- May 11, 2013
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The young Belgian star won an intermediate sprint against the future winner, I don't see Froome replicate that performance.
The young Belgian star won an intermediate sprint against the future winner, I don't see Froome replicate that performance.
Froome will be on the Tour team to soak up media minutes and ensure Woodsy gets sufficient rest without being mithered by journos.
- Nov 17, 2020
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It's not like I'm comapring them 1:1. I'm just having similair impression in general.
I like Woodsy so I'm really glad that Froome will be able to help him in some way. Even if not necessairly in the bike.
Cookster15
Moderator
- May 14, 2011
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A good and knowledgeable post as usual but this bit caught my eye. I think BMC did well investing in Cadel Evans? I'd be surprised if BMC didn't recoup Evans fee on the back of his results. 2010 Giro, 2010 La Flèche Wallonne, 2011 TdF and a string of other wins and top results which must have pleased the sponsors. I don't think you can compare Froome and ISN with BMC.
- Feb 18, 2015
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Just having my doubts 20 guys or so writing about someone on a forum is worth 5.5 million in marketing money. Might not even be worth 5 million tbh.He does get some exposure every time he gets dropped, though. And then everybody talks about in on the forum. There is no such thing as negative publicity
- Jul 4, 2016
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ISN are fools. It's medically impossible to return to form after the injuries he sustained. Building the form, he'll bounce back - all hilarious stuff. Hopefully, he'll ride the tour. It'll be more interesting than the Jumbo train.
Cookster15
Moderator
- May 14, 2011
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Hopefully Froome doesn't ride the Tour. Ineos on paper look strong enough to push JV but not if they have an anchor in the train.
Fortunately our boy Chris Froome does not ride for INEOS so you can calm down.
- Oct 14, 2020
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You are severely underestimating our power. We represent billions of cycling fans worldwide. Especially me.
Froome column inches will be comfortably top 10 of all riders in 2021, probably more like top 5. All publicity is good etc...
Former rider Chris Horner has had something to say about Froome's performance on both Stage 1 and 2 of the Dauphine in his entertaining video race analysis.
Stage 1 : "Chris Froome has shown up and we're getting to the TdF. Froome just got done publishing how his training went up at altitude. He says he's dropped kilos and he's at race weight now and he says the form is coming, so let's get into the stage and decide if the form is coming or not for Froome.
"The group is down to about 80 guys and Froome, he's all the way at the back, 5 or 10 from the last guy, single file back there and that is the first sign you know that Froome's form is not that great.
"When you've won as many TdF's as he has, Giro, Spain, when you've got that on your resume and you're swinging on the back of a group of 80, you know the form is not there.
"Big, big question mark whether Froome is going to come up with the type of form that he needs to show up at the TdF.
"There's no more faking it when you get there. In my mind I don't see it happening. It is a short window of opportunity and he's going to be suffering here at these races and is going to need more recovery after the Dauphine."
Stage 2 : "For Froome this is a terrible sign. The racing had not been that intense and this was the first moment the race started to heat up and it had only been 'on' for 6-7k when Chris Froome got popped off the back.
"It's gonna be a difficult time for Froome at this year's Dauphine and he's not going to have that much time for training and recovery before the TdF starts.
"In my mind this stage reaffirms what I said yesterday, there's no chance he's going to have a good 2021 TdF and be racing for the victory."
Stage 1 : "Chris Froome has shown up and we're getting to the TdF. Froome just got done publishing how his training went up at altitude. He says he's dropped kilos and he's at race weight now and he says the form is coming, so let's get into the stage and decide if the form is coming or not for Froome.
"The group is down to about 80 guys and Froome, he's all the way at the back, 5 or 10 from the last guy, single file back there and that is the first sign you know that Froome's form is not that great.
"When you've won as many TdF's as he has, Giro, Spain, when you've got that on your resume and you're swinging on the back of a group of 80, you know the form is not there.
"Big, big question mark whether Froome is going to come up with the type of form that he needs to show up at the TdF.
"There's no more faking it when you get there. In my mind I don't see it happening. It is a short window of opportunity and he's going to be suffering here at these races and is going to need more recovery after the Dauphine."
Stage 2 : "For Froome this is a terrible sign. The racing had not been that intense and this was the first moment the race started to heat up and it had only been 'on' for 6-7k when Chris Froome got popped off the back.
"It's gonna be a difficult time for Froome at this year's Dauphine and he's not going to have that much time for training and recovery before the TdF starts.
"In my mind this stage reaffirms what I said yesterday, there's no chance he's going to have a good 2021 TdF and be racing for the victory."
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- Feb 20, 2010
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It's not so much to compare ISN with BMC but to demonstrate using BMC as the example that buying high isn't the best route to sustainable success. I mean, yes, Evans will have recouped that off the back of his results, but when they signed him he was 32 years old and the reigning World Champion - so it was hardly investing in the future. Evans was a bit of an unusual case in that he'd actually wasted most of his peak years riding too defensively at a team who had been unable to support him to the requisite level, so he was actually able to outperform his previous results in his Indian summer, but even so, his GC showings had actually been moving backward and I honestly thought in 2008 he'd wasted his chance to be a Tour winner, but in 2011 he was handed an unexpected final opportunity and his mindset was far more proactive that time. As a result I would contend that Evans at Lotto was actually physically superior to his BMC self but tactically too cautious, whereas the BMC Evans was much more able and willing to maximise his abilities and extract results from his form.
Look at the big money acquisitions made by BMC when they first made the step forward in the team, and the stage of their career they were at to see what I'm getting at, though.
Philippe Gilbert - 29
Alessandro Ballan - 30
Cadel Evans - 32
Thor Hushovd - 33
George Hincapie - 36
They also brought Samuel Sánchez in just before his 36th birthday but by then they were an established WT team and had also started to bring through younger riders of their own or acquired at a young age through other teams' collapses, such as Phinney and van Garderen. Greg van Avermaet, at 26, was the exception to the signing rule, and they got a lot more out of him. All of the guys listed above were bought when their value was at its highest and their contract would be at its most expensive, save for Hincapie who was obviously on the wind-down. Evans, Gilbert and Hushovd were all brought in as rainbow jerseys. This obviously ties more of the budget into the riders than signing coming riders on multi-year contracts younger and potentially getting part of that contract at a bargain price if they hit their peak, which Sky have been much better at managing.
Looking at Sky's rosters over the years, who have they signed in a comparable manner at a comparable stage of their career? Wiggins was 29 when he signed but that was when the team first started (same goes for Rogers who was 30). Pretty much every other big signing has been of riders who are more akin to van Avermaet than the others above - Poels and König signing at 27 are just about the oldest. The riders who are 29+ who they bring in are by and large specifically domestiques brought in for experience, and the riders brought in as leaders and superdomestiques are brought in on their "coming into peak" contract rather than their "peak value" contract.
Cookster15
Moderator
- May 14, 2011
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- Apr 14, 2021
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Ok so they pay him highest salary in peloton to provide them top 10 publicity and bottom 50 performance. Meanwhile other teams pay their riders half that money for top 10 publicity AND top 10 performance. For that money you could buy Pogacar and get top2/top2…
- Jul 7, 2013
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Yes, Remco's wattage must have been good (but not peak) before the Giro. The problem was poor recovery (probably not enough training base for a 3-week race) and poor technique/fear on descends.
As for Froomey he's clearly not there in every aspect. Shorter efforts, longer efforts, tt-s, climbs whatever. He loses a lot of time everywhere. He's not the same cyclist anymore and it doesn't look like he will ever be again.
Pogacar was on the market?
Isreal took a punt on a comeback, it hasn't paid off. Hardly unique in cycling.
- Feb 20, 2012
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This isn't just "a punt". This was like a 1% bet where if you win you get your money back.
- Aug 12, 2012
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Acording his 68th place today it is difficult to note those 2 kg less, but he didnt lose too much time with the best today in quite hard stage. But he is 66 th today in GC, at the same time than 58th from 144 and I think he is now stronger than one month ago. I had the willing he was the stronger of the team, and maybe some riders worked for him. Ben Hermans is clearly stonger now and maybe he has to work that way.
I am a litthe bit worried becouse yesterday he droped in a group of about 60 riders or more, and he said before the race he wanted to see an improvement in the climbs acording the data in training and his weight lost. It is true there are a lot of good riders here and the stage was quite hard with that step climb at the begining and he lost just 3 minutes at the end, but at the moment doesnt show a progression. The first day was good to see him in the main group, becouse there was 3 climbs, but yesterday was a little bit dissapointed. Anyway we will see at the end of the race, I think he is at the right way and he is stronger than the rest of the year.
I am not a fan os Israel for lot of reasons, but the team I think do well signing Froome. not just for his result, becouse his contraact is much more as he as a rider, in a contract of future, and Froome has a lot to give at that team. anyway, I think the result will come, not just to talk about him in the races, or the publicity a 4 times Tour winner can give. amnyway I dont mind how a team waste in a rider...and I dont understand why other people do.
I am a litthe bit worried becouse yesterday he droped in a group of about 60 riders or more, and he said before the race he wanted to see an improvement in the climbs acording the data in training and his weight lost. It is true there are a lot of good riders here and the stage was quite hard with that step climb at the begining and he lost just 3 minutes at the end, but at the moment doesnt show a progression. The first day was good to see him in the main group, becouse there was 3 climbs, but yesterday was a little bit dissapointed. Anyway we will see at the end of the race, I think he is at the right way and he is stronger than the rest of the year.
Age is not his problem at all, just look at Valverde. Problem is his leg injury recovery process and how he/team can resolve that. That defines everything.
Thumbs up here. In my eyes he's got his share of GC's but would be nice to see him giving some good ol' one-two like TdF 2016 stage 11...at least making the ignition
Thumbs up here. In my eyes he's got his share of GC's but would be nice to see him giving some good ol' one-two like TdF 2016 stage 11...at least making the ignition
- Aug 12, 2012
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Another possibility is he is not giving his best yesterday and he saved energy to prove just one day in the mountains. But I dont think so.
- Aug 12, 2012
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59. | | FROOME Chris | ISN | 16" | 0 |
He was afected by the crash...just to sprint to get the group, but afected in anycase, so I think is ok.
He is now 58 in GC .
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I also anticipated worse but if you see that Martin who really crashed came back and finished in the group, its not too great either.
- Feb 20, 2012
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Slight uphill sprint today, I'd say this is the worst of 8 Dauphine stages to say anything about the state of Chris Froome.
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