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

[peterfin]

I dunno, in my mind this was the best place to gauge what we can maybe expect from him in the Tour (with a small layer of improvement added for the Tour)

I hoped so too but the reality is that his climbing or even his shape in general was never great in March relative to other top contenders. I don't see how this would be different this time, especially after his struggles in UAE.

May be this changes next year after he integrates better in the RBH trainings and workflows and gets specific climb training and diet but, as we discussed at length here, it may not even be desirable and healthy to have him focus on it for a whole year. Maybe peaking for the summer is what his body allows him to do and for the rest he should focus on what I and others here believe he is really good at: riding the classics and monuments. He is competitive without needing his peak w/kg.

 

[ashhutch1997]

Finishing on the podium literally shows you also have the ability to win

Bro he was over 10 minutes down on a Pogacar who'd done the Giro and Vingegaard who'd literally had a career ending crash and hadn't raced since April.

 

[ColonelKidneyBeans]

Basically what I'm realizing is Remco can win the TdF if he gained Nibali's best ability, the ability to make others fall (vodoo Nibali).

Climbing wise Nibali was as good as it gets from that era during the 2013 Giro and the 2014 Tour. He was also a super strong TTist during GTs and a shrewd rider able to put pressure on his opponents everywhere. His absolute peak was short lived but he was the real deal during those years.

 

[Berniece]

Bro he was over 10 minutes down on a Pogacar who'd done the Giro and Vingegaard who'd literally had a career ending crash and hadn't raced since April.

I'm not saying he's at their level. I'm saying he has the ability to win it. Just like Vingegaard has it.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Bro he was over 10 minutes down on a Pogacar who'd done the Giro and Vingegaard who'd literally had a career ending crash and hadn't raced since April.

So Remco lost to a retired rider? That‘s crazy.

 

[ashhutch1997]

So Remco lost to a retired rider? That‘s crazy.

You know what I mean

 

[TheKidsCallMeBoss]

Lucky?

A single TdF podium finish is always a result of luck. If you can do it consistently, it's a skill.

 

[Berniece]

A single TdF podium finish is always a result of luck. If you can do it consistently, it's a skill.

Well he only rode it twice now. We'll see what this year gives

 

[ashhutch1997]

Well he only rode it twice now. We'll see what this year gives

Super domestique duties after he capitulates on the first big mountain stage.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

People can joke about him being a domestic all they want, but according to the only accurate way of measuring these things (forum poll),, he is clearly the out and out leader of Red Bull Bora.

 

[Berniece]

Super domestique duties after he capitulates on the first big mountain stage.

And he won’t have any problems with that if Lipowitz is the better rider. Showed that in Catalunya too

 

[ashhutch1997]

And he won’t have any problems with that if Lipowitz is the better rider. Showed that in Catalunya too

I can't imagine Red Bull who pay him a huge salary would be particularly happy with that. I'm not a Remco 'hater' btw, I actually think he gets unfair criticism, however he's made himself look like a bit of a tit in Catalunya with his attitude.

 

[Berniece]

I can't imagine Red Bull who pay him a huge salary would be particularly happy with that.

Of course not, like you said he earns too much to be a domestique at the start. I only expect domestique duties if something goes seriously wrong, a crash for example, and he can’t give his all.

If everything goes right, I think he’ll be much better than Lipowitz. He’ll be closer to Pogacar/Vingegaard than in 2024 and then there’s a big gap again to the likes of Lipo, Ayuso, etc

 

[AmRacer]

Of course not, like you said he earns too much to be a domestique at the start. I only expect domestique duties if something goes seriously wrong, a crash for example, and he can’t give his all.

If everything goes right, I think he’ll be much better than Lipowitz. He’ll be closer to Pogacar/Vingegaard than in 2024 and then there’s a big gap again to the likes of Lipo, Ayuso, etc

The big if

 

[Extinction]

And he won’t have any problems with that if Lipowitz is the better rider. Showed that in Catalunya too

Exactly, Lipowitz though does not strike me as a killer, but I like him. He does the legs do the talking. Could be the lesson that Remco needs to learn at the Tour. Focusing on your own performance and take it like a man, as they say, a life lesson.

 

[Ulle97]

If Remco doesn't lose time in the first week he should be in a good position in the Tour.
He shouldn't lose time on the opening hilly stages or the uphill mountain finish at Les Angles.
On paper Gavarnie Gedre is a very easy climb. But after the Aspin and Tourmalet Remco might get those heavy legs.
Surely he can stay with the top guys on an 18km @3.5% gradient???

Do you think he can hang in or dare I say attack on these shallow gradients?? And put time into Pogacar?

 

[ashhutch1997]

If everything goes right, I think he’ll be much better than Lipowitz. He’ll be closer to Pogacar/Vingegaard than in 2024 and then there’s a big gap again to the likes of Lipo, Ayuso, etc

I'm sorry but we've seen no evidence that this will happen. If anything he's regressed since 2024, and Pogacar, Vingegaard and Del Torro are better now. Also he definitely has a mentality problem, things go wrong and he capitulates, he got minuets put in to him by Luke Plapp at UAE, what makes you think he'll be closer to Pogacar.

 

[Berniece]

I'm sorry but we've seen no evidence that this will happen. If anything he's regressed since 2024, and Pogacar, Vingegaard and Del Torro are better now. Also he definitely has a mentality problem, things go wrong and he capitulates, he got minuets put in to him by Luke Plapp at UAE, what makes you think he'll be closer to Pogacar.

His performance at Catalunya while he is recovering, combined with RBH saying he's better. Last one could be a lie, but that would only set them up for failure when the stage is bigger (at TDF).

Del Toro hasn't shown at all that he's better in a GT with multi-mountain stages.

 

[ashhutch1997]

His performance at Catalunya while he is recovering, combined with RBH saying he's better. Last one could be a lie, but that would only set them up for failure when the stage is bigger (at TDF).

Del Toro hasn't shown at all that he's better in a GT with multi-mountain stages.

I admire your optimism, but I just can't see it. I'll happily be proven wrong.
I see him being dropped on the first big mountain stage, riding a little bit for Lipowitz and then winning some stages while pointing to his head and doing the cringy phone celebration, basically 23 Vuelta settings.

 

[Gargamel35]

Remco has the same problem as Roglič did. He crashes way too much. And he's way too focused on gaining little time and small victories (in a GT race) then trying to gain big (like Vinge) on big hills where GT races are usually won. Roglič was a lot better in that regard so he has 5 GT wins and was competitive in many more then that. Remco not so much.

I still think it was a huge mistake picking GT racing as the next big goal for him. He should be training for 1 day races and "maybe" for 1 week ones where Pog/Vinge are not present. Plenty chances to get many wins and be competitive against Pog/Van der Poel. 3 week GTs...good luck.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Bro he was over 10 minutes down on a Pogacar who'd done the Giro and Vingegaard who'd literally had a career ending crash and hadn't raced since April.

If something happens to Pogacar and Vingegaard (like to Froome and Contador in 2014) then Evenepoel can win the race like Nibali did (assuming he's well prepared for climbing). Things like that can happen sometimes. Obviously nothing is static and soon someone like Seixas may prove to be too much.

 

[Ulle97]

If something happens to Pogacar and Vingegaard (like to Froome and Contador in 2014) then Evenepoel can win the race like Nibali did (assuming he's well prepared for climbing). Things like that can happen sometimes. Obviously nothing is static and soon someone like Seixas may prove to be too much.

I will say that Nibali was operating at a very high level in 2014. And it's fair to assume that he may have won even with the 2 big dogs present.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

I will say that Nibali was operating at a very high level in 2014. And it's fair to assume that he may have won even with the 2 big dogs present.

Yup, I just meant example of top dogs crashing out. Never said that Remco would then win the Tour with such a big margin.

 

[Berniece]

I admire your optimism, but I just can't see it. I'll happily be proven wrong.
I see him being dropped on the first big mountain stage, riding a little bit for Lipowitz and then winning some stages while pointing to his head and doing the cringy phone celebration, basically 23 Vuelta settings.

No clue why he would be dropped on the first big mountain stage if he didn't have preparation issues. We'll see, first have to focus on AGR and LBL anyway.

 

[YavorD]

If something happens to Pogacar and Vingegaard (like to Froome and Contador in 2014) then Evenepoel can win the race like Nibali did (assuming he's well prepared for climbing). Things like that can happen sometimes. Obviously nothing is static and soon someone like Seixas may prove to be too much.

Nah, actual chances of Evenepoel completing a GT without problems are less than 50% so I'm not betting on him winning the Nibali way either.
I can see Lipowitz winning a Tour this way, but not Evenepoel.