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

[Extinction]

It's silly to think he can't ride a proper TT when weighing less. He won OG weighing less. He rode Roglic on 45s in Vuelta 2022 weighing less. It's dumb of them really.

It shouldn't even be a consideration. If he wants to win GC in a race with a hard climb like yesterday, he needs to come in with upper body mass at a minimum. If he still takes the TT it's a bonus, not a principal aim.

 

[Extinction]

I don't think remco can maintain his GT weight throughout a whole season.

It seems his upper body mass kills him on a climb like yesterday. He needs to reduce that, which starts in November.

 

[Salvarani]

“The air conditioning in my room wasn’t working” – Remco Evenepoel admits sleepless night may have played role in UAE Tour setback

Less than 24 hours after cracking badly on Jebel Mobrah and surrendering the UAE Tour lead, Remco Evenepoel offered a surprisingly calm explanation for his collapse. “The air conditioning in my room w...

cyclinguptodate.com

Yes, Remco! That's it! Please never change!

Lmfao

Thats too good

 

[KoopaCycling]

It seems his upper body mass kills him on a climb like yesterday. He needs to reduce that, which starts in November.

Well if remco is doing upper body strength training he might want to re-consider the approach if his upper body is part of the reason he has a tough time. I mean some upper body training is probably necessary for the shoulder/back muscles and all that. But he should not be aiming to be the worlds strongest when it comes to upper body strenght. no idea what they do, professionals trainers should know what to do.

 

[Salvarani]

It seems his upper body mass kills him on a climb like yesterday. He needs to reduce that, which starts in November.

Wife wont be too happy

 

[Mayomaniac]

Lmfao

Thats too good

Big "the dog ate my homework" energy.

 

[Pozzovivo]

I don't see why not. Evenepoel has a big engine, but as long as he struggles to haul that engine up a mountain, advantage Onley.

Are you trolling me? Do you actually believe that coming in to the tour this year, Onley is a bigger favorite than Evenepoel?

Why do you think every bookmaker has Remco above Onley for Tour GC?

 

[Unchained]

Lmfao

Thats too good

Daytime highs are low to mid 80s..it's not that hot. Go watch TV in someone else's room, what a baby. Lots of Belgium gets in the 90s and the air is thick grey.

 

[Unchained]

Are you trolling me? Do you actually believe that coming in to the tour this year, Onley is a bigger favorite than Evenepoel?

Why do you think every bookmaker has Remco above Onley for Tour GC?

My money is on Oscar!

 

[cafe_rider]

Remco have had so many problems though. Crashed by freakin postman pat last winter. I agree that his record is bad. It's indisputable. I see your point for sure, if i had to bet on finishing all GT in 5-10th position I would choose Onley over RE.

My point is rather. If I had to bet a considerable amount on one rider that is not Pog and JV to win one of the Tour de frances the next five years - I am completely certain that I would place it on Remco Evenepoel. Who would you place you money on?

Onley would never be in serious consideration. I'd rather try wildcards like Seixas and Nordhagen than him.

Nobody (in my opinion) can win the tour in the next 3 years if either of those riders are there and healthy (Again BOTH could get sick or have an issue). so it comes down to most likely to win in their absence
I would say in next three years Remco or Lipowitz and if I had to place money I would go for Lipowitz as he seems to be more consistent (again far fewer data points) but it is basically 50/50 between those two
On a 5 year window I would say
Del Toro and Seixas are the most likely to rise up the rankings and have a higher ceiling than Remco (although I am not convinced on Del Toro for multi-mountain stages). Somebody will be winning the Tour in 2029/2030 and my bet is that it is not Pogacar or Vingegaard but I also do not think it is Remco. I think 2028 Pogacar does not do the Tour to focus on the Olympic RR and Remco has a possibility there but depends on Vingegarrd. a lot of conjecture here but just my opinion

 

[Pozzovivo]

Nobody (in my opinion) can win the tour in the next 3 years if either of those riders are there and healthy (Again BOTH could get sick or have an issue). so it comes down to most likely to win in their absence
I would say in next three years Remco or Lipowitz and if I had to place money I would go for Lipowitz as he seems to be more consistent (again far fewer data points) but it is basically 50/50 between those two
On a 5 year window I would say
Del Toro and Seixas are the most likely to rise up the rankings and have a higher ceiling than Remco (although I am not convinced on Del Toro for multi-mountain stages). Somebody will be winning the Tour in 2029/2030 and my bet is that it is not Pogacar or Vingegaard but I also do not think it is Remco. I think 2028 Pogacar does not do the Tour to focus on the Olympic RR and Remco has a possibility there but depends on Vingegarrd. a lot of conjecture here but just my opinion

Fair enough. We are just echelons apart when it comes to our perception of how Remco ranks against the other guys in top shape I guess. I still think Remco can make big steps forward as a GC rider in the coming years.

 

[Tim Cahill]

The air conditioning thing, it’s a truly wonderful piece of work, had a massive smile on my face when I saw it this morning. The good thing is we have another mountain to see if he was just chatting ***. I hope he wins on Hafeet, just to add to the drama.

 

[kingjr]

Nobody (in my opinion) can win the tour in the next 3 years if either of those riders are there and healthy (Again BOTH could get sick or have an issue). so it comes down to most likely to win in their absence
I would say in next three years Remco or Lipowitz and if I had to place money I would go for Lipowitz as he seems to be more consistent (again far fewer data points) but it is basically 50/50 between those two
On a 5 year window I would say
Del Toro and Seixas are the most likely to rise up the rankings and have a higher ceiling than Remco (although I am not convinced on Del Toro for multi-mountain stages). Somebody will be winning the Tour in 2029/2030 and my bet is that it is not Pogacar or Vingegaard but I also do not think it is Remco. I think 2028 Pogacar does not do the Tour to focus on the Olympic RR and Remco has a possibility there but depends on Vingegarrd. a lot of conjecture here but just my opinion

Lipowitz is not a winner.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Maybe if they put Remco in a room with AC he could teach Remco how to climb.

Winning the UAE Tour is like folk dancing or similar stuff anyway, so he shouldn't feel too down if never does it again. It's all about peaking 4-5 months from now so not much has changed since yesterday morning.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Why do you think every bookmaker has Remco above Onley for Tour GC?

Bookies adjust odds based on the amount of money bet on different outcomes.

 

[cafe_rider]

Lipowitz is not a winner.

I agree
The hypothesis is no Pogacar and no Vingegaard. He does not have to worry about winning as they take care of that

 

[Pozzovivo]

Bookies adjust odds based on the amount of money bet on different outcomes.

Yeah but that is not the main reason Remco is above Onley. Hint: It's because he is way way better.

 

[Extinction]

He

Well if remco is doing upper body strength training he might want to re-consider the approach if his upper body is part of the reason he has a tough time. I mean some upper body training is probably necessary for the shoulder/back muscles and all that. But he should not be aiming to be the worlds strongest when it comes to upper body strenght. no idea what they do, professionals trainers should know what to do.

He doesn't need upper body strength training if he should reduce upper body mass.

 

[proffate]

. And, yes, it is possible to lose weight without starving. You just need to be extremely disciplined.

At some point as you drop weight, performance diminishes. I think that point is different for everyone. Or do you think Froome just wanted it more than anyone else in his generation?

The entire glp1 drug revolution has pretty conclusively proven, to me, that discipline is a myth. We are slaves to our hormones and we all have a different cocktail. And even if you have all the discipline in the world, where the body flips over to catabolism may be 6% or 2.5%.

 

[AmRacer]

I think were talking next to each other. and perhaps upset is the wrong word. I just saw several posts basically saying the same thing. Like i said, it is probably my own expectations for more elaboration. Instead of several people saying the same thing without more. Seems a bit redundant to me. But like i posted, maybe it's to simply emphasise it's a shared perspective.

I do feel for some it's more of a critique on remco the person than on remco the rider when they say he's just giving excuses again. That's fine, we all have mentality and personalities we like more. Just hard to tell at times without more info. I used to not be a fan of spartacus for example. he just seemed fake. In any case i would not like a peloton where everyone gives the same answer. Professional sports are entertainment at the end of the day after all.

This is a balanced post. Yes, 'upset' was the wrong word.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

It's not about an excuse, he isn't looking for an excuse... He is just saying that he had a bad nights sleep, but that doesn't change the result or should be used as an excuse, he literally said that the day before already. It's just the same type of people always wanting to discredit him. We can all keep saying, oh AGR came after Roubaix which is why Pogacar got caught in 2025. That's all fine. But saying he woke up due to the heat but that it's no excuse is supposedly Remco looking for excuses...


It was said he was weighing 65kg again, so yeah it's that simple sometimes. I don't understand why he doesn't just try to keep being closer to his TDF weight throughout the season and make his body accustomed to it.

Per Google AI search engine, An explanation clarifies the "why" behind an event, often taking responsibility to provide context, whereas an excuse aims to deflect blame and avoid accountability. It seems like the debate is whether he's making excuses (i.e., deflecting blame and avoiding accountability) or searching for an explanation. Given the frequency of these events, and the wide variety in explanations he has provided, it comes across more like excuses. But having said that, I recently got unexpectedly destroyed by a friend on a big climb, pushing lower watts than I expected by 20, and while I didn't make excuses to him, just congratulated him on his fine legs, you better believe I was searching for every possible explanation for why I produced fewer watts than expected. It's natural.

I don't get upset with it. I just read a lot of comments saying remco giving excuses again. I don't get that.
If every rider would only say i was not good enough, interviews would become a waste of time.
I like that he brings colour to a peloton. I do find his interviews interesting whilst also thinking on what i believe myself about a situation. remco and his analysis aren't always flawless, or on the money but usually honest in his feelings in that moment.

I thought about it some more. maybe everyone just want to say they find his explanation just an excuse without elaborating further. So as to makle it clear, it justy ain't one person thinking that way. Like people don't feel it's enough someone else already posted it, they want to emphasise they feel the same way. I would elaborate my viewpoint, as else i would think i would not be adding anything. But maybe that's just me.

I guess it's cause were on a forum and not on youtube. i expect certain style of comments more on youtube. whilst i tend to expect longer thoughts on a forum. Maybe that's just my own expectations.

In any case, i do agree he does seem to have a problem with double digit gradients, and needs special prep to stomach those. Whilst he personally properly thinks he is in good shape (which he is) and should do good. On most terrain he would. But being in good shape does not seem to be enough for remco in double gradients. He'll need to work and prep for those walls to stomach them.

I agree with this. Remco's interviews are definitely more interesting, even I personally wouldn't choose to answer some questions the way he does. I'm a big fan of Roglic, but his stock answers are basically, "I just like to race," "You either have the legs or you don't," "My legs were great, eh," and "My legs were not so good, eh?" While amusing, it's less interesting than Remco's radical candor, even if that candor exposes a tendency toward excuses.

 

[Berniece]

Per Google AI search engine, An explanation clarifies the "why" behind an event, often taking responsibility to provide context, whereas an excuse aims to deflect blame and avoid accountability. It seems like the debate is whether he's making excuses (i.e., deflecting blame and avoiding accountability) or searching for an explanation. Given the frequency of these events, and the wide variety in explanations he has provided, it comes across more like excuses. But having said that, I recently got unexpectedly destroyed by a friend on a big climb, pushing lower watts than I expected by 20, and while I didn't make excuses to him, just congratulated him on his fine legs, you better believe I was searching for every possible explanation for why I produced fewer watts than expected. It's natural.

Which Evenepoel also did btw. He clearly said others were just better.

 

[AmRacer]

Which Evenepoel also did btw. He clearly said others were just better.

It's not like you say you are better when getting dropped, but there's always an excuse why.

 

[Karl Merckx]

ffs Remco's really brings out the psycho out of some people...

here are the exact quotes :

Yesterday after the stage :

"At the foot of the climb, I already had cramps. That hadn't happened to me very often before. Maybe it was because of yesterday's effort, which I hadn't quite recovered from yet. When I had to let go, I had a very bad kilometer, but after that, I managed to recover a little. It often happens to me at the beginning of the season, on climbs like this one, that I have a difficult moment. But anyway, I didn't feel good in my legs today. "
Was it due to the heat?
"I kept drinking regularly, so that can't be the reason. I think I hadn't recovered from yesterday's effort. I didn't sleep very well either, I woke up because of the heat. But in the end, I mustn't look for excuses. "

source: https://www.nieuwsblad.be/sport/wie...onden-na-inzinking-in-uae-tour/133738876.html

This morning before the race:

"I hadn't been feeling very good in my legs since the start of the day. Maybe I hadn't recovered properly from Tuesday's intense effort (the time trial) and I approached the climb with too much confidence.
Maybe I let myself be caught out by the first attackers. I rode a little too aggressively at the foot of the hill and a few kilometers further on, I paid the price."
There was talk in HNB of a bad night last night. Did you sleep well this time?
"The air conditioning in my room wasn't working. It was very hot, but the problem has now been solved. I slept better and was able to recover more effectively."

source: https://sporza.be/nl/2026/02/19/rem...ur-we-hoeven-niet-te-panikeren~1771487713136/

 

[Mayomaniac]

It seems his upper body mass kills him on a climb like yesterday. He needs to reduce that, which starts in November.

It's also easier to built the upper body, since he already has the lower boy: