2012 Tour de France: Stage 11: Albertville → La Toussuire - Les Sybelles (148km)

[Cimber]

It's pretty evident that they have the best support staff in cycling. He leaves and he becomes an inferior rider. He's at the best place to win the Tour, with or without Brad.

If he leaves and all of a sudden becomes a crap rider its probably not due to support staff, but most likely due to something best dicussed elsewhere. I see no reason why he should becoem inferior by moving. On the contrary - he needs to see how far he can take it when he is not held back

 

[richwagmn]

It's pretty evident that they have the best support staff in cycling. He leaves and he becomes an inferior rider. He's at the best place to win the Tour, with or without Brad.

Did you see last year's Vuelta? Had Froome not had to look after Mr. Sideburns he could have won.

Inferior rider if he leaves sky? Is Contador inferior to Wiggins?

 

[Sophistic]

Froome is in 2nd and a better tter than everybody but Wiggins, so what the stuff about protecting the jersey/team interests, it would stay in the team anyway...

 

[cycladianpirate]

Clearly.
The French are owning the rest of the GC bunnies.
Evans is broken and VDB had bad luck.
All down to Nibali
31.3 kph stage, is very, very slow.
(bye bye the Tour of Poland coverage)

I blame all the people on here calling SKY "UK Postal" - I'm just surprised they didn't arrive a week late.....

 

[Richeypen]

I blame all the people on here calling SKY "UK Postal" - I'm just surprised they didn't arrive a week late.....

LOL


Not suprising that a lot of the riders who started off wont make it to the destination either

 

[Frosty]

LOL


Not suprising that a lot of the riders who started off wont make it to the destination either

Bound to be a rider strike over something in a moment too.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

Did you see last year's Vuelta? Had Froome not had to look after Mr. Sideburns he could have won.

Inferior rider if he leaves sky? Is Contador inferior to Wiggins?

If Froome joins a team with inferior support staff he becomes an inferior rider. Which bit of that statement are you struggling with? Or do you believe that support staff have zero impact on a rider's performance? Do you think Froome's astonishing improvement has nothingto dowith them? And what doesBertie have to do with this?

 

[jens_attacks]

i don't know from where you guys pull out this very slow average speed
basically it wasn't almost no flat,only up and down...and they did more than 31 km/h...check how fucced the lots of groups behind were,all over the place

also you should know that the predicted average speeds on letour site i don't think are for normal human beings,maybe for motorbikes or something...they are totally wrong.

the climbs were ridden extremely fast just like i already said.each one of them

 

[Cimber]

167 Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM 36:35
HD Yuriy Krivtsov (Fra) Lampre - ISD
HD Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
DNF Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
DNF Gustav Larsson (Swe) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
DNF Rob Ruijgh (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
DNF Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
DNF Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank Cycling Team
DNS Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan

Hummel just barely made it (think limit was 36:55). Pettachi and Krivtsov didnt.

 

[Winterfold]

You've got to think Froome will try to get out of his contract. Why ride second fiddle to Wiggins?

Why do you think he will have to?

Next year Brad might be riding for him as road captain etc

 

[Cimber]

If Froome joins a team with inferior support staff he becomes an inferior rider. Which bit of that statement are you struggling with? Or do you believe that support staff have zero impact on a rider's performance? Do you think Froome's astonishing improvement has nothingto dowith them? And what doesBertie have to do with this?

Look m8, I know u probably dont like to hear it but Sky is not the only team with a great support staff. Sure there are small crap teams with **** support but there are several big teams with support staff in the same league as Sky.

That said there lots of riders who do great with crap support staff, some even say that it toughens up a rider. But I agree that support staff does have an inpact, but nothing at the level u try to depict.

 

[Catwhoorg]

Why do you think he will have to?

Next year Brad might be riding for him as road captain etc

I fully expect a face saving co-Captain role for Brad at the Grand Depart, but he would be a Super-Dom for all intents and purposes from the get go.

 

[SafeBet]

i don't know from where you guys pull out this very slow average speed
basically it wasn't almost no flat,only up and down...and they did more than 31 km/h...check how fucced the lots of groups behind were,all over the place

also you should know that the predicted average speeds on letour site i don't think are for normal human beings,maybe for motorbikes or something...they are totally wrong.

the climbs were ridden extremely fast just like i already said.each one of them

Thanks for the info jens!
If you say they ride properly, it must be true

 

[trevim]

Finally some cracks on the Sky armour! This stage gave me the feeling that the level isn't all that high at the moment. I mean, Schleck holding on for so long, Rogers pulling for so long, Van Garderen...I don´t know. What do you think?

Still, the biggest revelation was Van Garderen. It was his most convincing climbing performance ever I think. Much better than a couple of years ago on the Alpe. Hats off to him. Will he fade in the 3rd week or does he have the experience now to do well? We'll see....

About Evans cracking, I'm afraid that Nibali will start to ride for 3rd place instead of the win.

 

[DominicDecoco]

Andy or Alberto would have taken advantage of that howler in the end by Sky where Wiggins got dropped by Froome. Massive opportunity there. But again.. They would probably have attacked 10 km before that incident..

 

[Thee_chisa]

1. He hasn't won yet
2. if he wins there might be some "what ifs" but no certainty that Froome would have won like you bradhaters are trying to play it.

agreed, as much as i love froomy i think he is a bit naive and would be turned over tactically by nibali and VDB, etc. eh would chase every attack himself and not let his team work properly

 

[trevim]

"I heard Wiggins shouting to Froome to slow down,” smiled Schleck. “Immediately I felt better.”

They didn´t slow down enough hey Frank? Still, funny.

I hope he wins a stage.

 

[therealtimshady]

Andy or Alberto would have taken advantage of that howler in the end by Sky where Wiggins got dropped by Froome. Massive opportunity there. But again.. They would probably have attacked 10 km before that incident..

Contador yes , andy shreck no - he would have attacked just past the finish line

 

[Biggut]

Surely SKy had to favour Wiggins as this is the first tour in many years where there is a chance for a TTer over climbers. Given Froome's lack of form coming in you can't blame them for getting 100% behind Wiggo. The only shame is that Froome flatted on 3. Without that loss we could really be having a debate, but given Wiggo having a 2min lead there isn't really a choice to be made.

In the future surely it's a choice between Wiggo when it's TT biased and Froome for climbing. With Uran and Henao in the mountains in the Vuelta will Froome e able to challenge Conti, I really hope so.

In reality I don't see Wiggo getting another chance to lead. In the next three years Uran and Henao will improve and I reckon Brailsfrd will be working on turning Thomas into a GT contender too.

 

[Angliru]

Yeah, Sky's coaches and support staff have done nothing for him.

Certainly didn't stop Wiggins from jumping ship to Sky from Slipstream.

 

[Pippo_San]

Sky is racist.

Nuff said.

 

[Angliru]

agreed, as much as i love froomy i think he is a bit naive and would be turned over tactically by nibali and VDB, etc. eh would chase every attack himself and not let his team work properly

He seems to be sticking to the team strategy of riding for Wiggins even though he's obviously stronger in the mountains. Shows that he listens to what's being said to him in his earpiece. I would think that Sky is aware of his inexperience and plan out a plan of action for all likely scenarios and reinforce this plan throughout each stage. Froome appears to be strong enough to make mistakes and still be able to overcome them. He's riding for Wiggins and still capable of challenging his team's opponents at the end of mountain stages. It's not like he's riding himself into exhaustion and dropping off the back like most domestiques. He has reserve tank that they don't have and seemingly most of the gc contenders either.

 

[Cimber]

Riis finds Froome's attack "interesting", and that Froome's intention might have been to display Wiggins weakness so that he will be attacked more in the rest of the race, and that its not impossible that Froome will end up winning.

A bit speculative imo, but interesting nevertheless

 

[patrick767]

Froome's comments:

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/533878/froome-explains-his-attack-on-la-toussuire.html

I don't see anything there to suggest that Froome is "gutted" as another comment stated. I think people are seeing what they want to see, trying to manufacture a controversy.

 

[patrick767]

Riis finds Froome's attack "interesting", and that Froome's intention might have been to display Wiggins weakness so that he will be attacked more in the rest of the race, and that its not impossible that Froome will end up winning.

A bit speculative imo, but interesting nevertheless

More than "a bit"...
Of course Froome winning isn't impossible if Wiggins blows up, but to suggest he attacked as a secret strategy to encourage others to attack Wiggins more is ridiculous.