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

[AmRacer]

Not sure what you want me to say. There are pictures of him without a shirt in spring classics, there's no fat, he's lean and muscular. You don't see a difference compared to what he looked like at TDF 2024?

Arnold S is jealous of Remco's muscles.

 

[James M]

Maybe they feel it's too difficult for him to stay at such a weight all season long. That it's not healthy, and will drain him throughout the season. Which is fine, but then don't show up at UAE Tour. Go ride Algarve or Ruta Del Sol if it suits you more. Doesn't mean he doesn't need to go for that weight and goal during TDF though.

He might have won Algarve, and if he wanted a mental boost he would have gone there but that aint helping.

The reality is that if he wants to contend for the Tour, being good isnt enough either for him. He needs to improve right, and for that something has to give. And hes trying that.

 

[Peyresourde]

I think 1 minute more per hour of climbing is more accurate. (with 1 kg difference) This depends on the specifics of course.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

I think 1 minute more per hour of climbing is more accurate. (with 1 kg difference) This depends on the specifics of course.

For standard weight elite climber (i.e. 65 kg) and moderate climb length It should be about 0.1 w/kg so for steep climbs (i.e. 10+ %) indeed almost 1 sec/min or 1 min/hour. For shallower climbs it's less than that.

 

[Berniece]

What I am trying to say is that imho he would be a much better cyclists if he somehow finds enough discipline to lose 5 kg. And he would be both a better one day racer and GT rider

I agree, but not sure it has to do with discipline, but with how nutritionists and and trainers decide what he needs to do. I can remember that before TDF 2024, he wasn't riding good enough at Dauphine. He took it up on himself, ignoring the nutritionist of SOQ advice to lose extra weight for TDF 2024.

 

[Red Rick]

For standard weight elite climber (i.e. 65 kg) and moderate climb length It should be about 0.1 w/kg so for steep climbs (i.e. 10+ %) indeed almost 1 sec/min or 1 min/hour. For shallower climbs it's less than that.

The problem is when you apply it to climbs of any length suddenly results on short climbs become rather implausible. There is some tradeoff at the very least, the shorter the effort and easier the overall stage the more it likely is.

 

[Salvarani]

I agree, but not sure it has to do with discipline, but with how nutritionists and and trainers decide what he needs to do. I can remember that before TDF 2024, he wasn't riding good enough at Dauphine. He took it up on himself, ignoring the nutritionist of SOQ advice to lose extra weight for TDF 2024.

That also says a lot about him and his personality.

His energy/passion is a great asset, but it could also be that he is his own worst enemy sometimes. I think there are a few instances where we have seen that.

Remco also definitely strike me as a person that may bump horns with people here and there, who may need some extra support and treatment from staff. High-maintence so to speak. He wouldnt be the first star to need that, but it also could mean he might not be as easy to deal with for the staff. Especially, if Remco think he is right... which he could be... but maybe not all the time either.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Also, Pogacar has yet to win a Tour de France by a bigger gap than Nibali did.

And Nibali actually gained significant time in a cobbled stage.

 

[Red Rick]

And Nibali actually gained significant time in a cobbled stage.

Wet cobbles might I add, none of that fake dry ***

 

[Netserk]

I think 1 minute more per hour of climbing is more accurate. (with 1 kg difference) This depends on the specifics of course.

a 0 watts marginal kg of body weight

yeah i dont think evenepoel cannot gain any more power at 65 kg weight vs 60 kg

why otherwise stop at 60 kg -- why not 55

 

[Divergence]

I agree, but not sure it has to do with discipline, but with how nutritionists and and trainers decide what he needs to do. I can remember that before TDF 2024, he wasn't riding good enough at Dauphine. He took it up on himself, ignoring the nutritionist of SOQ advice to lose extra weight for TDF 2024.

Well there are two possibilities.
1. The trainers decide what he does and he is in the current state because he is following their advice. This would not surprise me (at least the trainers' part given my low opinion of them) but why would Remco just follow the bad advice. If he knows what he had to do to perform well in TdF24 or Vuelta22 then why just not extrapolate from there.
2. He knows where he needs to be but he just cannot get there because of distractions and/or lack of discipline.

All in all, the conclusion is the same and I hope he is going to focus more on what is important and we get to see some nice racing.

 

[Extinction]

The major issue may be that he has such an unbounded view on what he can achieve, possibly strengthened by his successes as a junior and early results, that anything less is seen as a failure.

Yea, that success as a junior and initial pro results still as a teenager created a hype within and around him that simply needed further data for verification. Doubtless he has a huge engine. Unfortunately, however, his junior career was magnified and projected upon a hypothetical Merckxian future, before high mountain performance data was really known. He did not race Avenir, no Baby Giro either, to see what signs of mountain goat status might have apperared or not. And then nobody at the time saw a Pogacar, a Vingegaard and now a del Toro, a Seixas on the horizon. In hindsight he should have done one more amateur season with the hardest climbing races on his schedule. It quite possibly would have prepared him and his sponsors better for planning his pro career and its realistic objectives.