic…you’re framing it as if this was Talansky stealing a Dauphine from a far superior Contador. This is far from that.

Because Evenepoel always showed to get the most out of it, he always seemed to max out. He definitely showed he did the most work. Since he lost by mere seconds and it’s clear he could’ve won it by racing smarter, he looked the strongest.

If Roglic could’ve taken a bigger gap, he would have. As if he’s comfortable with such a small lead.

 

[AmRacer]

Because Evenepoel always showed to get the most out of it, he always seemed to max out. He definitely showed he did the most work. Since he lost by mere seconds and it’s clear he could’ve won it by racing smarter, he looked the strongest.

If Roglic could’ve taken a bigger gap, he would have. As if he’s comfortable with such a small lead.

Rogla had this perfectly under control, because he was the smartest and strongest.

 

[Oldman]

Haha, happens so often that he’s stronger and wonders why others can’t take turn, that I forget during which race it happened

Roglic is a Racer, like Pogacar and MvP. If you have a gap from a group and someone feels the need to take hero pulls; you let them and nuke the sprint. Pogacar is happy to goad Jonas into an attack he can cover, then counter. It's pretty basic strategy.

If he makes the biggest efforts and others can’t

Won't; and don't need to do to win. Remco will learn but that's what will come from training to win GTs, hopefully.

 

[Berniece]

Roglic is a Racer, like Pogacar and MvP. If you have a gap from a group and someone feels the need to take hero pulls; you let them and nuke the sprint. Pogacar is happy to goad Jonas into an attack he can cover, then counter. It's pretty basic strategy.

Roglic is nothing like Pogacar and MVDP. He is called a wheelsucker for a reason.

 

[AmRacer]

Roglic is nothing like Pogacar and MVDP. He is called a wheelsucker for a reason.

I have watching him attack many times. Onley Hayters calling him a wheelsucker.

 

[Berniece]

RBH expects the Sagan effect now that Evenepoel has joined the team. The idea is that a high profile rider takes the pressure away from others while also motivating them with wins. They had 23 wins in 2025 and expect many more in 2026.

"Hopelijk zorgt Remco voor Sagan-effect": ploegbaas looft Evenepoel en geeft fans hoop door de Ronde als "must" te bestempelen | sporza

Bij Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe wrijven ze zich in de handen met Remco Evenepoel. Ze dromen stilletjes dat onze landgenoot de hele ploeg vleugels geeft. "Lipowitz is blij dat Evenepoel druk bij hem wegneemt", klinkt het.

sporza.be

 

[Berflamand]

How do we define he is the strongest if he is not able to drop his competitors?
Is Evenepoel just stronger by default until he isn't?

I'm not going to argue that Remco was the strongest in Catalunya 2023. I think that was too close to call and even though I wanted Remco to win, I'm glad we got a fun and exciting race.

But I do think that at least sometimes you can argue that someone was the strongest even if he's not able to drop his competitors, especially if it's due to riding dumb.

Wouldn't you say that Remco was stronger than Colbrelli at the ECC 2021? Or more recently that Remco was stronger than Skjelmose at Amstel ?

 

[Red Rick]

Roglic is nothing like Pogacar and MVDP. He is called a wheelsucker for a reason.

And the reason is propaganda

 

[Berniece]

Route for Paris-Nice 2026 has been announced. If I was him I might choose to do UAE Tour + Paris-Nice and then go to altitude and skip Catalunya. Instead of doing Catalunya and no Paris-Nice. Then again, doing Catalunya after altitude camp improves his chances immensely.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2001246775441809461

 

[Cycling111]

The weakest Paris-Nice route in years?

 

[Berniece]

The weakest Paris-Nice route in years?

Very similar to last year

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

More longer climbs in Catalunya. If he’s serious about his GC ambitions he should race more proper mountains. So I think chosing Catalunya over Paris-Nice is fine.

 

[hayneplane]

The weakest Paris-Nice route in years?

Stage 1 and 4 look interesting but 7+8 are very underwhelming considering the available terrain in the region.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

Because Evenepoel always showed to get the most out of it, he always seemed to max out. He definitely showed he did the most work. Since he lost by mere seconds and it’s clear he could’ve won it by racing smarter, he looked the strongest.

If Roglic could’ve taken a bigger gap, he would have. As if he’s comfortable with such a small lead.

Another way to look at this is, Unlike Remco, Roglic never had to do a max effort and still won.

 

[Berniece]

Another way to look at this is, Unlike Remco, Roglic never had to do a max effort and still won.

Sure, if you want to go with that story. Nothing indicated this, definitely not what happened during stage 5, but if that's what you want to believe, feel free. It's clear to me Roglic fans have difficulty with this anyway. It's not enough that people say he was the smartest and best rider during Catalunya, oh no if someone says he wasn't the strongest that race.

 

[Extinction]

Bernad Hinault said the strongest rider doesn't always win. I'm not going to throw myself into the gauntlet over who was the strongest, but it really does not matter if, among the strongest, one is more savy. That is proverbial bike racing. This means that Evenepoel has to be even more astute, than Roglic was to him, against Pogacar.

 

[AmRacer]

Sure, if you want to go with that story. Nothing indicated this, definitely not what happened during stage 5, but if that's what you want to believe, feel free. It's clear to me Roglic fans have difficulty with this anyway. It's not enough that people say he was the smartest and best rider during Catalunya, oh no if someone says he wasn't the strongest that race.

That's the real story, it's facts. Rogla was the strongest.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

@Berniece Is it surprising that Remco fans think he was clearly the strongest and would have won the 2022 Vuelta even if Roglic hadn't come into the race injured or crashed out, and that Roglic fans feel the reverse? Or that Roglic fans think he demonstrated his wiles and strength in that 2023 Catalunya whereas Remco fans want to frame it as a win he should have had on strength? Not really. Roglic fans have suffered enough disappointment to be able to see things clearly through the cloud of emotions.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

Sure, if you want to go with that story. Nothing indicated this, definitely not what happened during stage 5, but if that's what you want to believe, feel free. It's clear to me Roglic fans have difficulty with this anyway. It's not enough that people say he was the smartest and best rider during Catalunya, oh no if someone says he wasn't the strongest that race.

Also, Remco's taken Roglic's spot as top dog in GT time trails, he's taken Roglic's team, he's taking his Tour spot, he's taking his facial hair, and now you want the title as strongest rider in 2023 Catalunya?! Come on

 

[Berniece]

@Berniece Is it surprising that Remco fans think he was clearly the strongest and would have won the 2022 Vuelta even if Roglic hadn't come into the race injured or crashed out, and that Roglic fans feel the reverse? Or that Roglic fans think he demonstrated his wiles and strength in that 2023 Catalunya whereas Remco fans want to frame it as a win he should have had on strength? Not really. Roglic fans have suffered enough disappointment to be able to see things clearly through the cloud of emotions.

Well I actually think Roglic was the strongest during the TDF 2020, but out of spite I’ll change my opinion on this!!!