Teams & Riders Chris Froome Discussion Thread.

[yaco]

Think it is good that the Tour of San Juan is happening. The more races the better.

 

[tobydawq]

Seems a little early to start the season after not exactly finishing off 2020 strongly.

I don't think so at all. He was able to ride his bike and finish a Grand Tour. Then why would it be premature to ride a 2.1 race three months later?

 

[memyselfandI]

Lazy bones.

 

[memyselfandI]

Maybe it was wise to stay in California, extremely cold weather in Spain atm, Leon and Catalunya regions -35 Celsius yesterday. Nice. Madrid region like 50 cents snow excpected during weekend!

 

[Oldermanish]

Maybe it was wise to stay in California, extremely cold weather in Spain atm, Leon and Catalunya regions -35 Celsius yesterday. Nice. Madrid region like 50 cents snow excpected during weekend!

Geraint spent some of January near LA, Malibu where the climbs are taxing but close to home. They can ride in some anonymity or with really strong, active groups near San Diego. It's been a good place for Winter training for some time if you avoid public gatherings.

 

[Oldermanish]

I don't think so at all. He was able to ride his bike and finish a Grand Tour. Then why would it be premature to ride a 2.1 race three months later?

And he needs to continue the regulated intensity to complete his recovery. That was a 2-year (+) setback he suffered. He doesn't need to race to win.

 

[Fyr3]

With regards to everything coming out of ISN related to Froome is it mostly just propaganda or is there a reliable truth to things like that Chris Froome is getting back to his best?

 

[Oldermanish]

With regards to everything coming out of ISN related to Froome is it mostly just propaganda or is there a reliable truth to things like that Chris Froome is getting back to his best?

The truth will be out on the road. He'll be lucky to be in good form by year's end.

 

[Red Rick]

Very hard to imagine signing an aging star in questionable form for massive money only to say "nah we don't know how he's gonna do"

 

[Oldermanish]

Very hard to imagine signing an aging star in questionable form for massive money only to say "nah we don't know how he's gonna do"

Sports franchises will do many things for publicity although cycling seems like it doesn't return value as well. IMO he will do well at some point but expectations are pretty high for the seriousness of his injuries. The Vuelta rides were encouraging but hardly indicative of form of old.

 

[TMJ]

In the latest Chris Froome PR piece there is a remarkable admission if you examine the words. His team admit he lacks critical power in his right leg, but they describe it as an "imbalance".
Hardly surprising really, his right leg is held together with a metal rod.
Unless something truly, truly remarkable has happened since the Vuelta don't expect anything like the "old" Chris Froome unless you have a nostalgia for the Barloworld days.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Unless something truly, truly remarkable has happened since the Vuelta don't expect anything like the "old" Chris Froome unless you have a nostalgia for the Barloworld days.

I actually have. Now we just need him to switch allegiance back to Kenya, G to become a track rider again, and Igor Astarloa, John Lee-Augustyn and Mauricio Soler to make comebacks.

 

[Lequack]

Route - Lefevere: "Israel Start-Up has no long-term vision"

Patrick Lefevere , Deceuninck - Quick Step boss , was Sporza's guest on the De Tribune podcast . He was notably questioned about the transfer window, and according to him, the team which made the best recruitment is quite simply ... his, "because we were able to keep our leaders" , he explained, before to mention Israel Start-Up Nation and UAE Team Emirates . "Israel Start-Up Nation has bought too many individuals. We can see that there is no long-term vision. UAE is obviously very strong on paper. But for them it's very easy: Mauro Gianetti (UAE manager) just has to call the sheikh and he has the money. "

More (use Google Translate):

Route - Lefevere : «Israel Start-Up n'a aucune vision à long terme»

www.cyclismactu.net

 

[tobydawq]

Route - Lefevere: "Israel Start-Up has no long-term vision"

Patrick Lefevere , Deceuninck - Quick Step boss , was Sporza's guest on the De Tribune podcast . He was notably questioned about the transfer window, and according to him, the team which made the best recruitment is quite simply ... his, "because we were able to keep our leaders" , he explained, before to mention Israel Start-Up Nation and UAE Team Emirates . "Israel Start-Up Nation has bought too many individuals. We can see that there is no long-term vision. UAE is obviously very strong on paper. But for them it's very easy: Mauro Gianetti (UAE manager) just has to call the sheikh and he has the money. "

More (use Google Translate):

Route - Lefevere : «Israel Start-Up n'a aucune vision à long terme»

www.cyclismactu.net

He just has an opinion on everything, doesn't he?

 

[Lequack]

He sure does.

 

[Poursuivant]

Froome is going to UAE Tour next month.

 

[masking_agent]

I think if Froome can get to 90% of his tour winning form he will have a chance. All he'll have to do is stay with the leaders on the climbs, and hang on to whomever train is drilling it up the climbs. We know it won't be his team , so hopefully they can protect him just enough where they can deliver to the climbs so he can hang on. Even that is a tall order in this day and age of our sport. Just my two cents

 

[pink_jersey]

I still have hopes to see him at 100%. This man is gonna attack like a mad man. That's who he is. He's not the one to do 300m sprints like Roglic. No sir, if he has the legs, he attacks.

I still don't understand this obssesion about him that he hides himself after Sky Train. When he had the legs he crushed the competiton. You can talk about the Roglic-Pogacar battle of last all you want and how intriguing it was, but I still prefer 2013 or 2015 Tours. This man attacked! From distance. Not sprints. Last year, even if we had a very close GC battle we didn't seen a lot of action.

 

[Parker]

I still have hopes to see him at 100%. This man is gonna attack like a mad man. That's who he is. He's not the one to do 300m sprints like Roglic. No sir, if he has the legs, he attacks.

I still don't understand this obssesion about him that he hides himself after Sky Train. When he had the legs he crushed the competiton. You can talk about the Roglic-Pogacar battle of last all you want and how intriguing it was, but I still prefer 2013 or 2015 Tours. This man attacked! From distance. Not sprints. Last year, even if we had a very close GC battle we didn't seen a lot of action.

Everyone said how Jumbo were riding like Sky but they weren't that much. Jumbo were generally riding defensively and relying on time bonuses and the time trial (it worked in Spain, not in France). There was no attacking. Froome's Sky would hit some climbs very aggressively to bury the opposition or at least reduce the contenders to one or two.. When they had a big lead then they defended.

Jumbo should have ridden harder on the crosswind stage when Pogacar was distanced. But they held back so WVA could win the stage. Froome attacked into crosswinds.