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

[Berniece]

That just happened 2 weeks ago in UAE Tour. Unless you don't think Remco is a top rider (but he is in my book).

Del Toro didn't humiliate him though, more like Evenepoel humiliated himself

 

[kingjr]

Those are people who finished ahead of him on the first climb in the UAE Tour, and based on that performance many have posted that he isn't a climber, needs to give up on GTs, etc. I don't have any interest in digging up posts to prove it or in debating the point, so take it for what it is.

I think this issue can perhaps be resolved by asking the readers of this thread two questions:

a) Was Evenepoel worse at the UAE Tour than he should be when he is in good shape?

b) If the answer is yes, are there any explanations that are not automatically also excuses?

 

[Low is rhe new high]

This is an interesting take on the UAE tour performance: https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...-doubt-on-remco-evenepoels-uae-tour-struggles I don’t know if it is believable but it matches Remcos behaviour, before when he has underachieved it has been a lot of anger and excuses. This time it doesn’t seem so emotional, like he is not so invested. Another thing that plays into this scenario is that Red Bull sent him to UAE with a sprint team. It makes no sense to do this if they were facing UAEs best riders and wanted Remco to win.

 

[Oldman]

Del Toro didn't humiliate him though, more like Evenepoel humiliated himself

That's harsh. Remco was riding his race and Del Toro his own. Del Toro was strongly aggressive at the end and couldn't be brought back. Every other racer suffered the fate of "losing" to him although that isn't how GC riders perform. They race for time and the opportunity to win stages; hopefully with bonus seconds.

 

[AmRacer]

I think this issue can perhaps be resolved by asking the readers of this thread two questions:

a) Was Evenepoel worse at the UAE Tour than he should be when he is in good shape?

b) If the answer is yes, are there any explanations that are not automatically also excuses?

A) Was Remco in good shape compared with the week before and other riders?

 

[Berniece]

That's harsh. Remco was riding his race and Del Toro his own. Del Toro was strongly aggressive at the end and couldn't be brought back. Every other racer suffered the fate of "losing" to him although that isn't how GC riders perform. They race for time and the opportunity to win stages; hopefully with bonus seconds.

It’s just that Del Toro’s performance wasn’t that crazy, he lost a stage to Tiberi… so I stand by saying Del Toro’s didn’t humiliate Evenepoel because he wasn’t extremely good, Evenepoel was extremely bad

 

[HashRouge]

This is an interesting take on the UAE tour performance: https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...-doubt-on-remco-evenepoels-uae-tour-struggles I don’t know if it is believable but it matches Remcos behaviour, before when he has underachieved it has been a lot of anger and excuses. This time it doesn’t seem so emotional, like he is not so invested. Another thing that plays into this scenario is that Red Bull sent him to UAE with a sprint team. It makes no sense to do this if they were facing UAEs best riders and wanted Remco to win.

Why would Remco go to the UAE Tour just to test himself in a 13km TT though?

 

[Berniece]

This is an interesting take on the UAE tour performance: https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...-doubt-on-remco-evenepoels-uae-tour-struggles I don’t know if it is believable but it matches Remcos behaviour, before when he has underachieved it has been a lot of anger and excuses. This time it doesn’t seem so emotional, like he is not so invested. Another thing that plays into this scenario is that Red Bull sent him to UAE with a sprint team. It makes no sense to do this if they were facing UAEs best riders and wanted Remco to win.

I don’t think that take is really grounded in reality. I find it more plausible that they might have knew it was going to be difficult but that they went for the money. It was never part of the initial plan for the season, and added late.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Then why was Remco and the DS holding pikachu faces?

 

[Andre]

Then why was Remco and the DS holding pikachu faces?

cause it's the human nature to always expect better and strive further

 

[Low is rhe new high]

Why would Remco go to the UAE Tour just to test himself in a 13km TT though?

I don’t think that take is really grounded in reality. I find it more plausible that they might have knew it was going to be difficult but that they went for the money. It was never part of the initial plan for the season, and added late.

Yeah maybe it’s the money. I still think it’s weird that his climbing was so bad if he had been beaten by del toro and Tiberi it would have been normal, as it is known he was either ill or didn’t make his best effort on purpose.

 

[rghysens]

This is an interesting take on the UAE tour performance: https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...-doubt-on-remco-evenepoels-uae-tour-struggles I don’t know if it is believable but it matches Remcos behaviour, before when he has underachieved it has been a lot of anger and excuses. This time it doesn’t seem so emotional, like he is not so invested. Another thing that plays into this scenario is that Red Bull sent him to UAE with a sprint team. It makes no sense to do this if they were facing UAEs best riders and wanted Remco to win.

I think Evenepoel just wasn´t in top shape. His performance was comparable to his performance in the 2022 tour of Valencia: easily winning a hilly stage and as easily being beaten on a 5km @ 10% mtf, losing almost a minute in 1.5km or so.
It also shows in his itt result: yes he won, but it wasn´t like last years wc or ec itt (and certainly the latter), when he was in top shape.

 

[AmRacer]

I think Evenepoel just wasn´t in top shape. His performance was comparable to his performance in the 2022 tour of Valencia: easily winning a hilly stage and as easily being beaten on a 5km @ 10% mtf, losing almost a minute in 1.5km or so.
It also shows in his itt result: yes he won, but it wasn´t like last years wc or ec itt (and certainly the latter), when he was in top shape.

But was everyone else in top shape

 

[Oldman]

Why would Remco go to the UAE Tour just to test himself in a 13km TT though?

Because he's a Pro and RBH undoubtedly was compensated for appearing. Plus the big teams are obligated to provide bodies; even for races that are meaningless to their overall strategies. That's also why teams with low UCI points flood the zone with riders competing for the top 10 of every stage. It Is a Bidness.

 

[Extinction]

On the

This is an interesting take on the UAE tour performance: https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...-doubt-on-remco-evenepoels-uae-tour-struggles I don’t know if it is believable but it matches Remcos behaviour, before when he has underachieved it has been a lot of anger and excuses. This time it doesn’t seem so emotional, like he is not so invested. Another thing that plays into this scenario is that Red Bull sent him to UAE with a sprint team. It makes no sense to do this if they were facing UAEs best riders and wanted Remco to win.

On the other hand, had he gone there with only the TT in mind, then why would he have ridden that first climb in the beginning like he did? Right, he was in the leaders jersey, but if he knew his climbing shape was sub-par, why not ride on the wheels and see how far it takes you? Perhaps when they found out Pogacar wasn't racing, they said no need for Remco to be good on the climbs now? We should, in any case, see a different Remco in Catalunya. If not, then he has problems with Liege and July in sight.

 

[AmRacer]

On the

On the other hand, had he gone there with only the TT in mind, then why would he have ridden that first climb in the beginning like he did? Right, he was in the leaders jersey, but if he knew his climbing shape was sub-par, why not ride on the wheels and see how far it takes you? Perhaps when they found out Pogacar wasn't racing, they said no need for Remco to be good on the climbs now? We should, in any case, see a different Remco in Catalunya. If not, then he has problems with Liege and July in sight.

Jonas was scheduled to race?

 

[Extinction]

Jonas was scheduled to race?

Right, but initially they hoped Pog would be there.

 

[AmRacer]

Right, but initially they hoped Pog would be there.

Don't think so, Pogi was there last year.

 

[Extinction]

Don't think so, Pogi was there last year.

Bora said, whether it's true or not I don't know, when Remco was programed for the race they had hoped Pog was doing it. Then, when that didn't materialize, Vingo was supposed to be there. When that fell through he became the "favorite," although perhaps without adequate mountain prep.

 

[AmRacer]

Bora said, whether it's true or not I don't know, when Remco was programed to do the race they had hoped Pog was doing it. Then, when that didn't materialize, Vingo was supposed to be there. When that fell through he became the "favorite," although perhaps without serious mountain prep.

Did he do any mountain training before winning the UAE Tour?

 

[Extinction]

Did he do any mountain training before winning the UAE Tour?

Don't know, but the level this year was surely higher and with another harder climb to boot.

 

[Berniece]

Don't know, but the level this year was surely higher and with another harder climb to boot.

He didn’t