Teams & Riders Chris Froome Discussion Thread.

[Cimber]

Re: Re:

Personally I'm not hoping for rain....I want to see all the main GC contenders get through this stage without crashing. I think there will still be an opportunity for exciting racing.

Its not about crashes - it about gaps. If it would raind (which is most likely will not) Nibali would do an epic comeback.

Yes but crashes are an almost certain side-effect of having rain and I still think gaps can be made, even if they won't be as big. Anyway, Nibali will have his chance at an epic comeback in the mountains

Ye of coruse rain increases the risk of crashes, but that doesnt mean the big 4 will crash out. I hope for rain mainly becayse I like the wet-cobble carnage, and since I really would like to see Nobali make a huge comeback (he excel in wet and cold conditions). And yeah, he could make a great comeback in the mountains if we get a really wet and windy one (one can only hope)

PS: I am actually just as afraid of crashes on todays stage.

 

[Ludwig's Olaf]

When Froome crashes, he's out of contention. The other three dust off and go on in most cases, Froome suffers. Probably the price to pay for being this tall and emaciated. See the Schleck sisters, also.

 

[del1962]

Re:

When Froome crashes, he's out of contention. The other three dust off and go on in most cases, Froome suffers. Probably the price to pay for being this tall and emaciated. See the Schleck sisters, also.

While obviously being taller does not help for crashes, Froome has crashed at got back up fine before, it depends on the crash, the same for all the others too.

 

[rhubroma]

Re: Re:

The cobbles are where Froome and Sky will be most vulnerable. Contador no doubt had in mind how good Nibali was on them last year and certainly wanted to capitalize the most of the favorable situation before tomorrow.

Froome may well rue the day that he didn't have his teammates contribute more yesterday, as not being the best bike handler he could fair far worse than imagined on tomorrow's stage. This is why I can't understand Sky's tactic yesterday. Overconfidence? Or is it simply underestimation?

Froome had only Thomas and Stannard, and only Thomas with good legs. With monster pulls by Thomas they would have gained another 1.5 min? I dont' think so. By burning Thomas up they would have gained maybe 10 seconds more but then Sky would be weaker on the cobbles, they need fresh Thomas there.

I was speaking of 1.5 minutes if BMC worked as well. In any case, I don't understand this racing. You risk not making time, because you are thinking about having "good legs" in the future? When everyone among the favorites was put in a situation where they had to go like the damned.

Astana, Movistar were f-ed and Sky and BMC sat on wheels, with a most unpredictable and therefore insidious cobbled course beckoning? I don't know if this hits home.

 

[hrotha]

You see, by not putting time on their rivals now, they have a chance of putting time on their rivals at some indeterminate point in the future, maybe.

 

[meat puppet]

IMO Sky played it right with the limited info they had. They thought it would be crosswindy again in the final 20k and that Tinkoffs might try to ambush and *** them whilst Froome checks if his stem is still in place. No pulling, then, even if it meant a little less time gains.

Turns out there was no wind but punctures for bennati and sagan but hey, predicting the future is hard.

 

[djpbaltimore]

More than anything else, I think it also shows how big of a rival they think Contador is. If he was in the back group, I think SKY would've used different tactics. It seems like a smart move to let another team work hard to gain time for you.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re: Re:

It's confirmation bias. Do nothing but reverse Nibali and Froome's position today and it would by many be interpreted as confirming that Froome has no racing instinct and can't control his bike, whereas Nibali is the wily, sharp racer who smelled blood and opportunistically gained time like he always does.

Personally I have never praised anyone for following wheels. Not Froome, not Nibali, not Gerrans, not Rui Costa, not Contador, no one. Following wheels is the default action. On PCM its what happens when you don't press any buttons.

There is no risk being taken or sacrifice being made. You do the thing everyone learnt to do when they first got on a bike. Pff, why does that deserve praise?

Froome did well to stay near the front and stay in the front group, but it was all the labour of others that got Sky their time today and they did nothing to earn it themselves.

You maybe need to see the face of some riders yesterday, Contador, Quintana,.. everybody, to learn that in a stage like yesterday to follow a wheel, especially some wheels with that crosswind is not easy.
Froome showed at the end that he is stronger than Contador.
There is always a factor in the luck, a factor that last year wanst with froome and yesterday wanst with Nibalu, but of course frome and contador has his merit to follow that wheels and to be at the front, but for contador was not easy.. and he didnt work anything, as Urán pull some timesl andn Froome showed he hadnt have big problems to follow whels.. 4 seconds is an important differente in just an sprint to apreciate that difference of strengh.

In the ITT Froome is not so good in the corners, and he has much to lose than others, so it is good not to take risks

 

[hrotha]

Maybe Sky don't understand one of the basic tenets of riding in echelons: it's safer and easier to pull at the front than to hang at the back.

 

[McLovin]

Where is that guy that said Froomey can't handle the mic??

 

[rick james]

Va Va Froome

 

[MatParker117]

Well played today lead car on the pave.

 

[BigMac]

Chris Froome Ardennes Treble 2015.

No joke.

 

[DBotero]

Better than expected really,so close to J.Rod on his home ground.Everything is perfect until now,i hope tomorrow will go on without incidents.G.and Stannard should take care of this

 

[The Hitch]

Today should put an end to the whole - can Froome do well on hills argument ive been having with people for years

I disagree that he'd have won the Worlds if he'd been in his Ax3/Ventoux shape. His Tirreno performance on that hilly stage and his L-B-L performance, when he was clearly in very good shape on both occasions, indicate that he just isn't a rider suited to hilly one day races. Big difference between 2-5 minute efforts on hills and 25-40 minute efforts on mountains as I'm sure you know.

He has all the qualities to dominate one day races and even if he didn't, his climbing and riding on flat is just so much better than anybody else who does the 1 day races, that it would easily make up for whatever weaknesses he may have.

I agree that we probably do need more evidence and I'm perfectly happy to take a Carlton Kirby avatar for a year if Froome top 5's on that Tirreno wall next year or top 10's at L-B-L.

Frank Schleck is much more explosive on short hills than Froome and Ivan hardly has a stellar one day palmares. One significant win nine years ago?
<snip>
Well mostly 20-25 minutes (and some of those are at the end of mountain stages which is obviously going to suit Froome). Much different to the 3-5 minute explosive efforts that are needed in most hilly classic races.

I think its a stretch to say that Froome can be the most explosive rider in the world at long mountains, and the most explosive person in the world on medium mountains and**the most explosive person in the world on short mountains, but that he would be nowhere on hill explosivity, when every other rider who has good acceleration at the end of mountains can manage it on hills as well.

 

[Dog]

Froomebot loaded climb.exe today. Really aggressive ride.

I'm sure the haters will come up with something...

"LOL Froome failed to beat Rodriguez! Sky tactically clueless!"

 

[Inquitus]

Re:

Froomebot loaded climb.exe today. Really aggressive ride.

I'm sure the haters will come up with something...

"LOL Froome failed to beat Rodriguez! Sky tactically clueless!"

Someone already posted exactly this in the stage thread!

 

[pastronef]

Re:

Froomebot loaded climb.exe today. Really aggressive ride.

I'm sure the haters will come up with something...

"LOL Froome failed to beat Rodriguez! Sky tactically clueless!"

no no, nice 2nd, winning would be too much. ok like this, I even preferred MArtin in yellow

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

froome rides aggressive, but also in fear. he's wasting tons of energy that he usually misses at the end of a gt. we will see

 

[Taxus4a]

Very well today SKy and Froome, he is as all we know the stronger rider for races as le Tour,

But he is not the leader, Purito was 2 seconds better than him, at least for sure 1.

 

[Carols]

Froome looks Very Strong!

 

[BigMac]

Re:

Froome looks Very Strong!

Still can't ride a bike though. I was worried he would knock everyone off their bikes up the mur at one point.

 

[Alexandre B.]

https://twitter.com/littletwitman/status/618090201144029184
"Team Sky will not defend yellow jersey", says Brailsford.

Dangerous statement before tomorrow.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

froome rides aggressive, but also in fear. he's wasting tons of energy that he usually misses at the end of a gt. we will see

Why do you have to post this.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re: Re:

Froome looks Very Strong!

Still can't ride a bike though. I was worried he would knock everyone off their bikes up the mur at one point.

it was one of his problems when he started cycling becouse he was quite new in this sport, although he starting cycling winning races...but although he was stronger than Mollema or Rui Costa in Guillermo tell, he didnt know how to handle well a bike, and he was quite fat to climb...

But I think now he has much more experience and that is not a big problem, at least is not when you are so strong and your team work so well.