Teams & Riders Chris Froome Discussion Thread.

[Billie]

Did he speak of the 'record' or did he say he was honoured to have the chance to come on the same level as Merckx, Hinault, Indurain, Anquetil?

I read he was speaking about the record victory next year but might have been a bad translation.

 

[PremierAndrew]

He said he was honoured to be mentioned in the same sentence as those guys

 

[kingjr]

If I heard it correctly he was asked what he had to say about ahving the opportunity to catch up to those guys next year and he said that it was an honour to be mentioned along them or something of the sort.

 

[ToreBear]

Gratz to Fromey and Sky. They did well.

 

[TMP402]

Re:

Congratulations to Froome. Now time to do the double.

(Ostensibly) the most pro-Froome sentiment you've ever expressed ever ever? :surprised: :surprised: :surprised: :surprised:

(Though I also suspect you of petard hoisting )

 

[Singer01]

Bad news for Froome haters, if he follows his current pattern he walks next year, so far his winning margins have been
- about 4 mins
- about 1 min
- about 4 mins
- about 1 min

he is due another 4 minute cake walk.

 

[huge]

No Giro in 2018 once again.

Even if I understand the variety of reasons behind the choice, he will always look an incomplete rider to me.
A true champion must give a serious go at all 3 GTs!

Merckx, Anquetil, Hinault... the ones he is proud to be mentioned with in the same sentence... they wouldn't have become the legends they are without their results in Giro and the Vuelta.
And to that category, in modern cycling, only Nibali and Contador can be included.

Is Froome the best GC rider of the present era?
I don't know. I can only say he is the best Tour rider of the present era. And that in no way makes him the best GC rider overall.

Not to mention that massive, enormous advantage of having a team like Team Sky supporting him.

Would he have won 4 Tours if in a different team?
Definitely not this year, in my opinion.

How does that compare with, for example, Contador winning 2015 Giro without a team?
I consider that a much bigger feat than this year Froome's win. Despite of it still being an enormous achievement.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Bad news for Froome haters, if he follows his current pattern he walks next year, so far his winning margins have been
- about 4 mins
- about 1 min
- about 4 mins
- about 1 min

he is due another 4 minute cake walk.

Us Contador fans thought we saw a pattern in 2014 with his 2 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 2 results. Unfortunately his next result was not a win but a DNF !

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Congratulations to Froome. Now time to do the double.

(Ostensibly) the most pro-Froome sentiment you've ever expressed ever ever? :surprised: :surprised: :surprised: :surprised:

(Though I also suspect you of petard hoisting )

I don't know why you consider that a pro-Froome sentiment.

 

[Singer01]

No Giro in 2018 once again.

Even if I understand the variety of reasons behind the choice, he will always look an incomplete rider to me.
A true champion must give a serious go at all 3 GTs!

Merckx, Anquetil, Hinault... the ones he is proud to be mentioned with in the same sentence... they wouldn't have become the legends they are without their results in Giro and the Vuelta.
And to that category, in modern cycling, only Nibali and Contador can be included.

Is Froome the best GC rider of the present era?
I don't know. I can only say he is the best Tour rider of the present era. And that in no way makes him the best GC rider overall.

Not to mention that massive, enormous advantage of having a team like Team Sky supporting him.

Would he have won 4 Tours if in a different team?
Definitely not this year, in my opinion.

How does that compare with, for example, Contador winning 2015 Giro without a team?
I consider that a much bigger feat than this year Froome's win. Despite of it still being an enormous achievement.

You trying to say indurain isn't a legend?

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Bad news for Froome haters, if he follows his current pattern he walks next year, so far his winning margins have been
- about 4 mins
- about 1 min
- about 4 mins
- about 1 min

he is due another 4 minute cake walk.

Us Contador fans thought we saw a pattern in 2014 with his 2 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 2 results. Unfortunately his next result was not a win but a DNF !

I'm pretty sure DNF is an impossible winning margin, though it is a possible result.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

I'm pretty sure DNF is an impossible winning margin, though it is a possible result.

what I'm trying to say is don't read too much into a pattern

 

[Laplaz]

What are you rating higher? Nibalis 2 Giros 1 Tour and 1 Vuelta or Froomeys 4 Tours?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Froome has no record until he beats Lance's 7. But that's just my opinion

 

[SeriousSam]

Very unlikely he gets to 7. Had Wiggins crashed in 2012 and Froome not crashed in 2014 he'd probably have 6 now and then it'd be conceivable he gets to 8. Lance's 7 consecutive victories is astounding even with all his unique advantages

 

[Ruby United]

No Giro in 2018 once again.

Even if I understand the variety of reasons behind the choice, he will always look an incomplete rider to me.
A true champion must give a serious go at all 3 GTs!

Merckx, Anquetil, Hinault... the ones he is proud to be mentioned with in the same sentence... they wouldn't have become the legends they are without their results in Giro and the Vuelta.
And to that category, in modern cycling, only Nibali and Contador can be included.

Is Froome the best GC rider of the present era?
I don't know. I can only say he is the best Tour rider of the present era. And that in no way makes him the best GC rider overall.

Not to mention that massive, enormous advantage of having a team like Team Sky supporting him.

Would he have won 4 Tours if in a different team?
Definitely not this year, in my opinion.

How does that compare with, for example, Contador winning 2015 Giro without a team?
I consider that a much bigger feat than this year Froome's win. Despite of it still being an enormous achievement.

Disagree with almost everything you wrote.
Of course he is the best GC rider of the era. Every time he has come up against the best in the world when it mattered most he has come out on top.

At the end of the day, the Tour is the Tour. For us all-year-round cycling fans we tend to forget how much the rest of the world values the Tour than the other GT's. We even end up preferring the other GT's and sometimes hope that the best riders will skip the Tour and ride the Vuelta or Giro.

But talk to any 'layman' on the street and it is a whole different story.

The Tour is everything. It is cycling.

And undoubtedly, from all points of views, it is the hardest to win, never mind 4 times (having only tried to win it 4 times).

Nibali and Contador only won the Giro in years they forfeited on the Tour. And the former only has 1 Tour to his name and the latter 2 (officially), perhaps because of that.

To win the Giro/Vuelta by forfeiting a Tour victory is pointless. Winning 4 Tours is much more impressive.
Froome's palmares in GC's outstrips Nibali's for sure.
Greg Lemond won 3 GT's. Tony Rominger won 3 GT's. But Rominger - among non-cycling fans- is unheard of.
Even 1 time winners of the Tour are better known than multiple Vuelta/Giro winners.

Of course, Froome is not as complete a rider as Merckx or Hinault, but in modern day cycling it is impossible to replicate what they did. Cycling has become much more specialized and time, fitness, freshness and form much more marginalized. The differences between the main competitors become smaller and smaller as technology advances. This all makes Froome's 4 victories even more impressive, despite it being obvious that he is not as complete a rider as Hinault and Merckx and never will be.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Bad news for Froome haters, if he follows his current pattern he walks next year, so far his winning margins have been
- about 4 mins
- about 1 min
- about 4 mins
- about 1 min

he is due another 4 minute cake walk.

Don't see that happening at all. If he wins the margin will be similar to this year.

 

[Jspear]

Re:

Froome has no record until he beats Lance's 7. But that's just my opinion

I agree!

Still congrats to him. He rode a smart race. Never seemed in too much trouble....looks set for the double. I doubt anyone will beat him.

 

[Jagartrott]

Re:

What are you rating higher? Nibalis 2 Giros 1 Tour and 1 Vuelta or Froomeys 4 Tours?

Nibali - because he tried different things.
Froome, though impressive, does things according to a formula. Stick to what works well - also regarding the team.

That's not even mentioning that Nibali also mixes it up in classics.
(though that's not part of your comparison)

 

[dacooley]

I'd gladly see Nibali trying something new if winning the Tours had perfectly worked. You can easily skip the Giro or Vuelta instead of defending the title, but deliberately skipping the Tour when it's up to you...When was the last time it happened?

 

[cellardoor]

No Giro in 2018 once again.

Even if I understand the variety of reasons behind the choice, he will always look an incomplete rider to me.
A true champion must give a serious go at all 3 GTs!

Merckx, Anquetil, Hinault... the ones he is proud to be mentioned with in the same sentence... they wouldn't have become the legends they are without their results in Giro and the Vuelta.
And to that category, in modern cycling, only Nibali and Contador can be included.

Is Froome the best GC rider of the present era?
I don't know. I can only say he is the best Tour rider of the present era. And that in no way makes him the best GC rider overall.

Not to mention that massive, enormous advantage of having a team like Team Sky supporting him.

Would he have won 4 Tours if in a different team?
Definitely not this year, in my opinion.

How does that compare with, for example, Contador winning 2015 Giro without a team?
I consider that a much bigger feat than this year Froome's win. Despite of it still being an enormous achievement.

Disagree with almost everything you wrote.
Of course he is the best GC rider of the era. Every time he has come up against the best in the world when it mattered most he has come out on top.

At the end of the day, the Tour is the Tour. For us all-year-round cycling fans we tend to forget how much the rest of the world values the Tour than the other GT's. We even end up preferring the other GT's and sometimes hope that the best riders will skip the Tour and ride the Vuelta or Giro.

But talk to any 'layman' on the street and it is a whole different story.

The Tour is everything. It is cycling.

And undoubtedly, from all points of views, it is the hardest to win, never mind 4 times (having only tried to win it 4 times).

Nibali and Contador only won the Giro in years they forfeited on the Tour. And the former only has 1 Tour to his name and the latter 2 (officially), perhaps because of that.

To win the Giro/Vuelta by forfeiting a Tour victory is pointless. Winning 4 Tours is much more impressive.
Froome's palmares in GC's outstrips Nibali's for sure.
Greg Lemond won 3 GT's. Tony Rominger won 3 GT's. But Rominger - among non-cycling fans- is unheard of.
Even 1 time winners of the Tour are better known than multiple Vuelta/Giro winners.

Of course, Froome is not as complete a rider as Merckx or Hinault, but in modern day cycling it is impossible to replicate what they did. Cycling has become much more specialized and time, fitness, freshness and form much more marginalized. The differences between the main competitors become smaller and smaller as technology advances. This all makes Froome's 4 victories even more impressive, despite it being obvious that he is not as complete a rider as Hinault and Merckx and never will be.

To be fair to Contador, I don't think he's ever intentionally forfeited the Tour. Generally his hand was forced by circumstances. Even in 2015 I think he truly believed he could do the double after his very impressive 2014. I don't think it would be fair to say that he was just hand-picking the easy GTs in 2015. Next year might (and hopefully will) be a different story.

 

[rick james]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/24/chris-froome-helps-fan-propose-girlfriend-winning-tour-de-france/

 

[Lequack]

Crazy to read some old articles, this one is from 2012 Tour, when he "attacked" Wiggins:
http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/tour-de-france/froome-explains-his-attack-on-la-toussuire-41169

“You realise you can win the Tour?” a journalist asked.
“… Maybe one day,” he replied.
“We feel you’re able to win the Tour,” another persisted moments later.

How right they were

 

[Pennino]

No Giro in 2018 once again.

Even if I understand the variety of reasons behind the choice, he will always look an incomplete rider to me.
A true champion must give a serious go at all 3 GTs!

Merckx, Anquetil, Hinault... the ones he is proud to be mentioned with in the same sentence... they wouldn't have become the legends they are without their results in Giro and the Vuelta.
And to that category, in modern cycling, only Nibali and Contador can be included.

Is Froome the best GC rider of the present era?
I don't know. I can only say he is the best Tour rider of the present era. And that in no way makes him the best GC rider overall.

Not to mention that massive, enormous advantage of having a team like Team Sky supporting him.

Would he have won 4 Tours if in a different team?
Definitely not this year, in my opinion.

How does that compare with, for example, Contador winning 2015 Giro without a team?
I consider that a much bigger feat than this year Froome's win. Despite of it still being an enormous achievement.

Agree with everything you wrote. And it's not only about Team Sky the team as in personal assistance on the road, but even more about Team Sky The Project, without which the world almost surely would have never heard of the Kenian cyclist Christopher Froome. And for me, that ruins everything.

 

[miguelindurain111]

No Giro in 2018 once again.

Even if I understand the variety of reasons behind the choice, he will always look an incomplete rider to me.
A true champion must give a serious go at all 3 GTs!

Merckx, Anquetil, Hinault... the ones he is proud to be mentioned with in the same sentence... they wouldn't have become the legends they are without their results in Giro and the Vuelta.
And to that category, in modern cycling, only Nibali and Contador can be included.

Is Froome the best GC rider of the present era?
I don't know. I can only say he is the best Tour rider of the present era. And that in no way makes him the best GC rider overall.

Not to mention that massive, enormous advantage of having a team like Team Sky supporting him.

Would he have won 4 Tours if in a different team?
Definitely not this year, in my opinion.

How does that compare with, for example, Contador winning 2015 Giro without a team?
I consider that a much bigger feat than this year Froome's win. Despite of it still being an enormous achievement.

Agree with everything you wrote. And it's not only about Team Sky the team as in personal assistance on the road, but even more about Team Sky The Project, without which the world almost surely would have never heard of the Kenian cyclist Christopher Froome. And for me, that ruins everything.