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

[Cycling111]

Very similar to last year

There is few mountain.

 

[Berniece]

There is few mountain.

I don't necessarily have that feeling when I compare the two. Seems very similar to me.

https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/paris-nice/2025/route/stage-profiles

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

View: https://x.com/ammattipyoraily/status/2001246775441809461/photo/1

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

I haven't stayed on top of all these threads. What is the consensus on the ceiling for Remco in 2026, if all goes really well? To me, it's something like:

Win a stage race
Podium the Tour and be within 5 minutes of victory
Win a Monument / WC

 

[KoopaCycling]

I haven't stayed on top of all these threads. What is the consensus on the ceiling for Remco in 2026, if all goes really well? To me, it's something like:

Win a stage race
Podium the Tour and be within 5 minutes of victory
Win a Monument / WC

Have not thought about it. Just want a healthy season and him showing up looking slightly better than at soudal. I read his current training is more intense than at the same time with soudal. Hopefully that is a good thing.

 

[Berniece]

I haven't stayed on top of all these threads. What is the consensus on the ceiling for Remco in 2026, if all goes really well? To me, it's something like:

Win a stage race
Podium the Tour and be within 5 minutes of victory
Win a Monument / WC

Yes, but also win multiple stage races. If it really goes well. Valencia is probably a given, since I expect him to come out of the gate running, but I would prefer a bigger stage race on his palmares too.

 

[pablohidalgo7]

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.

Exactly, Roglic rarely gives his all without the guarantee of gaining significant time on a rival when the race is very close (last year's Volta a Catalunya is the exception, and I think that's because he was frustrated with the intermediate sprints).

And that was clearly seen at Lo Port. In my opinion, he was quite fresh in the last kilometer or so, and if he had gone all out without any tricks, he could have gained at least 10 more seconds, but he overestimated Remco's strength. Also, in the last two laps of Montjuïc, he was, in my opinion, fresher than Remco, and it wouldn't have been impossible to drop him at the summit or in the descent, but there he had no need to do that after the Belgian's effort.

However, I give Bernie credit for Remco being stronger both at La Molina (obviously) and slightly at Valter, and on the day Remco attacked on a short climb, I know his body language too well, and Primoz was on the limit, unlike in the other stages I mentioned above. The sprint of the first stage is dubious, because I remember some comentators mentioning a headwind and Roglic was in top 2 places for the entire 600m climb while Remco made a brutal comeback but was very well protected in the slipstream, in fact in the last 50 meters he didn't gain anything.

So they were evenly matched in strength but overall Primoz was better, which is the importan thing.

 

[Andre]

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.

Yes, Remco was the strongest. Anybody who watched would know this.

 

[AmRacer]

Yes, Remco was the strongest. Anybody who watched would know this.

On the contrary, everybody who watched could see Rogla was the strongest.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Yes, Remco was the strongest. Anybody who watched would know this.

Remco was a teeny tiny bit stronger. But not strong enough to truly gap him. In the end hubris/joy of outsprinting Roglic got to him

 

[HashRouge]

I haven't stayed on top of all these threads. What is the consensus on the ceiling for Remco in 2026, if all goes really well? To me, it's something like:

Win a stage race
Podium the Tour and be within 5 minutes of victory
Win a Monument / WC

I was listening to the Escape Collective podcast at the weekend and one of the contributors (I think it was Ronan McLaughlin) said that he thinks Remco might make some big improvements next year, based on everything he's been hearing about Red Bull recently. The EC guys are proper journalists and are fairly dialled in, so it sounded like McLaughlin was basing that on slightly more than pure conjecture. What that actually means in terms of results, who knows!

 

[Berniece]

I was listening to the Escape Collective podcast at the weekend and one of the contributors (I think it was Ronan McLaughlin) said that he thinks Remco might make some big improvements next year, based on everything he's been hearing about Red Bull recently. The EC guys are proper journalists and are fairly dialled in, so it sounded like McLaughlin was basing that on slightly more than pure conjecture. What that actually means in terms of results, who knows!

If he wins some races impressively it's already an indication, but the real first test will be Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and obviously TDF

 

[Oldman]

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

Spoken like someone hating the thought he has outsprinted your hero on any uphill finish. Probably flat finish, too.

 

[red_flanders]

Good lord, kids.

Counting the days until Het Nieuwsblad...

 

[Berniece]

Spoken like someone hating the thought he has outsprinted your hero on any uphill finish. Probably flat finish, too.

Not really. Evenepoel has outsprinted Roglic a couple of times too.

 

[Jan the Man]

So

If he wins some races impressively it's already an indication, but the real first test will be Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and obviously TDF

Sometimes being in a new environment out of 'comfort zone's pushes you to achieve more.

Remco is already outstanding and in any other era would be a top favourite for the Tour and obviously the hilly classics (where he already is behind Pog). In some regard he is unlucky to be racing in the same era as Pog and Vignegaard - rewind 10 years and his palmares would already be enhanced at this stage of his career. On the other hand he still has capacity to improve much (particularly GT climbing) and his results mean more given the era.he is achieving them in.

I expect an improvement this year certainly climbing wise - but I would be very surprised to see such a jump to be in a position to realistically challenge Pog in the Tour itself this year. He needs to show a step forward this year - maybe the following year he can realistically challenge - particularly if Pog pivots focus more towards achieving his remaining objectives etc

 

[Hugh Januss]

Not really. Evenepoel has outsprinted Roglic a couple of times too.

 

[CyclistAbi]

There is much much more Rogla talk in this thread then in the official Rogla thread. One would think their schedules in the 2026 season actually do mix to some extent.

 

[Oldman]

There is much much more Rogla talk in this thread then in the official Rogla thread. One would think their schedules in the 2026 season actually do mix to some extent.

There might be some apprehension among the faithful that Remco will need to admit, reconcile and improve to the lessons Roglic has taught and can teach him. He should, as his time is now to take a step up.

 

[red_flanders]

There is much much more Rogla talk in this thread then in the official Rogla thread. One would think their schedules in the 2026 season actually do mix to some extent.

Make 400 posts about Roglic in the Evenepoel thread, then be like “Boy there sure are a lot of Roglic posts in this thread…”

 

[TrekCyclist]

and in any other era would be a top favourite for the Tour

maybe. but tbh we are not certain if he is even the top favourite for TdF in his own team currently.

 

[Berniece]

maybe. but tbh we are not certain if he is even the top favourite for TdF in his own team currently.

Well there’s a shared leadership at the moment of course. Wouldn’t that say they are equals?

 

[CyclistAbi]

There might be some apprehension among the faithful that Remco will need to admit, reconcile and improve to the lessons Roglic has taught and can teach him. He should, as his time is now to take a step up.

It doesn't seem that their schedules mix in the 2026 season all that much so i guess first they will need to spend some time together and i guess start talking.

Make 400 posts about Roglic in the Evenepoel thread, then be like “Boy there sure are a lot of Roglic posts in this thread…”

For sure it was me that talked about Rogla in this thread extensively in recent past. I just expressed my amazement, considering they are not rivals any more and considering their schedules don't seem to mix at all. It's like they live in parallel universe yet still the fandom has them matched together.

 

[red_flanders]

For sure it was me that talked about Rogla in this thread extensively in recent past. I just expressed my amazement, considering they are not rivals any more and considering their schedules don't seem to mix at all. It's like they live in parallel universe yet still the fandom has them matched together.

Don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone concede a point (progress, thank you!) and miss it entirely, at the very same time.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@red_flanders

That was my point exactly and you worded it perfectly in your second attempt. When we work together on something we truly do get better results.

 

[Berniece]

Evenepoel is getting ready for the new season, and did an end of year interview with Sporza. He thinks he can improve and win TDF. With a proper base he can do different training methods and increase the intensity which will improve his vo2 max. We’ll know if it’s working in Catalunya

Remco Evenepoel brandt van ambitie in 2026: "Ik kan de Tour winnen en ik wil beter zijn dan Tadej Pogacar" | sporza

2025 loopt op zijn laatste benen, 2026 staat in de gang te wachten. Sporza gaat tijdens de kerstvakantie op bezoek bij Belgische topsporters en Remco Evenepoel bijt de spits af. Komend seizoen staat nagenoeg volledig in het teken van de Tour de France en het geloof in zijn kansen lijkt bij...

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