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

[Red Rick]

Evenepoel being bad at short, punchy climbs is one of those weird things that was even wrong at the beginning of his career and now it's still somehow there.

 

[Sciatic]

PR is an interesting race to watch, even though it is as flat as a pancake. In that sense it is pretty unique in the calendar. And if doing well in PR is a priority, then, by all means, go to the gym and get jacked up. Mind you, being as lean as possible is still an advantage, but maybe adding muscles on the eyelids would make some difference. It is a race where weight makes very little difference.

I think you could be right about that in today’s cycling. I was being a bit pedantic about your statement regarding never hearing a rider saying they want to weigh more.

ed. I went back to make sure of the Pogacar quote: "To win Roubaix, I also have to gain some kilos. It’s going to be difficult. At the moment I think I am still too light.” Found here: https://velo.outsideonline.com/road...ar-some-day-but-san-remo-vuelta-are-up-first/

 

[11-34]

Maybe Remco does secretly Ramadan and its just a fueling issue, that clears up when its over.

 

[KoopaCycling]

I would be surprised if he's practising the Ramadan. He was drinking during the race for certain.

His allergies will pick up in early summer though during dauphiné. Nothing to be done about that probably.

 

[Berniece]

Not saying he hasn’t improved in those short intense efforts, but what he did in Mallorca and Valencia shouldn’t be taken as evidence that he has. A fit Remco should always be able to drop those guys on those race profiles, not just this year.

Sure, but it's different at the start of the season of course. But he should indeed always drop them, just like he could at LBL 2022-2023 when Pogacar wasn't there.

 

[AlpRaid]

I'm a Remco fan, but I have to say I'm done with the excuses. The man is a limited climber at best.

His best GT performance left him more than 9mins behind Pogacar in TDF 24.

The amount of times we hit the proper climbs and we see him blowing up is unfair for him to endure. He is an outstanding TTer, one-day racer and brilliant at long range attacks on hilly terrain.

The man is NOT a climber. He is sacrificing results and potential victories in other races by chasing a dream of winning the Tour de France. He has ZERO chance of doing that.

Smoked in the UAE climbs, Meltdown in the Tour last year, Meltdown in the Vuelta in 23, didn't finish the Giro in 21 or 23, falls away in TDS stages once the road goes up.

Yet I hear all this tripe that he needs altitude camps, he needs to lose weight, he's not dialled in, he has no base, the AC was smashed. The man is killing himself trying to be someone he's not.

Excellent post.

This is exactly where I stand right now.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Perhaps but Remco dreams of GTs

 

[ChasingPotatoes]

I would like to see him race in the TdF, like he raced after his breakdown in the Vuelta 2023: go for the break, create chaos, try to rip the peloton apart, make it a mano-a-mano early in the race and early in the stages. The full first week of the Tour is perfect for that, and this type of racing is what Remco is best at. He isn't best at a pure W/kg vs. Tadej and Jonas. He is very talented and he can climb very, very well, but he isn't a natural born climber and shouldn't follow the procession up the mountains in the Tour and see Pog riding away after being launched by the UAE train.

ps: I don't get the fan / no fan / hate for Remco. He's one of the few riders that is super exciting to watch. Don't get me wrong, but e.g. Pog isn't exciting to watch (anymore) for the last 2 years, for example, except when he can't make the difference like in San Remo.