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

[Rechtschreibfehler]

This is not 1982.

It wasn't meant to be a very serious comment. Sorry if it came across like this.
It's not 1982 but I am still always baffled when I think of this, it's such a different approach, and surely one would expect that even back then doing 3 stage races in between Giro and Tour would be overkill, he did it only once, yet the other two times he won the double, he raced one in between as well.

 

[yaco]

Of course it can work. That’s not really in question. But RBH doesn’t just have Evenepoel as a leader, they also have Lipowitz. And he’s been showing all year that he has every reason to hope he can fight for the podium again. So for the team, it’s quite difficult if they don’t know whether Remco is in the right shape.Example: on the first mountain stage, Pogi attacks and only Remco and one other rider can follow. Lipo can’t, because as we know he isn’t that explosive and sometimes loses a bit on short, steep ramps. If you trust Remco’s form, you let him follow the move because you could distance riders like Vingegaard in that scenario. But if you believe Remco won’t be able to keep up in the high mountains, then of course you don’t let him go with the attack, so that Lipo doesn’t lose too much time. And without any races beforehand, it’s almost impossible to judge that properly.

You can still do this without racing. We must remember that if a rider has a break non injury related to focus on training they come back well.Plapp did not race for 10 weeks before Romandie and performed well. As long as there is no injury or illness having a break before the tour should be fine.

 

[Berniece]

Hope he fails specacularly at the Tour. Otherwise this will be a trend and it might be the death knell for one week stage races. We already have the stars racing less and less and spending more time training and at altitude camps.

If that's your reason for failing spectacularly I wonder what you want Pogacar to do

 

[KoopaCycling]

If that's your reason for failing spectacularly I wonder what you want Pogacar to do

Apparantly it's perfectly fine to barely race before TdF, so long as you race in June
Remco is not even a main favourite for podium anymore, yet he still gets treated with a different rule book.

 

[Berniece]

Apparantly it's perfectly fine to barely race before TdF, so long as you race in June
Remco is not even a main favourite for podium anymore, yet he still gets treated with a different rule book.

Oh well, he'll have a chance to prove them wrong once again.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Roglic wanted to do it in 2021 but almost immediately crashed out so we never saw how that experiment would have turned out

Both Roglic and WVA skipped prep races before the tour that year. Part of it was because the tour was a week earlier due to the Olympics. In van aert's case it worked well.

It's a strange one with Remco though. As others have said, in 2024 the dauphine did not impact his tdf at all.

 

[Red Rick]

Both Roglic and WVA skipped prep races before the tour that year. Part of it was because the tour was a week earlier due to the Olympics. In van aert's case it worked well.

It's a strange one with Remco though. As others have said, in 2024 the dauphine did not impact his tdf at all.

Should be noted as well that Vingegaard was fully terrible in that Dauphine and then was flying at the TdF.

 

[AmRacer]

Both Roglic and WVA skipped prep races before the tour that year. Part of it was because the tour was a week earlier due to the Olympics. In van aert's case it worked well.

It's a strange one with Remco though. As others have said, in 2024 the dauphine did not impact his tdf at all.

You never know, maybe the 2024 Dauphine helped Remco and Jonas coming into shape.

 

[Salvarani]

I'm not sure who in RBH hierarchy is signing off on this program. Win some early season races with, perhaps too much training and then sit 2 1/2 months to be ready for the Tour? 3 Pyrenean mountain stages in the first week and a half starting on day 2 will put that program to the test. Steep hills.

Yeah, I don’t know.

It is unusual.

But if Remco is more comfortable and mentally at ease with this, then so be it.

Because he has to have had some input.

Or RB will be blamed.

We will see.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Should be noted as well that Vingegaard was fully terrible in that Dauphine and then was flying at the TdF.

During Dauphine 2024 Jonas was good enough to ride away from chubby amateurs seeking for autographs (whom he couldn't drop in May).

 

[canina82]

Bora is lost. They don't know what to do with Remco. Not racing Dauphiné is a proof they are completely lost and they are trying bold moves to see if Remco can miraculously perform. Quickstep is laughing about this and thinking they would have done better than Bora.

 

[Berniece]

Bora is lost. They don't know what to do with Remco. Not racing Dauphiné is a proof they are completely lost and they are trying bold moves to see if Remco can miraculously perform. Quickstep is laughing about this and thinking they would have done better than Bora.

Lol, UAE must have been very lost in 2023 with Pogacar I guess

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Lol, UAE must have been very lost in 2023 with Pogacar I guess

Pogacar was stellar until his crash in 2023 though (and still managed to put up good fight for 16 stages of the Tour). I don't recall any substantial Remco's setbacks last winter and this spring or him being now as good as Pog in 2023.

 

[Berniece]

Pogacar was stellar until his crash in 2023 though (and still managed to put up good fight for 16 stages of the Tour). I don't recall any substantial Remco's setbacks last winter and this spring or him being now as good as Pog in 2023.

Pogacar also had less racedays in 2023. It's really not weird giving Evenepoel's trackrecord to skip Dauphine. A week less of racing is a week extra to lose another kilo

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Pogacar also had less racedays in 2023. It's really not weird giving Evenepoel's trackrecord to skip Dauphine. A week less of racing is a week extra to lose another kilo

I mean it doesn't seem like RBH is doing better job than QS: seasons 2022 and 2024 (despite a setback in the latter) are still his best and weight issues haven't disappeared. Obviously he still has time till the Tour but I can't see any improvement vs the previous team so far.

 

[Berniece]

I mean it doesn't seem like RBH is doing better job than QS: seasons 2022 and 2024 (despite a setback in the latter) are still his best and weight issues haven't disappeared. Obviously he still has time till the Tour but I can't see any improvement vs the previous team so far.

I agree, me neither besides the better team and riders around him. High expectations for TDF though

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

All this talk about problems regarding leadership seems very strange to me, as it seems pretty straight forward.
Stage 1: RB will launch Remco in the end of the TTT and Lipo has to survive in his wheel.
Stage 2-5: they should ride as co-leaders, trying to avoid timeloss.
Stage 6: The truth will show on Tourmalet.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

All this talk about problems regarding leadership seems very strange to me, as it seems pretty straight forward.
Stage 1: RB will launch Remco in the end of the TTT and Lipo has to survive in his wheel.
Stage 2-5: they should ride as co-leaders, trying to avoid timeloss.
Stage 6: The truth will show on Tourmalet.

Pretty much this. The organizers wanted the Tour to be decided late so badly that it could totally backfire: they left one high-mountain stage that maybe wouldn't be that important normally (if included in the package with MTFs) but its isolation (and significant race backloading) will encourage guys to attack from afar and create big gaps (why waiting till later? it's better to utilize good form while it's there). Pogi and UAE will try to detonate the race and if they don't then Visma will.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Pogacar also had less racedays in 2023. It's really not weird giving Evenepoel's trackrecord to skip Dauphine. A week less of racing is a week extra to lose another kilo

Pogacar also won 2 stage races one being WT, a monument, 4th in monument, 3 classics with 2 being WT, and 3rd in another WT classic. Far superior to Evenepoel’s results this season so far.

Evenepoel has also ridden CdD both times before Tour.

 

[Berniece]

Pogacar also won 2 stage races one being WT, a monument, 4th in monument, 3 classics with 2 being WT, and 3rd in another WT classic. Far superior to Evenepoel’s results this season so far.

Evenepoel has also ridden CdD both times before Tour.

Sure, but that has nothing to do with riding Dauphine. Unless you think Evenepoel should prioritize Dauphine above TDF?

 

[ChasingPotatoes]

Pogacar also won 2 stage races one being WT, a monument, 4th in monument, 3 classics with 2 being WT, and 3rd in another WT classic. Far superior to Evenepoel’s results this season so far.

Evenepoel has also ridden CdD both times before Tour.

Are you seriously comparing Pogacar with (insert every rider on the planet) and state he's superior as if this is news or is an argument for whatever? There is nothing to compare if you mention Pog. Nothing.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Are you seriously comparing Pogacar with (insert every rider on the planet) and state he's superior as if this is news or is an argument for whatever? There is nothing to compare if you mention Pog. Nothing.

Are you seriously not following the comment chain?

 

[SHAD0W93]

Sure, but that has nothing to do with riding Dauphine. Unless you think Evenepoel should prioritize Dauphine above TDF?

TdF is obviously priority and he’s been well competent in WT stage races this year. Something is wrong and they’re taking away the opportunity to see where he stacks while Lipo can gain more leadership traction.

 

[Berniece]

TdF is obviously priority and he’s been well competent in WT stage races this year. Something is wrong and they’re taking away the opportunity to see where he stacks while Lipo can gain more leadership traction.

I don't think Evenepoel or Lipowitz minds. It was very clear from the beginning of the season what the target is. 2 co-leaders at TDF. This doesn't change now. It might change after stage 6, but that's also what has been agreed.

 

[Oldman]

I mean it doesn't seem like RBH is doing better job than QS: seasons 2022 and 2024 (despite a setback in the latter) are still his best and weight issues haven't disappeared. Obviously he still has time till the Tour but I can't see any improvement vs the previous team so far.

This training break is likely all Remco's group at this point. As for RBH doing a better job: they invested in a potential GT contender and anyone that thought that would happen in one season was deluded; particularly if that rider insists on being his own counsel on all things. If he successfully does what has served Jonas for preparation it may yield some benefits but that will come at a compromise of his TT power to become a skinnier climber.