Teams & Riders Chris Froome Discussion Thread.

[fmk_RoI]

I can't imagine IPT is going to want to keep him around for another 30 months if he isn't competitive and has no hope to improve or produce meaningful results

Wouldn't that depend on the escape clauses in his contract and whether there are any performance-related ones?

Without an escape clause the math is pretty simple here: pay him off the remainder of his five-year contract and get bupkis; or keep paying him for another two and half years and get lots and lots of coverage as he rips off the EF Education rule book and starts adding Audax rides to his schedule. There's more to cycling than winning. It's really about the publicity.

I can't imagine wasting a TDF (or any grand tour) spot on him

Yeah, I mean giving Froome a seat would diminish the team's chances of winning the Tour with ... oh, hang on a minute, they've sod all chance of winning the Tour with anyone.

I would have to think that would be incredibly frustrating to some of his teammates that weren't selected (or those that were selected and need reliable domestics)

I would think that any IPT rider who thought, given a choice between sending them to the Tour and sending Froome to the Tour, that Daddy Moneybags would ever pick them, well they're in need of some serious and urgent psychiatric support, cause they'd be out of their feckin' tree. They knew what they were signing on for and just have to learn to live with their life choices.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@jmdirt

I wasn't making a case against disc brakes. What i actually said is now that disc brakes are here to stay. Now more innovation will be needed to integrate this technology and the issues it introduced. To make it more suitable for pro road peloton. Now if you will go on and claim on how you don't see any issues. And all is fine and dandy. Fine. That is your opinion. But the reality is there is still a whole lot of issues involved. And they emerge as soon as a wheel needs to get changed. The process went from seamless to now being overly complex and prone to errors.

 

[jmdirt]

@jmdirt

I wasn't making a case against disc brakes. What i actually said is now that disc brakes are here to stay. Now more innovation will be needed to integrate this technology and the issues it introduced. To make it more suitable for pro road peloton. Now if you will go on and claim on how you don't see any issues. And all is fine and dandy. Fine. That is your opinion. But the reality is there is still a whole lot of issues involved. And they emerge as soon as a wheel needs to get changed. The process went from seamless to now being overly complex and prone to errors.

Its not my opinion at all, its fact. I can change my wheels nearly as fast (<10 seconds difference/per wheel).

To claim that the process was seamless makes it seem like you haven't watched racing. Neutral support has always been problematic (for rear wheel changes).

To claim that it is overly complex makes it seem like you haven't used any of the components involved. The only difference between the skewer/axle is that on a through axle the axel pulls out instead of staying in like a QR skewer (that's where the extra ~10 second time comes in).

Again, good mechanics figured this out already.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@jmdirt

I am sure that an average mechanic can beat you each time. Using the old system. And less tools and less tolerances and less complications ... And that is what a fact looks like.

Anyway. Our opinion is different and i can cope with that.

 

[jmdirt]

@jmdirt

I am sure that an average mechanic can beat you each time. Using the old system. And less tools and less tolerances and less complications ... And that is what a fact looks like.

Anyway. Our opinion is different and i can cope with that.

Thank you for proving my point. If an average mechanic can beat me, then imagine how quickly (and and easily) a professional can do it. Again though, you also proved your lack of understanding of how things work.

I don't have an opinion on this so our opinions aren't different...cope with that.

 

[cantpedal]

I don't have an opinion on this so our opinions aren't different...cope with that.
[/QUOTE]
It's post like this that make this forum so nice. I forgot why I stopped coming here.

 

[jmdirt]

I don't have an opinion on this so our opinions aren't different...cope with that.

It's post like this that make this forum so nice. I forgot why I stopped coming here.
[/QUOTE]
Put in in context though:
CA: "Our opinion is different and i can cope with that."
JMD: "I don't have an opinion on this so our opinions aren't different...cope with that."

 

[Ripper]

Its not my opinion at all, its fact. I can change my wheels nearly as fast (<10 seconds difference/per wheel).

To claim that the process was seamless makes it seem like you haven't watched racing. Neutral support has always been problematic (for rear wheel changes).

To claim that it is overly complex makes it seem like you haven't used any of the components involved. The only difference between the skewer/axle is that on a through axle the axel pulls out instead of staying in like a QR skewer (that's where the extra ~10 second time comes in).

Again, good mechanics figured this out already.

We've seen some lightening quick rear wheel changes in MTB races, and those can be a bit of a headache. It's all smoke and mirrors though - Froome just has no legs anymore

 

[bigcog]

OK compared to what exactly? Props for the ride at Alpe d’huez but this doesn’t even look like rider who is just past his best. This guy won 7 GTs, and now looks like Greg LeMond at the Tour de Trump all year round. His climbing form is closer to Mario Cipoollini than Claudio Chiappucci these days.

The guy had a horrendous accident three years ago and it’s a blessing that he can still ride, but for Christ’s sake, do something Froome.

Compared to whatever else he's done since his accident, although he actually was better when he rode the Vuelta in 2019 when he was still at Ineos, managing to stay with the front group in a domestic role for a lot of the climbs and even trying raise pace to try and drop Jumbo riders, albeit to negligible effect. I did say I watch him now, more in hope than any expectation. His performances really declined subsequent to his second operation at the end of 2019 to remove a screw that was damaging muscle in the leg he broke. I think he could have been more competitive post accident but his recovery was less than optimal.

 

[Taxus4a]

Compared to whatever else he's done since his accident, although he actually was better when he rode the Vuelta in 2019 when he was still at Ineos, managing to stay with the front group in a domestic role for a lot of the climbs and even trying raise pace to try and drop Jumbo riders, albeit to negligible effect. I did say I watch him now, more in hope than any expectation. His performances really declined subsequent to his second operation at the end of 2019 to remove a screw that was damaging muscle in the leg he broke. I think he could have been more competitive post accident but his recovery was less than optimal.

Last year except the first two races he was always at least at that level of that Vuelta and at le Tour clearly better. After Covid bad again. Hope to see him much better at Catalunya...but maybe he will have to work.

 

[red_flanders]

Social media troll blames disc brakes for loss in comically doomed breakaway in third-rate race.

Does no one feel silly about picking up his silly excuses as talking points, then debating it for multiple pages?

 

[Extinction]

Social media troll blames disc brakes for loss in comically doomed breakaway in third-rate race.

Does no one feel silly about picking up his silly excuses as talking points, then debating it for multiple pages?

That he was "that good" and now that poor, after leaving Sky/Ineos, makes a mockery of the sport.

 

[Unchained]

Froome is becoming kind of a bike racing rabbit hole..Racing age 37..long,slow supposedly scientific return from serious injury. And as he tries to find form he may be embracing science, but to know where you stand, you gotta start next to the best.. Paris Nice would have been a good reveal..
or is Froome and those holding his contract not in a hurry to lower his market value further by having him get door matted by TDF winners.. or Belgian champion? Where is Froomes fit? Best climbing.. not seeing him as top 15-20..
TT early TT times don't have him anywhere.. but maybe he could beat Wout,Ganna if first they have to survive @8-10 days of climbing..
I hope he called Valverde for advice or maybe Gilbert.. Has he stayed too long at the party?
This story gets uglier by each passing Spring day.. Buy out? Will he leave like a gentleman? Or will the team be forced to honor his contract? While he shows little honor making them do so

And for God sake in the name of equipment equality.. Everyone is disc,everyone is using same or similar thru axle technology.. Absolute peloton parity, everyone dealing equally with pros and cons. And in a life lesson.. Be careful what you wish for.
. Froome lives his dream.. team sponsors fit him out with rim brake utopia.. multiple bikes, wheels.. his race positioning make him still almost unsupportable.. Mavic,Shimano..all the motors don't have room for a front and rear Froome only wheel set.. and support looks like..
OK his stuff is in front car,but he is not, lets rotate his rim brake stuff to the second follow..
Froome is not winning, losing or crashing out because of disc brakes and letting him say so, or implying it has me angry that the unicorn I ordered is not here yet..
Yo..talk with all the other 37yo rehab riders in the bunch.. and your birthday is in May..happy 38 in advance.. Let me guess a rim brake bike as a gift..

 

[Taxus4a]

What is really amazing by Froome is his heart rate. Yesterday he rodé with Corbin Strong, which average 136 and Froome just 108. I know Froome HR is low, and he rarely pass even in races 150, but anyway is amazing to ride 3300 eleveation meterse at 27,5 Km hour and justo 108 HR. Of he would able to get 160 average in a long a climb as most of pro, he would be unbeatable.

 

[frisenfruitig]

What is really amazing by Froome is his heart rate. Yesterday he rodé with Corbin Strong, which average 136 and Froome just 108. I know Froome HR is low, and he rarely pass even in races 150, but anyway is amazing to ride 3300 eleveation meterse at 27,5 Km hour and justo 108 HR. Of he would able to get 160 average in a long a climb as most of pro, he would be unbeatable.

It's actually quite normal for professional athletes to have that kind of low heart rate when going for long slow rides.

Take this training ride from Mike Teunissen for example:

“Enkel ‘t stokske is nog over” 🍭 - Mike T.'s 237.8 km bike ride

Arne Marit

www.strava.com

7 hours, 34 km/h, distance 237 km, elevation 2600 m, Average heartrate 109 bpm.

In other words, it's not "really amazing" at all. If anything 27,5 km is slow for a pro.

 

[Taxus4a]

It's actually quite normal for professional athletes to have that kind of low heart rate when going for long slow rides.

Take this training ride from Mike Teunissen for example:

“Enkel ‘t stokske is nog over” 🍭 - Mike T.'s 237.8 km bike ride

Arne Marit

www.strava.com

7 hours, 34 km/h, distance 237 km, elevatiop 2600 m, Average heartrate 109 bpm.

In other words, it's not "really amazing" at all. If anything 27,5 km is slow for a pro.

Of course is a similar case, for me amazing...but 237 km 26

 

[frisenfruitig]

Of course is a similar case, for me amazing...but 237 km 26

It's amazing compared to untrained athletes, certainly.

 

[Taxus4a]

It's amazing compared to untrained athletes, certainly.

It is amazing compared most of pro cyclist, beoucse most of the have the numbers of corbin, not Froome. froome did in a race the last part of Angliru, one of the hardest climbs of the world at 100. The case of Teunisen is similar. I dont say is better or worse. I just say that if Froome get the eay to get in a race 180 BPM, with most of pro riders get, even 200, not him, he will fly.

And I would like to know if his low HR give him more posibilities to give a big step forward than a man who has higher.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

It's amazing compared to untrained athletes, certainly.

But how does that fit in with Brailsford's rider graph?

CF = froomey

 

[Unchained]

The science is here.. Low heart rate currently doesn't compute to race results

 

[Lequack]

He's training in Sierra Nevada

https://twitter.com/x/status/1633162677303275538

View: https://twitter.com/chrisfroome/status/1633162677303275538

 

[Krzysztof_O]

And I would like to know if his low HR give him more posibilities to give a big step forward than a man who has higher.

Obviously it has. Low HR is associated with physical fitness superiority and can indicate:

1. A big stroke volume - it takes less beats to deliver the same amount of oxygen (this is correlated with very high VO2max values)
2. Efficient utilization of delivered oxygen (muscles, metabolism), which slows down the increase of HR and respiratory rate as an effort intensifies (this is correlated with higher AT and AnT)

An interesting question is: what was his max. HR during his prime high-RPM attacks? I guess it was very high (which enabled him to produce big watts) but now his max. HR is probably lower.

 

[frisenfruitig]

Lol, if you guys want to act like he has some exceptionally low heart rate - go for it. But from what I have seen in other pro athletes it's not special at all. Maybe it used to be, I don't know. Either way, his magnificently low heart rate doesn't seem to be helping him performance wise. He didn't even stand out in the Tour du Rwanda and there were barely any decent WT teams/riders present.

Time to face reality guys, it's over.

 

[gunara]

Nearly all of the current big hitters are rocking PN & TA, and here we are up on the first page analyzing the training heart rate of a ProSeries rider with no recent result

 

[Taxus4a]

Lol, if you guys want to act like he has some exceptionally low heart rate - go for it. But from what I have seen in other pro athletes it's not special at all. Maybe it used to be, I don't know. Either way, his magnificently low heart rate doesn't seem to be helping him performance wise. He didn't even stand out in the Tour du Rwanda and there were barely any decent WT teams/riders present.

Time to face reality guys, it's over.

I didnt ask if a low HR help him---He is not able usually to be up of 150, so, it doenst help. He is not the only pro rider with that...for sure there would be good and bad riders with that....But I mean, and I asked if maybe this help him to a longer career, and to find a way to increase his top suddenly at an specific race, and as well if that way at this age increase his chances to come back better than a rider with 10 BPM more...

By the way, I just watched his last stage on le Tour, Peyragudes, just later he was positive on Covid. I could watch last summer.

Froome was 3 times attacking to get the break, and it was close to get it, and finally he was the best of the team.

That is the level he finished le Tour, 25 at GC fighteen for stages and getting a 3rd. Far from his best moments, but a decent level of a Tour rider.

Hope to see that level again at Catalunya after his altitude camp in Granada, as a base camp to built his best level again this year
Of course, it would be likely to see him positioning Corbin (or Impy, Clarke, if they go ) to get an stage...or Woods , if he goes, at GC, and finishing at the medium part of GC, similar to last years...But I am quite optimistic to see him at a better level than that. No Poggi or Vingegard there. But with Evenepoel, Landa, Roglic, Carapaz, Thomas, Adam Yates...it will be a top level field, in general better than Paris Nice or Tirreno.