Teams & Riders Chris Froome Discussion Thread.

[Big Doopie]

Tour 2014 would have settled the matter. a showdown we, unfortunately, did not get to see.

nope.

that's a myth.

post-2010 peak contador had absolutely nothing to do with pre-2010 peak contador.

2014 would have been much like 2013.

 

[Taxus4a]

Another solid ride today. He will obviously have hoped to hang on until the end but he was close enough to think he is genuinely progressing. I'm very curious about how he TT's tomorrow. I imagine he might be tempted not to empty what tank he does have left ahead of the weekends tests, but if he's trying to ride to a more serious placing over the week he probably needs to give this a good effort.

We have to consider he had not help of the team to positioning...and he was close to hang up the group before the flat section..Once he lost contact, half a minute was almost sure.

I don't know what to wait of the ITT...according today Top 50 would be ok..but I hope a top 30. He was about 90 last year...He can do much better now..he is in better shape but he has work past week especificaly ITT and position..and I think he didn't last year

 

[tobydawq]

We got it at the Vuelta. Both came in injured and ended up 1-2.

Great logic.

 

[Eclipse]

We have to consider he had not help of the team to positioning...and he was close to hang up the group before the flat section..Once he lost contact, half a minute was almost sure.

I did consider this, but ultimately I think if the legs are good enough on a climb like today you can surf up well enough to stay in contact so I do think he is still a way off where he'd hope to be.

 

[SHAD0W93]

nope.

that's a myth.

post-2010 peak contador had absolutely nothing to do with pre-2010 peak contador.

2014 would have been much like 2013.

2014 Contador though was a lot stronger then 2013. Take that team he had in 2013 and in 2009 or 2011 Giro form and he’d be pretty unstoppable. It would be a brutal fight between the two (2013 Froome and team) but Sky’s pace should theoretically help Contador as well then he just bounced away. Then the TTs will be a lot closer with Contador even potentially winning the hilly one considering how close he was when he was out of form.

 

[rm2021]

We got it at the Vuelta. Both came in injured and ended up 1-2.



2009 Contador was not beatable.

2013 froome was not beatable.

 

[tonymikejoe]

I know not everyone on here saw today's stage of the Dauphine so to fill you in Chris Froome appeared to ride comfortably for the vast majority of the day in the main peloton, in fact better than halfway up.
On the final Cat. 2 climb the big guns put the power down, stretching the entire field out during the dash to the finish.
I felt for sure Froome would be quickly ejected, but to his credit there he was with 1.6km to go hanging onto the rear of the elite group of race favourites.
As the attacks continued at the front he was distanced from the group, coming in 31 seconds behind today's winner.
We can all see he is improving, but tomorrow's test will be particularly interesting because Froome has been absolutely horrible in all his TT's for the last three years.
It will be a big indication as to whether he has got any of his old power back.

 

[rm2021]

2014 Vuelta, if I recall correctly, had them producing peak power on climbs and Contador won. Contador has a harder time nailing his peak and getting everything just right, and his team was never as good. You line them up 10 times and I think they go about 5 and 5 for those reasons.

Froome wasn´t in his best shape in the first 2 weeks of the vuelta. His itt on that vuelta was very weak.
Contador started that vuelta in better shape, because his injury at the tour wasn´t so severe. He started trainig for the vuelta, erlier than froome.
But yeah, the watts of froome and contador on puerto ancares and la farrapona were ridiculous. At the same level or better than pogacar and roglic numbers.

 

[Extinction]

nope.

that's a myth.

post-2010 peak contador had absolutely nothing to do with pre-2010 peak contador.

2014 would have been much like 2013.

Totally disagree, the Contador I saw in 2014 was as good as ever. He crushed it at Tirreno among other springtime appointments, was phenomenal at Dauphine then disaster struck at the Tour. Yet he just looked so sharp all season, had his mojo back. Further proof of this is that he came back from a nasty injury at the Tour, like Froome, to beat a fine Froome at the Vuelta. In fact, I never understood why Contador could not produce that form again post 2014. Plus Contador himself said he was in the best shape of his career going into the 2014 Tour, better than 2009. Consequently, sorry, but you just have it all wrong.

 

[Rackham]

2009 Verbier Contador was as good as any peak Lance, peak Pantani (IMO) or peak anyone from any GT winning era. He was that good.

But we all know peak Froome would have caught him on foot, even, so I'll call it a draw.

 

[Põhja Konn]

2013 froome was not beatable.

He certainly was a monster then, but saying he was unbeatable is stretching it. By 2013 he hadn't yet learnt how to manage his strenght over three weeks and became vulnerable at later stages of a GT. After all, nobody knows what would have happened without that illegal feed on Alpe. Favourable circumstances played a significant part in making him look as invincible as he did in 2013.

 

[Amazinmets87]

Totally disagree, the Contador I saw in 2014 was as good as ever. He crushed it at Tirreno among other springtime appointments, was phenomenal at Dauphine then disaster struck at the Tour. Yet he just looked so sharp all season, had his mojo back. Further proof of this is that he came back from a nasty injury at the Tour, like Froome, to beat a fine Froome at the Vuelta. In fact, I never understood why Contador could not produce that form again post 2014. Plus Contador himself said he was in the best shape of his career going into the 2014 Tour, better than 2009. Consequently, sorry, but you just have it all wrong.

Isn't age the most likely reason as to why he couldn't regain the form?

 

[Taxus4a]

I did consider this, but ultimately I think if the legs are good enough on a climb like today you can surf up well enough to stay in contact so I do think he is still a way off where he'd hope to be.

Of course he don't have still that level close to Roglic to be on that group..he will be better in the last day.

Good thing today is that for the first time in a the last years he has been the best of his team...I hoped he was even worse than Clarke today...and he was better..but I hopes Clarke at the top 20 and maybe I was very optimistic with those all good teams over there ...

To be the best of the team means he is not just to give publicity or to help...he is making resultst or the team as well...despite that 35 the, because today without him would have been a disaster for his team

 

[Taxus4a]

I am not going to discuss if Contador was better than Froomee, because I think there is nothing to discuss...

I admite lot of thing from Alberto, as his strategycal view of the races..his powelfull attack in 2 km..his recovery, his skills for short and hilly ITT with corners and like that...but in general he was behind Froome...I mean real Contador, not Verbier and things like that...

 

[Extinction]

Isn't age the most likely reason as to why he couldn't regain the form?

I don't think so, not at that point. He should have had another 2 years in him at that level. But of course I'm just speculating. The fact remains he was at a phenomenal level that year, never to return to it again.

 

[Extinction]

I am not going to discuss if Contador was better than Froomee, because I think there is nothing to discuss...

I admite lot of thing from Alberto, as his strategycal view of the races..his powelfull attack in 2 km..his recovery, his skills for short and hilly ITT with corners and like that...but in general he was behind Froome...I mean real Contador, not Verbier and things like that...

As if Ventoux and Finestre were real Froome...now you have me laughing.

 

[red_flanders]

I am not going to discuss if Contador was better than Froomee, because I think there is nothing to discuss...

I admite lot of thing from Alberto, as his strategycal view of the races..his powelfull attack in 2 km..his recovery, his skills for short and hilly ITT with corners and like that...but in general he was behind Froome...I mean real Contador, not Verbier and things like that...

View: https://media.giphy.com/media/hvq8ONQhQ1XLq/giphy.gif


You can't possibly be serious.

 

[yaco]

Think it would be better for Froome to ride the Vuelta - He's still got a way to go to reach the level of the TDF.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

he is making resultst or the team as well...despite that 35 the, because today without him would have been a disaster for his team

When your best rider finish 35th it is a disaster for the team, you can't spin it like he is saving the team with a result like this.

Has Froome improved since the spring? Yes, definitively.
But it's not that hard to improve given how bad he was in march and april. He is still very, very far away from being competitive. Even for stages in break.

 

[SHAD0W93]

I am not going to discuss if Contador was better than Froomee, because I think there is nothing to discuss...

I admite lot of thing from Alberto, as his strategycal view of the races..his powelfull attack in 2 km..his recovery, his skills for short and hilly ITT with corners and like that...but in general he was behind Froome...I mean real Contador, not Verbier and things like that...

Real Froome is behind Contador though. Not the transformation and things like that.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Tour 2014 would have settled the matter. a showdown we unfortunately did not get to see.

Till this day this is most regrettable GT for me. We missed a showdown of epic proportions: Alien vs Predator vs Shark. All close to peak form.

 

[Extinction]

Till this day this is most regrettable GT for me. We missed a showdown of epic proportions: Alien vs Predator vs Shark. All close to peak form.

You have that right!

 

[Extinction]

When your best rider finish 35th it is a disaster for the team, you can't spin it like he is saving the team with a result like this.

Has Froome improved since the spring? Yes, definitively.
But it's not that hard to improve given how bad he was in march and april. He is still very, very far away from being competitive. Even for stages in break.

I agree, I mean what happened to Lemond, he was shot with dozens of bullets, bet then? He sucked totally for a while, even in the 89 Giro until the last TT. Then Guimard was concerned. And Laurent seemed the superior in the mountains, but...tribars saved the day, plus a stellar form after three weeks of a slug fest. I don't think Froome today has it in him, because we have entered into virtual reality.

 

[Big Doopie]

Totally disagree, the Contador I saw in 2014 was as good as ever. He crushed it at Tirreno among other springtime appointments, was phenomenal at Dauphine then disaster struck at the Tour. Yet he just looked so sharp all season, had his mojo back. Further proof of this is that he came back from a nasty injury at the Tour, like Froome, to beat a fine Froome at the Vuelta. In fact, I never understood why Contador could not produce that form again post 2014. Plus Contador himself said he was in the best shape of his career going into the 2014 Tour, better than 2009. Consequently, sorry, but you just have it all wrong.

Nah, nah. Fans always point to Dauphine that year but forget that Froome beat him in the prologue and first MTF. Froome then crashed. And contador couldn’t even beat Andrew Talansky.

There is a very logical reason Contador never came close (particularly in France) after 2010 DQ.

He never won a stage, never podiumed, never wore the yellow jersey. And he often struggled in ITTs. No more beating Cancellera in a flat TT. and often strangely on the rivet, seated and straining when climbing. Never the explosiveness of Verbiers or Aubisque with Rasmussen. He was a very, very different rider.

 

[rm2021]

Nah, nah. Fans always point to Dauphine that year but forget that Froome beat him in the prologue and first MTF. Froome then crashed. And contador couldn’t even beat Andrew Talansky.

There is a very logical reason Contador never came close (particularly in France) after 2010 DQ.

He never won a stage, never podiumed, never wore the yellow jersey. And he often struggled in ITTs. No more beating Cancellera in a flat TT. and often strangely on the rivet, seated and straining when climbing. Never the explosiveness of Verbiers or Aubisque with Rasmussen. He was a very, very different rider.

And why contador was never the same after 2009? what happened?