Teams & Riders Chris Froome Discussion Thread.

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Is Froome over the hill?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 42 34.4%
  • No, the GC finished 40 minutes ago but Froomie is still climbing it

    Votes: 65 53.3%
  • No he is totally winning the Vuelta

    Votes: 28 23.0%

  • Total voters
    122
May 3, 2015
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What does the forum think, Froome already out of contention on stage 1 today or unexpectedly showing some signs of life?

In my opinion we will see improvement (I guess he really put into the work) but it will not be enough given his age and especially injury. I can see him finish around place 30-40.
 
Last edited:
Apr 20, 2012
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What does the forum think, Froome already out of contention on stage 1 today or unexpectedly showing some signs of life?

In my opinion we will se improvement (I guess he really put into the work) but it will not be enough given his age and especially injury. I can see him finish around place 30-40.

Out of GC contention from today but he'll win on Angliru.
 
Jul 1, 2015
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Out of GC contention from today but he'll win on Angliru.
Too early to kill suspense. Incidentally, the last MTF this year was the first one in 2011 where he showed that everything we knew about him was wrong. To close the loop, he'll just finish 5th or something.
 
Jan 7, 2010
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What does the forum think, Froome already out of contention on stage 1 today or unexpectedly showing some signs of life?

In my opinion we will see improvement (I guess he really put into the work) but it will not be enough given his age and especially injury. I can see him finish around place 30-40.

Out, he will never win a top level race for the rest of his career, he is done, you just dont come back as a top level climber from this type of injury
 
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Feb 20, 2012
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Top 30 in Vuelta would be signs of some life.

If he does top 10 here he's been trolling us all along.

If he's in the gruppetto every day then next year is back to a good level than he was trolling this Vuelta.
 
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Mar 11, 2009
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Maybe... but Lance won 7 in a row after cancer. So, I don't think we can write Froome off yet. Many top former riders are saying that he is still capable of doing it. And I forgot which TdF top 10 rider this year said he was looking at his numbers on Strava and he felt he was a threat still. Froome has been known to put the Strava numbers out for all to see up to say 4 weeks to a race.

I live him and respect him. And he might not be able to do it this year but I will not count him out next year unless he looks awful prior to the TdF as we all know that is ISNs goal for him.

To be fair, Lance was 27 years old. LeMond was 28. There is a big difference between coming back when you are entering your prime (Lance) and coming back when you are 35- an age that most riders are past there prime.

At the same time, it’s great to see Froome back in a grand tour. Good luck to him at La Vuelta. I may not be cheering for him on the road, but I’m pulling for him all the same.
 
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May 19, 2014
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Chris_Froome_2008.jpg


He'll finish his career as he began. Sadly.
 
Aug 6, 2015
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This is not surprise. I personally didn't expect him to achieve anything of significance this season. He came back to sport and this is something to admire. In my opinion It's nice that Ineos is letting him ride this last GT for the team even if it is only training or symbolic farewell race.
 
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What does the forum think, Froome already out of contention on stage 1 today or unexpectedly showing some signs of life?

In my opinion we will see improvement (I guess he really put into the work) but it will not be enough given his age and especially injury. I can see him finish around place 30-40.
His injuries merited a two-year recovery, at least. If he's motivated and heals completely he could still be on top form, just not this season and likely not next if the Covid situation curtails racing. I'm not necessarily a Froome fan but think he could still regain his form. He won't have the same level of team support, though and that was essential to almost all of his victories. Look what happened in the Vuelta when his team fell apart....
 
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Jun 7, 2010
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I am not sure what he was doing straining himself to keep in contact on the penultimate climb only to lose 6+ minutes to Ries and Sicard (the guys he was with) on the last climb.

Or what the team told him for that matter.
 
Jul 15, 2019
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Unfortunately on today's form I don't think it matters what the team told him. He doesn't have the legs even to offer any help to Carapaz when the road goes uphill.
 
Dec 6, 2013
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His injuries merited a two-year recovery, at least. If he's motivated and heals completely he could still be on top form, just not this season and likely not next if the Covid situation curtails racing. I'm not necessarily a Froome fan but think he could still regain his form. He won't have the same level of team support, though and that was essential to almost all of his victories. Look what happened in the Vuelta when his team fell apart....
This^. His body still hasn't had enough time to recover.
 
Mar 17, 2009
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watching him riding and fading from the leading group was quite sad- even If I never liked him as rider.
He is Champion nonetheless, So to find himself struggling to keep up with the best after all he achieved prior to the accident is quite discouraging. I'm curious to know whether they way he performed today is because of carrying problems from his recovery or lack of fitness - or both...
 
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Mar 17, 2009
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Maybe... but Lance won 7 in a row after cancer. So, I don't think we can write Froome off yet. Many top former riders are saying that he is still capable of doing it. And I forgot which TdF top 10 rider this year said he was looking at his numbers on Strava and he felt he was a threat still. Froome has been known to put the Strava numbers out for all to see up to say 4 weeks to a race.

I live him and respect him. And he might not be able to do it this year but I will not count him out next year unless he looks awful prior to the TdF as we all know that is ISNs goal for him.


Pleeeeeeaaaasseeeeeee.............

GTFO with that LA rubbish :mad: There is no near comparison between Froome's horrible accident with that Con artists at all
 
Yes its a bit sad and no and I was never a fan of him. But he indisputably a champion.

I'll be interested to read the theories. I think it is a factor of injuries, interruption to training and age. Those of us who are "past it" know as you age it gets harder to reach the same level and you lose form faster when training is interrupted. Put this together with rising young guns and we see what happened today. Others will say but look at Horner or Valverde. But both were outliers IMO and neither had to come back from injuries and interruption as Froome experienced.
 
May 14, 2017
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Was never a fan but I really hope that he will have one last big win. Maybe he just needs even more time. Maybe he is done as a GC rider. But he deserves his Contador Angliru moment.
 
Jul 6, 2014
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I don't think he's done. This is his prep for tdf 2021 - he needs a GT in his legs. I don't think he can win another one, but he'll definitely be a genuine competitor, and very likely in the top 10, maybe top 5 and possibly even the top step.
 

CTQ

Mar 12, 2016
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Feb 20, 2012
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Vuelta stage 1 on Strava:
"but despite losing contact with the leaders, Froome still put out some serious watts to get over pushing 439w for eight minutes and 50 seconds, that’s an estimated 6.6w/kg. "

6.6 for 8 minutes just isn't that much. Especially these days.