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

[Oldman]

I think some posters don't always realize how injuries, crashes and illness have delayed Remco's career.

For example, he was to do the giro in 2020.
We might have seen him at the TDF even in 2021 at that point -- or perhaps the Vuelta would have been in 2021 and the TDF in 2022.

Instead, he rushed back to the Giro in 2021 and did the Vuelta in 2022. His return to the Giro in 2023 was then thwarted by Covid, that then forced him to the Vuelta without proper prep. Then the TDF in 2024 -- successful, despite even a rushed prep due to crash. Then 2025 crash.

I want to be clear, this is not about whether he would have been more successful and won any of those races, but it just goes to show how all of the crashes, injuries and illness have delayed a guy who turned pro at 18-19 from entering and/or completing a bunch of races earlier in his career.

I personally would have loved to see him him target the Giro this year, and then see how he could do in the TDF even after that. However, I understand why they made the choices they made. Let's see how he can do with an injury-free build towards a TDF that doesn't even play to his strengths - I think that's kind of honorable. He is choosing to put all the chips down in a race he is likely to be dominated by the other two, instead of chasing an arguably better chance at the Giro or whatever.

Agree and the two middle paragraphs emphasize the level of mismanagement and preparation he was exposed to. It's hard to say he is to blame for the choices made when he was a hyped 18 year old. Too much pressure to make a huge jump.
Now he's gotten a great, fresh start. It's not an indication of too much more than we've seen in early seasons before but now he has more disciplined help and a chance at reasonable, long term expectations.

 

[Oldman]

I agree with most of what was posted here, with the caveat that Red Bull was always going to make the Tour his biggest target in his first year with them. Remco would have needed to throw the biggest of tantrums if he wanted to make any other GT his primary target this year.

He needs to ride the Tour on a good team to know what it takes to win. Pogacar being absent would help.

 

[repre]

I think some posters don't always realize how injuries, crashes and illness have delayed Remco's career.

For example, he was to do the giro in 2020.
We might have seen him at the TDF even in 2021 at that point -- or perhaps the Vuelta would have been in 2021 and the TDF in 2022.

Instead, he rushed back to the Giro in 2021 and did the Vuelta in 2022. His return to the Giro in 2023 was then thwarted by Covid, that then forced him to the Vuelta without proper prep. Then the TDF in 2024 -- successful, despite even a rushed prep due to crash. Then 2025 crash.

I want to be clear, this is not about whether he would have been more successful and won any of those races, but it just goes to show how all of the crashes, injuries and illness have delayed a guy who turned pro at 18-19 from entering and/or completing a bunch of races earlier in his career.

I personally would have loved to see him him target the Giro this year, and then see how he could do in the TDF even after that. However, I understand why they made the choices they made. Let's see how he can do with an injury-free build towards a TDF that doesn't even play to his strengths - I think that's kind of honorable. He is choosing to put all the chips down in a race he is likely to be dominated by the other two, instead of chasing an arguably better chance at the Giro or whatever.

He is crashing a lot cause he lacks technique. It's not like he was just unlucky. And it's likely won't go away. He will crash again. And if not that will be pure luck)

 

[AlpRaid]

He is crashing a lot cause he lacks technique. It's not like he was just unlucky. And it's likely won't go away. He will crash again. And if not that will be pure luck)

Seriously? How is this got ANYTHING to do with the point I was making?

Absolutely zero.

You are on ignore because you cannot be bothered to actually read my post. You just triggered your own agenda. Unreal.

 

[Berniece]

He is crashing a lot cause he lacks technique. It's not like he was just unlucky. And it's likely won't go away. He will crash again. And if not that will be pure luck)

Does WVA also lack technique?

 

[AmRacer]

Does WVA also lack technique?

Yeah, at least the last couple of seasons.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Does WVA also lack technique?

People will always finds stuff to criticise about someone they dislike. Remco will never be a MVDP but only his Lombardia crash can be immediately correlated to his bike handling.

-Lombardia - yes (but others crashed there before, known danger point)
- Covid - Obviously no (not a crash)
- Basque - Mostly no. You can nitpick and say maybe with MVDP level bike handling he could have held that corner, or not crashed in the woods after succesfully jumping over the ditch. All in all i think he could have crashed far worse there and i would say the crash was due to the peloton as a whole taking too much risk. Hence so many of the favourites crashed and suffered there.
- Postal cardoor - No, nothing to do with bike handling, if you want to blame it on Remco it's cause of him not showing enough situational awareness of potential danger.

 

[Berniece]

People will always finds stuff to criticise about someone they dislike. Remco will never be a MVDP but only his Lombardia crash can be immediately correlated to his bike handling.

-Lombardia - yes (but others crashed there before, known danger point)
- Covid - Obviously no (not a crash)
- Basque - Mostly no. You can nitpick and say maybe with MVDP level bike handling he could have held that corner, or not crashed in the woods after succesfully jumping over the ditch. All in all i think he could have crashed far worse there and i would say the crash was due to the peloton as a whole taking too much risk. Hence so many of the favourites crashed and suffered there.
- Postal cardoor - No, nothing to do with bike handling, if you want to blame it on Remco it's cause of him not showing enough situational awareness of potential danger.

I'm aware. He isn't the most technical gifted, and I still feel he is bad at cornering, but it's not like his crashes and misfortune the past few years was always his fault.

 

[Oldman]

He is crashing a lot cause he lacks technique. It's not like he was just unlucky. And it's likely won't go away. He will crash again. And if not that will be pure luck)

Bike handling is an acquired skill that takes time. Some are more inclined, particularly if they've been in similar sports like motocross, alpine skiing, gymnastics.
It also takes good vision and a developed sense of advance tracking riders and pack pace. It also helps to be away from other riders as much as you can manage it. Getting caught in pack crashes is inevitable but riders like Pogacar seem to gravitate to open areas or the front when the pace goes up. He can learn, if he dedicates the time.

 

[Oldman]

Yeah, at least the last couple of seasons.

Jonathan Vaughters quit racing because he felt his lack of form had him constantly fatigued. He attributed that to poor pack placement, slower response time and increased tension. Those attributes don't help bike handling. A tense or apprehensive rider is a danger to himself and others.

This is how an alpine skier would descend:

'We have earned our place - no one can take that away from us' – Tom Pidcock confirms return to Tour de France as leader for Pinarello-Q36.5 debut

Swiss ProTeam earned their way to a place at the 2026 edition mainly thanks to star British rider

www.cyclingnews.com

 

[Oldman]

Yeah, at least the last couple of seasons.

He lacks form. That puts him in a bad place to gain pack position and has him fatigued when he needs to be aware. He's used to being in the front of the field anytime he wanted to be. Not so much except the last stage of the Tour. He got where he needed to be on wet pave and rode perfectly.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Evenepoel remains unbeaten in 2026. I wonder if he can keep this up for the rest of the season.

Pogi is thanking God that Lord Remco skips MSR, Flandres and Roubaix this year.

 

[Berniece]

Pogi is thanking God that Lord Remco skips MSR, Flandres and Roubaix this year.

Luck merchant strikes again

 

[Extinction]

Does WVA also lack technique?

Or Roglic?

 

[Berniece]

Or Roglic?

My point is it's not necessarily to do with technique

 

[KoopaCycling]

Gonna be an interesting Valenciana for those that dislike Remco. After all Almeida who took the next step last year and is considered almost on par with Vingegaard and already better than remco (according to them) is facing up against remco this week. Given that Almeida weight is more consistent, and no bigtime crashes that impeded his development, surely he will completely smoke Remco this week. I'm sure they will be expecting a clear and significant gap with Remco.

 

[vappaxbipmv]

Gonna be an interesting Valenciana for those that dislike Remco. After all Almeida who took the next step last year and is considered almost on par with Vingegaard and already better than remco (according to them) is facing up against remco this week. Given that Almeida weight is more consistent, and no bigtime crashes that impeded his development, surely he will completely smoke Remco this week. I'm sure they will be expecting a clear and significant gap with Remco.

You wouldn't write that if you'd look at the race profile

 

[Cycling111]

Gonna be an interesting Valenciana for those that dislike Remco. After all Almeida who took the next step last year and is considered almost on par with Vingegaard and already better than remco (according to them) is facing up against remco this week. Given that Almeida weight is more consistent, and no bigtime crashes that impeded his development, surely he will completely smoke Remco this week. I'm sure they will be expecting a clear and significant gap with Remco.

This comment is very biased because you know there's no mountain finish or hard mountain stage in Valencia this year.
Besides, Almeida lost againsf Buitrago last year on a tougher course. His starts are never the best; Paris-Nice is always his worst race.

 

[AmRacer]

Gonna be an interesting Valenciana for those that dislike Remco. After all Almeida who took the next step last year and is considered almost on par with Vingegaard and already better than remco (according to them) is facing up against remco this week. Given that Almeida weight is more consistent, and no bigtime crashes that impeded his development, surely he will completely smoke Remco this week. I'm sure they will be expecting a clear and significant gap with Remco.

Almeida isn't almost on par with Jonas.

 

[Cycling111]

You wouldn't write that if you'd look at the race profile

Totally.

And I'm one of those who thinks Almeida would finish fourth in the Tour behind Remco (but in a one-week race with mountain stages, I do see him being able to beat him because Remco is completely beatable in races like Dauphiné or Romandie.), but his comment is very misleading given the route in Valencia.

A word of advice: if Remco dominates here, as is likely, don't use the Tour as a benchmark because the reality check could be huge.

We have to remember that Cancellara won Tirreno-Adriatico when the routes were more similar to Valencia than to Dauphiné. Probably, Cancellara could win Valencia with this route.

 

[Cycling111]

Almeida isn't almost on par with Jonas.

I think only a couple of people dared to say otherwise.
More people think Remco will beat him in the Tour this year.

And he'll once again be the second strongest climber by a wide margin.

 

[Berniece]

More people think Remco will beat him in the Tour this year.

Please quote those people, [content deleted] I haven't seen anyone saying Evenepoel is going to beat Vingegaard at the TDF.

 

[Cycling111]

Please quote those people, or stop spouting nonsense. I haven't seen anyone saying Evenepoel is going to beat Vingegaard at the TDF.

I have to quote messages from weeks ago, but you don't ask the same to the one who says ro so many says that Almeida is better than Vingegaard.
Go find those messages that say Almeida is better than Vingegaard.

[content deleted]

 

[Pozzovivo]

Please quote those people, or stop spouting nonsense. I haven't seen anyone saying Evenepoel is going to beat Vingegaard at the TDF.

I've said that multiple times and here is one for you. Evenepoel is going to beat Vingegaard at the TDF this year.

 

[jotafap]

With the data we have right now, I think it’s pretty clear Almeida is better over three weeks. Of course things can change this year, Remco’s on a new team and you never know how much he can still improve. But Valencia obviously won’t answer any of that, it's a preparation race without any major difficulties...