Teams & Riders Chris Froome Discussion Thread.

[Dazed and Confused]

As a race winning move, Froome's plan was borderline dumb. Strongest team and clearly in great form suddenly and he ends up leading out Contador for the last 5km?

But as a member of the placement GC group, it all made sense. Plus he may have impressed the watt seekers and time keepers in the process of course.

Something very special will have to happen to dislodge Contador now, so instead we can look forward to the battle of the lesser places on the podium.

Not too different to the situation in the tour this year.

 

[SeriousSam]

Froome and Aru look pleased after yesterday, the same cant be said for Purito and Valverde


http://postimage.org/

Valverde looks like he's piloting the helicopter, probably going through the check list with control.

 

[rhubroma]

Well said..!

I'am a bit surpirised by Froomes minor "comeback".

Also his riding on numbers has been particularly handy this time around..
Had he responded, to the spaniards' accelerations. Those stages, where he seemed to struggle. He could have lost minutes...

Never thought I would say the following about him. But Clever riding...

Both Froome and Contador started the Vuelta not on peak form, or so it is claimed.

Froome has said that he began the race lacking "some rythym," though usually in a Grand Tour a rider needs to start with about the third week in mind and his necessary reserves. Hence, he can't be at 100% from day one. Very close to it, but still with that margin to not be out of gas in the later part of the race.

This is what Riis said the other evening about AC at Santander: he confided that Alberto feels good, but that he's not at the top like he was for the Tour.

Imagine, then, with both riders performing slightly off peak they are nonetheless not only present, but flying. The data says that yesterday's last climb was ridden as one of the fastest of all time; this time in a stage with 5000+ meters of elevation and the wind was even against them!

So if they are not in "top form" they must be at least very, very close to it now.

 

[jens_attacks]

this finale of the vuelta will go like in 2004 with santi perez and heras, mark my words.
it's not done yet, alberto has to be careful
froomey is getting even better i think and he will go for the win in three stages, time trial and castrove-ancares. he can put monster time gaps if his form like santi's is going through the roof. everyone from the peloton said that he won't let alberto win this easily.

 

[boringboy]

this finale of the vuelta will go like in 2004 with santi perez and heras, mark my words.
it's not done yet, alberto has to be careful
froomey is getting even better i think and he will go for the win in three stages, time trial and castrove-ancares. he can put monster time gaps if his form like santi's is going through the roof. everyone from the peloton said that he won't let alberto win this easily.

I would be feeling a bit ****ty if I were Valverde or Purito as well, they had the chance to make it 2 against Contador, whereas it seemed Contador was all along aware of the threat that was Froome.

I agree that Froome will be thinking about how to win and not give up without a fight, should be a few interesting stages still to go.

 

[Dr. Juice]

this finale of the vuelta will go like in 2004 with santi perez and heras, mark my words.
it's not done yet, alberto has to be careful
froomey is getting even better i think and he will go for the win in three stages, time trial and castrove-ancares. he can put monster time gaps if his form like santi's is going through the roof. everyone from the peloton said that he won't let alberto win this easily.

Surely this is too easy to gain time. Will be a Valverde sprint.

The only possibility would be Ancares. For that, Froome needs a super day and Alberto a bad day. Stranger things have happened in cycling. It's not over, Alberto might crash or something else might happen.
But to expect Alberto having a not-good day and Froome finding his TdF 2013 form is a little bit too much I think.
Even if Froome finds a super day, if Alberto rides as smooth as yesterday, he won't break him.
Fingers crossed for Alberto. And he was right to say Froome is the biggest threat. He is very intelligent. It's a shame there are only 1.5 real mountain stages which seperate the grain from the chaff. Also the last TT should be 25-30 km.

 

[jens_attacks]

it can't be a valverde sprint if they will go at monster speed, 30 kmph sky train. sky is by far the strongest team here, they can control the escape

santi perez broke roberto heras on navacerrada which was quite the same gradient
i think he might gain 10-20 seconds on alberto there, we'll see. but alberto will win the overall

 

[Savant12]

Valverde looks like he's piloting the helicopter, probably going through the check list with control.

He's just waiting for another helicopter to take off so he can draft behind it.

 

[Dr. Juice]

it can't be a valverde sprint if they will go at monster speed, 30 kmph sky train. sky is by far the strongest team here, they can control the escape

santi perez broke roberto heras on navacerrada which was quite the same gradient
i think he might gain 10-20 seconds on alberto there, we'll see. but alberto will win the overall

I would like to see monster speed. But only Nieve is capable of hurting the others. Cataldo is okay. Kennaugh and the others are too weak IMO.

 

[Carols]

“We talked in the morning and we felt that the best scenario would be if Froome attacked early and Alberto went with him,” Riis told Biciciclismo. “That way, we only had to follow the wheel.”

Thanks Froome

Next year I hope we get to see both of them go at it at 100%. It will be a relentless battle of titans!

 

[cineteq]

“We talked in the morning and we felt that the best scenario would be if Froome attacked early and Alberto went with him,” Riis told Biciciclismo. “That way, we only had to follow the wheel.”

Thanks Froome

If MOV and KAT didn't or couldn't make the stage harder earlier, then SKY/Froome were bound to do what they did. Contador's was on the driver's seat all way to the bank, kaching!

 

[contador977]

I'm not a FroomeDonkey fan but I am starting to like him more and more. He has shown incredible guts and determination to hold on even when not at 100% top form. Chapeau Froomey Chapeau.

Saturday I expect Contador and Froome to drop everyone and finish 1 and 2. I think Contador will work with Froome and not contest the win. Froom will finish 2nd overall. Interesting to see if he can drop Contador because I think he will definately attack a few more times. His attacks are great for the sport, great tv.

 

[LosBrolin]

rest day ride : http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/09/video/video-gcn-rides-froome-vuelta-rest-day_344847

 

[Helvellyn]

Saturday I expect Contador and Froome to drop everyone and finish 1 and 2. I think Contador will work with Froome and not contest the win. Froom will finish 2nd overall. Interesting to see if he can drop Contador because I think he will definately attack a few more times. His attacks are great for the sport, great tv.

I did get the distinct impression in 2013 that Froome was doing whatever he could to prevent Contador picking up any morale-boosting scraps such as stage wins. I think there's a bit of a psychological battle going on between them and I'm not sure that gifting stage wins fits into that.

 

[MBotero]

I did get the distinct impression in 2013 that Froome was doing whatever he could to prevent Contador picking up any morale-boosting scraps such as stage wins. I think there's a bit of a psychological battle going on between them and I'm not sure that gifting stage wins fits into that.

Pretty much this,i really don't think there will be gifted stages between those 2,so i was not surprised that Contador attacked him in the end.If Froome wants to win something in this Vuelta he needs to drop Contador,Puerto de Ancares should be fun

 

[Carols]

I did get the distinct impression in 2013 that Froome was doing whatever he could to prevent Contador picking up any morale-boosting scraps such as stage wins.

I think you are right! He made sure he squashed him like a bug anytime he could. Well that just destroyed any feelings of warming up to Froome I was beginning to experience

 

[vedrafjord]

I did get the distinct impression in 2013 that Froome was doing whatever he could to prevent Contador picking up any morale-boosting scraps such as stage wins. I think there's a bit of a psychological battle going on between them and I'm not sure that gifting stage wins fits into that.

Also the TdF has no bonus seconds, so gifting a stage win but finishing on the same time has no GC effect, whereas you're throwing away bonus seconds if you do that in the Vuelta.

 

[Pantani_lives]

Typical. Froome is gaining popularity now that he's not winning. Good old sympathy for the underdawg.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Typical. Froome is gaining popularity now that he's not winning. Good old sympathy for the underdawg.

Pretty sure it's for his effort's over the last week rather than just sympathy.

 

[Poursuivant]

That last stage 10km ITT... Absolute joke of a stage.

 

[May0maniac]

That last stage 10km ITT... Absolute joke of a stage.

Yes, it should be at least 20km long. Well, it's the Vuelta...

 

[Walkman]

That last stage 10km ITT... Absolute joke of a stage.

If the Vuelta added more flat TT kilometers that would effectively kill J-rod chances while Contador and Valverde would be at a big disadvantages against strong TT riders such as Froome and Uran.

That's not going to fly in Spain.

 

[cineteq]

Typical. Froome is gaining popularity now that he's not winning. Good old sympathy for the underdawg.

The Underdawg: coming soon

 

[Dr. Juice]

If the Vuelta added more flat TT kilometers that would effectively kill J-rod chances while Contador and Valverde would be at a big disadvantages against strong TT riders such as Froome and Uran.

That's not going to fly in Spain.

Yeah, because Contador is a mediocre flat TTist when in good shape.

 

[Punter]

As a race winning move, Froome's plan was borderline dumb. Strongest team and clearly in great form suddenly and he ends up leading out Contador for the last 5km?

But as a member of the placement GC group, it all made sense. Plus he may have impressed the watt seekers and time keepers in the process of course.

Something very special will have to happen to dislodge Contador now, so instead we can look forward to the battle of the lesser places on the podium.

Not too different to the situation in the tour this year.

I think it was a good move, his aim was to drop Contador not pull him along and though he couldn't he still ended up getting time on other GC rivals.

If Contador doesn't grab his wheel or cracks at some point then Froome rides away while the 3 Spaniards look at each other to do the work.

I am pulling for AC but think Froome is going to make a serious race of it