are riders purposely avoiding froome at tour ?

[RedheadDane]

Don't sleep on Basso people.

I do think that would be rather uncomfortable...

 

[Netserk]

I do think that would be rather uncomfortable...

Not if it it the other Basso

 

[Butterhead]

Nobody is afraid of Froome, why would they?
Course hes to strong?

I think the question should be reversed, shouldnt Froome be more afraid that he can´t hit same form as in 2013? When was the last time we seen a TdF winner regain his title?

During the Dopestrong period and we all know how he achieved that.
Naaaa, I think his opponents are just more motivated than ever before, and nothing will be easy for Froome in July, whatever he can win it again only time can tell, but I wouldnt be so damn confident on his behalf that he will.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Nobody is afraid of Froome, why would they?
Course hes to strong?

I think the question should be reversed, shouldnt Froome be more afraid that he can´t hit same form as in 2013? When was the last time we seen a TdF winner regain his title?

During the Dopestrong period and we all know how he achieved that.
Naaaa, I think his opponents are just more motivated than ever before, and nothing will be easy for Froome in July, whatever he can win it again only time can tell, but I wouldnt be so damn confident on his behalf that he will.

Froome was just as strong in '12 Tour.
This will be his 3rd at a very high level.

 

[Taxus4a]

Quintana needs to learn to lead a GT team and handle the pressures of a favourite from day 1, away from the furnace that is the Tour. If he smashes the field in May (which he should do) then he'll head to the Tour next year and Froome will have a real fight on his hands.

That is... he is in a learning proccess. Movistar is thinking in his full career, not in this year. Valverde showed last year he could get the podium. For Quintana it wanst any problem to go to the Tour.

And in this Tour there is cobbles and a long and stressful first week. For Purito and Quintana, Vuelta and Giro suits better.

 

[Cimber]

Nobody is afraid of Froome, why would they?
Course hes to strong?

I think the question should be reversed, shouldnt Froome be more afraid that he can´t hit same form as in 2013? When was the last time we seen a TdF winner regain his title?

During the Dopestrong period and we all know how he achieved that.
Naaaa, I think his opponents are just more motivated than ever before, and nothing will be easy for Froome in July, whatever he can win it again only time can tell, but I wouldnt be so damn confident on his behalf that he will.

Yeah Quintana and Purito showned that he does have limitations on the mountains.

 

[movingtarget]

Well it's self evident. Froome won by almost 5 minutes last year. Evans, Rodriguez and many others know they can't beat Froome. Movistar have made it clear they want to win a grand tour and Quintana in the Giro has a better chance than Valverde in the Tour. Contador will have to improve a lot on last year and Schleck always thinks he's going to win the Tour. I have a feeling the Giro will be a much better race than the Tour this year.

 

[Carols]

I don't really think sport works like that. Like, riders are not afraid to face another rider and don't avoid them; sponsors are not afraid of a rider's dominance, or even a reduced paycheque (2nd at the Tour is pretty good, I'd imagine). Did the world's top riders avoid the Tour when Lance won 7 straight? Not really. The things riders target have to do with the goals of their sponsors, the parcours, internal team dynamics, and to a certain degree their own interests. Talking about riders 'avoiding' other riders just makes a narrative that's not there, in my opinion.

Quintana is not riding the Tour, despite being the obvious #1 contender. The reality is, he could win the Tour, possibly even over Froome, but especially if one of the many unpredictable things that happen to riders happens to Froome (crashes out, has a hunger knock one day, whatever). The frequency with which that happens is by far worth it for a rider or a team to take the chance to try to win the world's biggest race. But Movistar/Caisse has had Valverde front and center for a decade now, and it's no secret that it's an important career goal for him (and you better bet Movistar, as a Spanish team) to get a TdF podium. At 34, with Quintana coming up, this is it for him. That was the plan last year until the crosswinds; you saw how they used Quintana in the first week. Valverde can podium in the same way Wiggins won - by being good enough and holding on. There's no way that'll happen, or if it does there's no way it'll look good, if he has Quintana riding away from him. So, easy solution - separate them; go for a Giro win and a Tour podium and then a double assault in the Vuelta. Sounds good to me, if I'm Movistar.

Rodriguez has made no secret that he left Caisse to make the decisions on his schedule, which have included the Tour a few times, but most of the time not. This is certainly not because he was 'afraid' of Wiggins or Cadel (a year where there wasn't even a clear favourite to avoid), he just targets what seems to work best for his year-long schedule. Now that he's gotten his Tour podium, which is the best he can do unless a Sastre-like confluence of events occurs, he has little incentive to ride it again. If it was the only race that mattered to him, you better believe he'd be there trying to stay at the top in case something happened to Froome. But the Vuelta, the Giro, the Worlds, Liege, Lombardia - hell, even Catalunya and whatever week long races he does - all of these seem pretty important to J-Rod.

You could do a similar exercise for any rider. Framing it as 'avoiding' Froome seems silly to me, it's just practical goals for teams and athletes.

+100 says it all!

 

[Tonton]

I don't really think sport works like that. Like, riders are not afraid to face another rider and don't avoid them; sponsors are not afraid of a rider's dominance, or even a reduced paycheque (2nd at the Tour is pretty good, I'd imagine). Did the world's top riders avoid the Tour when Lance won 7 straight? Not really. The things riders target have to do with the goals of their sponsors, the parcours, internal team dynamics, and to a certain degree their own interests. Talking about riders 'avoiding' other riders just makes a narrative that's not there, in my opinion.

I'm not too sure that the 'narrative isn't there'. Yes, during LA's reign, the top GC contenders didn't avoid the TdF. Since the mid-80's, the gap had opened between the TdF and the Giro in terms of media exposure, so GC contenders had little choice but be there in July. I would argue that as a result of getting their backs kicked year in and year out by Liestrong, they developped an inferiority complex and raced for second. It was pathetic to see them look at each other as LA would take off on the first mountain stage. Maybe Ullrich should have skipped a TdF (avoided LA), get himself a win at the Giro, and come back the following year stronger mentally. I can see why a team would protect a rider, wait until he's ready to win to line him up, which would mean avoiding Froome in 2014. Cyril Guimard was notorious for doing exactly that. He could have started Hinault in '77. He didn't. And maybe it is the reason why Nibali prefered the Giro for all these years. Maybe that's what Movistar is doing with Quintana. I'm on the fence here and would not disregard 'avoiding Froome/Sky' as a motive for some to skip the TdF.

 

[Butterhead]

Froome was just as strong in '12 Tour.
This will be his 3rd at a very high level.

Well, and what did we learn in school today...
1998 - 2005

No need to say more.

 

[JorgeZZ]

1998 - 2005

Great years

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Well, and what did we learn in school today...
1998 - 2005

No need to say more.

Lol, yes school certainly teaches one to spell the same thing over and over again.

Like I implied before, Froome is not afraid of repeat performances.

 

[happychappy]

Not if it it the other Basso

They don't call her "the town bike" for nothin'.

 

[masking_agent]

oh i'm hoping Andy gets into his belly full of anger and takes 'em all on ..

 

[Ruudz0r]

Yes, yes very good, this is why Im not riding the TdF this year.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Well it's self evident. Froome won by almost 5 minutes last year. Evans, Rodriguez and many others know they can't beat Froome. Movistar have made it clear they want to win a grand tour and Quintana in the Giro has a better chance than Valverde in the Tour. Contador will have to improve a lot on last year and Schleck always thinks he's going to win the Tour. I have a feeling the Giro will be a much better race than the Tour this year.

Agree with all of this.

Il Giro is the better grand tour for a couch surfer like me and has been for many years. Last year Le Tour had maybe one interesting moment with Contador getting a breakaway in a crosswind. Their efforts to add some uncertainty with cobbled stages have fallen flat. The rest of the time, once the contenders turn on the afterburners at the MTF's it's not interesting at all.

Somewhere, there's a comment by Froome roughly summarized as the Giro is a harder race to win because it's not a pure-power exercise.

 

[Carols]

And maybe it is the reason why Nibali prefered the Giro for all these years.

Nibali preferred the Giro because it is his Home Tour and he wanted to win it. Now that he has won the Giro (and the Vuelta), I think he will focus mainly on le Tour. Which will probably be a shame as I think he could take down multiple Giri. He has always shown a preference for racing in Italy, after all he is Italian .

 

[Tonton]

Agree with all of this.

Il Giro is the better grand tour for a couch surfer like me and has been for many years. Last year Le Tour had maybe one interesting moment with Contador getting a breakaway in a crosswind. Their efforts to add some uncertainty with cobbled stages have fallen flat. The rest of the time, once the contenders turn on the afterburners at the MTF's it's not interesting at all.

Somewhere, there's a comment by Froome roughly summarized as the Giro is a harder race to win because it's not a pure-power exercise.

The Giro and the Vuelta have re-invented themselves and closed the ever-growing gap with the TdF that existed since roughly the mid-80s. Even if it meant crazy insane courses with MTF every other day. I think that ASO is taking notice, and including the cobblestone stage may have been inspired by that. It will surely shuffle the deck of cards. I'd like more nervous stages that make it hard for one team to control the race. And for crying out loud, pave the Col du Jandri...

 

[SafeBet]

Nibali preferred the Giro because it is his Home Tour and he wanted to win it.

This is not clear cut though.

Since he's a legit GT rider:
-2009: Tour
-2010: Giro (but he was scheduled to ride the Tour)
-2011: Giro
-2012: Tour
-2013: Giro
-2014: Tour

 

[Afrank]

I think Nibali's goal has been winning the Giro for some years now (and he finally achieved that goal last year). 2012 he only missed out on the Giro because Cannondale went with Basso as leader for it, otherwise I think he probably would have been there.

 

[willbick]

Its probably been his goal since he first sat on a bicycle aged about 5!

 

[Butterhead]

Lol, yes school certainly teaches one to spell the same thing over and over again.

Like I implied before, Froome is not afraid of repeat performances.

Question was not what Froomes afraid of, but his contenders.

Dazed, if you wanna believe in miracles its your business, repeat performances..with totally domination...it should ring a bell somewhere.

It´s sad to see how people already eat this raw, history is repeating it self alright.

 

[Carols]

Its probably been his goal since he first sat on a bicycle aged about 5!

Indeed Read interviews a few years back. The man was obsessed with taking down the Giro. Basso and his supporting role left him doing what the team told him to. Now he has only le Tour left to collect and is at the height of his powers.

Froome needs to be ready. Astana and Lo Squalo, MoviStar and Valverde and Contador and Saxo will all be gunning for his scalp. I don't see any of them ducking the task.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Question was not what Froomes afraid of, but his contenders.

Dazed, if you wanna believe in miracles its your business, repeat performances..with totally domination...it should ring a bell somewhere.

It´s sad to see how people already eat this raw, history is repeating it self alright.

You probably need to spend some quality time in the clinic to get a better feel for my stance on the subject.

Some are afraid because they might have to much to lose. Froome is not afraid.

 

[Carols]

You probably need to spend some quality time in the clinic to get a better feel for my stance on the subject.

Yeah but that place with it's constant bickering and back stabbing makes Froome and Wiggins look like the best of friends Then there is the vortexing, phew it's a tough place to visit!!