Ryaguas said:That's the problem.. maybe Froome's max level is the one already displayed on Dauphine... or the last Tour or in La Vuelta '11... his TT skills are really good but climbing skills are overrated tho...
I think that Contador will show him how the Tour raced... He wont be a dominating machine but He will win it...
So far Froome's maximum capabilities were shown when he attacked Cobo on Pena Cabarga with 1800VAM and only 6.4w/kg at the 2011 Vuelta. Given Sky have said that their tactics will not change, there's only one stage that will suit Froome's tactic of a final km attack, and even then if he left it too late the final km is flat so better sprinters would destroy him.
maxmartin said:that is exactly what I am trying to tell Nick101. We just don't know Froom's real Tour level yet.
Froome has at no point shown any indication throughout his entire career of being able to replicate the figures that Contador produces when he attacks. So if Contador were to attack as his old self (and not an attack at his current form), and Froome were to match it and counter, I'd certainly be raising my eyebrows in surprise. The fact that Froome would able to even keep up with Contador would be suspicious enough in itself. Big jumps in performance obviously don't happen over night as you are suggesting.
Even the fact that Contador claims he's improved by 15% in a matter of weeks made me surprised. Sky have taken nearly exactly the same approach with Froome as Wiggin's in 2012. Wiggin's form was nearly identical in the Tour as it was throughout the year, so I realistically expect a similar situation with Froome. Both are trying to maintain a high level of form for a long period of time. Froome tried this last year, but to a smaller extent and failed miserably come the Vuelta. Even if Froome were to improve (and i'm being extremely generous toward Froome in saying that), it'd only be by a few percent, which wouldn't make a big difference as the other GC rider's have up to 20% of their form that they can improve by. I also noted last year that Wiggins was less dominant climbing than during the year as riders were at a higher level at the Tour than before and there were more GC riders at the Tour than when Wiggins raced