Volta Ciclista a Catalunya 2023, March 20-26

[Bolder]

If Remco is stronger now and their best form is very similar then yes, it's true. We can't be sure 100% until the Giro though. I think we are yet to see his full potential in a GT race and it could be scary to his rivals.

I agrée. 2022 Remco was getting better almost every race, culminating in the WCRR. No way he’s reached his full potential, which is indeed scary.

 

[Riek s]

Take a dip into the Roglic thread - that is the mantra they're repeating.

to be fair, if the roles were reversed, the same thing would happen in the Remco thread

 

[Carols]

Take a dip into the Roglic thread - that is the mantra they're repeating.

If you mean that the man missed 6 months due to injury, had bone graft surgery and is no where top form just yet having a late start but is riding very strongly considering all that you would be right.
The fact that he has always had a high base helps but he can certainly gain form yet this year. He may also not have the base needed for a GT.
Remco is very strong and has tremendous talent. He also isn't facing a comeback from adversity. But has proven it's something he is very capable of in the past!

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

If you mean that the man missed 6 months due to injury, had bone graft surgery and is no where top form just yet having a late start but is riding very strongly considering all that you would be right.
The fact that he has always had a high base helps but he can certainly gain form yet this year. He may also not have the base needed for a GT.
Remco is very strong and has tremendous talent. He also isn't facing a comeback from adversity. But has proven it's something he is very capable of in the past!

Jumbo should have just let him train and then go straight to the Giro.
Oh hold one a minute
That decision gets dumber with age. What are QS thinking?

 

[SafeBet]

And Rog won three straight stages at TA. Unless his competition was not trying and letting him win, he was in good shape.

Conditions helped him a lot there. The only MTF was neutralized by a 65 km/h headwind. Generally speaking he didn't look particularly good when going uphill in TA. I'd say he's better here but won't speculate on how close to his best shape. Hard to gauge.

 

[peterfin]

Remco may not be at his best yet but he is collecting Strava KOMs whenever he decides to test his legs. It can't be always due to the weather! Also, the level of the race looks better than ever. I think he and Roglic are already very close to top shape. There are probably some minor gains to make but nothing extraordinary.

 

[red_flanders]

A lot of time we complain about big races that underperform. This is a smaller race that has hugely over-performed! Great battle so far, very entertaining. Parcours has been excellent. Riders have animated the race and fought for every second!

It's a treat to watch cycling the last few years with all the young talent. It's so much more entertaining than it was 5-10 years ago. Feeling lucky to witness this era!

 

[CyclistAbi]

Congratulations to Remco Evenepoel for taking the queen stage.

QS did a good job pacing through the final climbs and Evenepoel did the rest. Roglič being the only one that managed to follow Evenepoel. Carapaz will likely try again on Friday. And likely on Friday we will get the winner of this race.

Hopefully no crashes tomorrow.

 

[Tonton]

I agrée. 2022 Remco was getting better almost every race, culminating in the WCRR. No way he’s reached his full potential, which is indeed scary.

I agree with you, although it's super hard to gauge who, in trivial terms, is at 77% or 81% of their optimal performance.

Great win for Remco, I feel that had Roglic won again it would have started to look like a beat-down. Champions do what Champions do, they bounce back so Chapeau Remco!

 

[Big Doopie]

Remco may not be at his best yet but he is collecting Strava KOMs whenever he decides to test his legs. It can't be always due to the weather! Also, the level of the race looks better than ever. I think he and Roglic are already very close to top shape. There are probably some minor gains to make but nothing extraordinary.

Hmm. This is not Remco from stage 6 of the Vuelta or even San Sebastián last year. Otherwise the differences would have been much larger.

Most ominous perhaps: Remco calmly fiddling with his computer while putting Rog and Ciccone in the hurt zone over 2000m in stage 2.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I agree with you, although it's super hard to gauge who, in trivial terms, is at 77% or 81% of their optimal performance.

Great win for Remco, I feel that had Roglic won again it would have started to look like a beat-down. Champions do what Champions do, they bounce back so Chapeau Remco!

Remco said that he is at 1% less than whatever Roglic is at. So if Roglic is currently at 90%, then Remco is at 89%. True story.

 

[Gratemans]

A lot of time we complain about big races that underperform. This is a smaller race that has hugely over-performed! Great battle so far, very entertaining. Parcours has been excellent. Riders have animated the race and fought for every second!

It's a treat to watch cycling the last few years with all the young talent. It's so much more entertaining than it was 5-10 years ago. Feeling lucky to witness this era!

Absolutely agree.

About today: Remco was the stronger rider. He deserved the win and took it. He also seems to have learned how to truly ride for GC. I know we all like to see cyclists go all out. Putting in attack after attack but in the end, you gotta be smart as well. Remco seems a little less brash now. That'll pay off.
Those talking about wheelsucking from Roglic? I could pen down a huge epistle here but those people just don't get the intricacies of cycling . It was the logical thing to do in this situation unless he had very good legs, and was pretty sure he could put seconds into those chasing. Roglic clearly didn't have the legs. In the meantime he has to be wary of blowing up and losing seconds to Remco so trying to hold the wheel and relying on his sprint was the obvious thing to do.
Anyway, great race. 10 years ago who could have thought we would get so excited about Catalunya? Great stuff.

(Cue someone calling me out about how the 2013 Catalunya was phenomenal. Can't remember and didn't look it up )

 

[Carols]

Jumbo should have just let him train and then go straight to the Giro.
Oh hold one a minute
That decision gets dumber with age. What are QS thinking?

Their plan was for him to ride Catlyuna then the Giro but he said he felt ready to race and was tired of just training. So he was a late entry in T-A to support WVA. But WVA crashed and even in his first race back was the best by a few leg hairs . It's called class as opposed to form.

 

[houtdffan]

Remco seems to have learned to just go to the front and ride everyone off his wheel. No slowing down an accelerating.

Haven't seem climbing like this since Indurain and Ullrich. This is 90s racing, not the awful racing of the previous decade

 

[Pirazziattacks]

Why would anyone in their right mind help Remco while he keeps riding like this? He rides like he has no physical limits, and that's probably not far off from the truth either.

 

[Pirazziattacks]

Remco seems to have learned to just go to the front and ride everyone off his wheel. No slowing down an accelerating.

Haven't seem climbing like this since Indurain and Ullrich. This is 90s racing, not the awful racing of the previous decade

I'm not sure saying Remco climbs like guys 10+kg heavier is quite the compliment you think it is. That would be like me saying he rides like a certain guy with... strong arms

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I'm not sure saying Remco climbs like guys 10+kg heavier is quite the compliment you think it is. That would be like me saying he rides like a certain guy with... strong arms

Ah, that guy!

 

[Oldermanish]

Why would anyone in their right mind help Remco while he keeps riding like this? He rides like he has no physical limits, and that's probably not far off from the truth either.

No professional would whether it's Remco or Wout. If they're thinning the ranks; let them tractor on.

 

[Extinction]

Absolutely agree.

About today: Remco was the stronger rider. He deserved the win and took it. He also seems to have learned how to truly ride for GC. I know we all like to see cyclists go all out. Putting in attack after attack but in the end, you gotta be smart as well. Remco seems a little less brash now. That'll pay off.
Those talking about wheelsucking from Roglic? I could pen down a huge epistle here but those people just don't get the intricacies of cycling . It was the logical thing to do in this situation unless he had very good legs, and was pretty sure he could put seconds into those chasing. Roglic clearly didn't have the legs. In the meantime he has to be wary of blowing up and losing seconds to Remco so trying to hold the wheel and relying on his sprint was the obvious thing to do.
Anyway, great race. 10 years ago who could have thought we would get so excited about Catalunya? Great stuff.

(Cue someone calling me out about how the 2013 Catalunya was phenomenal. Can't remember and didn't look it up )

Roglic only has an excuse for not wheelsucking if he could only follow, which appears to have been the case, nay doubtless was. However, he's got a track record of just sitting on the wheels of lesser riders to then "romp" them in the end. Sure, tactically, it's the wise thing to do, but it very soon gets extremely tedious and makes of him a thoroughly uninspiring example.

Because once upon a time, leaders were supposed to assume responsibility for being on top and not just capitalize on others work to make incrimental gains, but actually go on the attack. As Hinault said:"As long as I breath, I attack!" De gustibus, but I find this example much more dignified.

 

[tobydawq]

Remco said that he is at 1% less than whatever Roglic is at. So if Roglic is currently at 90%, then Remco is at 89%. True story.

1 % less than 90 % is 89.1 %. True story.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

So now the debate will be who is a at smaller percentage.
If Primoz loses the Giro it's because he hasn't reached his top form after the surgery.
If Remco loses the Giro it's because he's still too fat after the winter.
But fanboys of both riders should agree that by the Tour they will reach 100% to kick Vinge's and Pog's a**es.

 

[RedheadDane]

Remco said that he is at 1% less than whatever Roglic is at. So if Roglic is currently at 90%, then Remco is at 89%. True story.

1 % less than 90 % is 89.1 %. True story.

Guys... I'm pretty sure there is a rule against posting math-stuff before 10 AM...

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Guys... I'm pretty sure there is a rule against posting math-stuff before 10 AM...

If you can't handle math stuff before 10 AM, you might be a redhead.

 

[Bolder]

Roglic only has an excuse for not wheelsucking if he could only follow, which appears to have been the case, nay doubtless was. However, he's got a track record of just sitting on the wheels of lesser riders to then "romp" them in the end. Sure, tactically, it's the wise thing to do, but it very soon gets extremely tedious and makes of him a thoroughly uninspiring example.

Because once upon a time, leaders were supposed to assume responsibility for being on top and not just capitalize on others work to make incrimental gains, but actually go on the attack. As Hinault said:"As long as I breath, I attack!" De gustibus, but I find this example much more dignified.

Sorry, this is just silly. The idea is to win, not to do it in a "proper" style. Riders use the weapons they have. And Roglic has attacked in the past. Not often, of course, but it's not like he can't -- when you have a kick like that, why waste energy in the wind?

Speaking of wind, Remco's aero advantage has got to be enormous. I'd love to compare his drag coefficient with the rest of the GC contenders. So riding at the front doesn't hurt him as much as someone like, say, Bernal, who rides with a more upright style and is taller.

 

[Extinction]

Sorry, this is just silly. The idea is to win, not to do it in a "proper" style. Riders use the weapons they have. And Roglic has attacked in the past. Not often, of course, but it's not like he can't -- when you have a kick like that, why waste energy in the wind?

Speaking of wind, Remco's aero advantage has got to be enormous. I'd love to compare his drag coefficient with the rest of the GC contenders. So riding at the front doesn't hurt him as much as someone like, say, Bernal, who rides with a more upright style and is taller.

Like is said de gustibus, or am I not allowed to hold preferences, however silly they may seem to you?

I seem to remember Roglic romped on a guy who had valiently ridden to near win at a Dauphine mtf, only to be thwarted by Primoz when he didn't need that win. When other times he doesn't attack and just capitalizes on the situation, well the two types of riding together aren't very appealing.