Teams & Riders Chris Froome Discussion Thread.

[Aimar16]

Chris Froome 'absolutely not' worth multi-million euro salary says his team boss - https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racin...-multi-million-euro-salary-says-his-team-boss

 

[witeken]

Chris Froome 'absolutely not' worth multi-million euro salary says his team boss - https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racin...-multi-million-euro-salary-says-his-team-boss

Since this comment hasn't been mentioned here and in response to Adams' comment about Froome's non-selection, this is what Froome said in a reply to a (pinned) question about his performance below his video.

Froome: "The weight is a big factor. In terms of performance my coach said I was on track with building towards the tour. Unfortunately the head of performance didn’t discuss this with my coach and made his decision without our input. So they looked purely at what happened on the road which was hampered by the bad luck."

 

[Rackham]

Chris Froome 'absolutely not' worth multi-million euro salary says his team boss - https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racin...-multi-million-euro-salary-says-his-team-boss

That's a remarkably candid interview from Adams which clears up a few unknowns & punches a hole through Froome's PR.

The main one being the contract situation, i.e. Froome has a 3 year +2 optional years contract. So he can choose to extend for those two years but with a lesser role in the team, like no TdF & only smaller races like the Czech Tour (& we can presume a reduced salary as well, even though that part wasn't specifically mentioned).

Since this comment hasn't been mentioned here and in response to Adams' comment about Froome's non-selection, this is what Froome said in a reply to a (pinned) question about his performance below his video.

Froome: "The weight is a big factor. In terms of performance my coach said I was on track with building towards the tour. Unfortunately the head of performance didn’t discuss this with my coach and made his decision without our input. So they looked purely at what happened on the road which was hampered by the bad luck."

He's been terrible for 3 straight years now.

I mean that's the cold harsh truth. His spin is just embarrassing tbh because obviously equipment issues didn't make him slow as hell in Romandie (one example among many, many others). He got a nice contract (everyone knows this) but now even his team is sick of him.

No magic weight loss was going to make him perform in the TdF where the team doesn't even want him considering he was supposed to be their GC guy, not a stage hunter (as per Adams' interview).

 

[Ricco']

Chris Froome 'absolutely not' worth multi-million euro salary says his team boss - https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racin...-multi-million-euro-salary-says-his-team-boss

I can relate, Mr. Adams, I also frequently start thinking the same about my impulsive purchases.

 

[laarsland]

Chris Froome 'absolutely not' worth multi-million euro salary says his team boss - https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racin...-multi-million-euro-salary-says-his-team-boss

"Adams added that he feels Froome’s underwhelming results for the team “have nothing to do with his injuries” sustained in a career- and a life-threatening injury at the Critérium du Dauphiné in June 2019"

Seems a bit farfetched that such a crash supposedly have had no negative effects on any aspect of his performances and/or ability to recover.

I'm on blood thinners (only five more days, yay) after a blood clot, and even such light medication have an adverse affect on heartrate, ability to recover from rides as well as colds and hangovers I've sustained in this periods. See also Bernal.

This reads like someone making gestures towards mutually terminating the contract.

 

[tonymikejoe]

Sylvan Adams has absolutely eviscerated seven-time GT winner Chris Froome in this interview and it is tough to see them having a positive relationship going forward.
Adams sounds like the toughest Froome critics we have on this forum, not his employer.
He is obviously begging Froome with these harsh words to not trigger the two-year option and save the team a lot of money and allow them to flourish without him.
However, Froome had already got his retaliation in first by already announcing on the eve of the Tour de France he is looking forward to next years' race!
Froome must believe he was deliberately dropped on the orders of Adams to encourage him to leave.
Who will crack? Who will win the battle of wills and mind games?
So far, it look remote Froome will simply walk away from millions of Euros and I don't blame him.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Funnily enough I managed to watch all of the Alpes Maritimes and Ventoux Challenge broadcasts live, the camera was of course on Chris a lot due to his status, don't remember anything about a mechanical just him gradually being dropped and finishing far down. I've suspected that he's just been taking the p*ss since he arrived, trolling.

The contrast with someone like Derek Gee is hilarious, random guy who was best known for an ill-timed mechanical in Roubaix and probably on minimum wage, manages to cover himself in glory and give better PR for ISN in one stage race than £5 million Chris is in his entire three year stint.

 

[tonymikejoe]

Things are really heating up regarding the Chris Froome/Israel Premier Tech/Sylvan Adams relationship.
Froome is now replying to comments on his latest youtube video in which he vowed he was in good shape for the Tour de France.
Here are some responses below from the man himself :


@chris-froome

10 hours ago
There are so many external factors hindering my progress (not just those mentioned in this video) so put yourself in my position. Would you not want to know how far you could go without all of these issues getting in the way? I need some good luck, I’m not scared of the hard work, and I’m more determined than ever.



Yes, exactly! I wanted to race Tour de Suisse but the performance team decided to put me on the other races.



@chris-froome

12 hours ago
The weight is a big factor. In terms of performance my coach said I was on track with building towards the tour. Unfortunately the head of performance didn’t discuss this with my coach and made his decision without our input. So they looked purely at what happened on the road which was hampered by the bad luck.




@chris-froome

10 hours ago
No issues with my brakes this time around , it was something getting jammed in the cranks at the Ventoux Challenge

 

[lenric]

dawg is living in the upside down reality

 

[Andy schleck]

Things are really heating up regarding the Chris Froome/Israel Premier Tech/Sylvan Adams relationship.
Froome is now replying to comments on his latest youtube video in which he vowed he was in good shape for the Tour de France.
Here are some responses below from the man himself :


@chris-froome

10 hours ago
There are so many external factors hindering my progress (not just those mentioned in this video) so put yourself in my position. Would you not want to know how far you could go without all of these issues getting in the way? I need some good luck, I’m not scared of the hard work, and I’m more determined than ever.



Yes, exactly! I wanted to race Tour de Suisse but the performance team decided to put me on the other races.



@chris-froome

12 hours ago
The weight is a big factor. In terms of performance my coach said I was on track with building towards the tour. Unfortunately the head of performance didn’t discuss this with my coach and made his decision without our input. So they looked purely at what happened on the road which was hampered by the bad luck.




@chris-froome

10 hours ago
No issues with my brakes this time around , it was something getting jammed in the cranks at the Ventoux Challenge

He should say publicly what really are that external factors.

 

[FroomeWagon]

This is my favorite quote:

“Absolutely not. How could we say we had value for money? We signed Chris to be the leader of our Tour de France team and he’s not even here so that cannot be considered value for money. This is not a PR exercise. Chris isn’t a symbol, he isn’t a PR tool, he’s supposed to be our leader at the Tour de France and he’s not even here, so no I couldn’t say he’s value for money, no.”

Adams obviously is pissed at Froome, probably because Froome acted so pissy when he wasn't selected. If Froome stays on the team, he most likely will be riding races for IPT in Mongolia. My guess is we have seen the last of Chris Froome ever riding in the pro peloton. Wish I could buy Adams a beer and hear the real story in private.

 

[lenric]

This is my favorite quote:

“Absolutely not. How could we say we had value for money? We signed Chris to be the leader of our Tour de France team and he’s not even here so that cannot be considered value for money. This is not a PR exercise. Chris isn’t a symbol, he isn’t a PR tool, he’s supposed to be our leader at the Tour de France and he’s not even here, so no I couldn’t say he’s value for money, no.”

Adams obviously is pissed at Froome, probably because Froome acted so pissy when he wasn't selected. If Froome stays on the team, he most likely will be riding races for IPT in Mongolia. My guess is we have seen the last of Chris Froome ever riding in the pro peloton. Wish I could buy Adams a beer and hear the real story in private.

Actually I think Adams was pretty politically correct with that. comment.

 

[Gratemans]

That's a remarkably candid interview from Adams which clears up a few unknowns & punches a hole through Froome's PR.

The main one being the contract situation, i.e. Froome has a 3 year +2 optional years contract. So he can choose to extend for those two years but with a lesser role in the team, like no TdF & only smaller races like the Czech Tour (& we can presume a reduced salary as well, even though that part wasn't specifically mentioned).



He's been terrible for 3 straight years now.

I mean that's the cold harsh truth. His spin is just embarrassing tbh because obviously equipment issues didn't make him slow as hell in Romandie (one example among many, many others). He got a nice contract (everyone knows this) but now even his team is sick of him.

No magic weight loss was going to make him perform in the TdF where the team doesn't even want him considering he was supposed to be their GC guy, not a stage hunter (as per Adams' interview).

This was indeed an interview whre someone spills his guts that you don't get to see a lot. Wow. I mean.. Adams even literally drops the word "PR-stunt". Of course he was referring to his own reasons to sign Froome, but I also feel he alludes to Froome himself and the charade he's been putting up.
I don't know, it was Adams' own stupid fault for signing him I guess. And why the hell put in a clause where Froome gets to decide wether to extend or not?
Then again, he's just another rich guy with a knack for, but no actual knowledge of cycling.

I just can't help but see the image of Patlev and other DS's facepalming so hard at this sh*tshow.

 

[awavey]

This is my favorite quote:

“Absolutely not. How could we say we had value for money? We signed Chris to be the leader of our Tour de France team and he’s not even here so that cannot be considered value for money. This is not a PR exercise. Chris isn’t a symbol, he isn’t a PR tool, he’s supposed to be our leader at the Tour de France and he’s not even here, so no I couldn’t say he’s value for money, no.”

Adams obviously is pissed at Froome, probably because Froome acted so pissy when he wasn't selected. If Froome stays on the team, he most likely will be riding races for IPT in Mongolia. My guess is we have seen the last of Chris Froome ever riding in the pro peloton. Wish I could buy Adams a beer and hear the real story in private.

but that doesnt make alot of sense, he's not at the TdF because Adams didnt pick him, he didnt pick him because it sounds like IPT havent quite got the handle on what they wanted from Froome in advance to show he had the form to be picked as leader, have there been any races this year where IPT have built a team around Froome as leader to show he had any form or that the team could even work together ? surely they must analyse his data watts. max Vo2, and see what he's capable of, and youd have to presume he is hitting the right numbers, else Adams would just be saying he isnt hitting the numbers anymore.

so instead of planning a route to TdF for him as their leader, they were chucking him at races, which anyone who has followed his career knows probably dont suit him, just to see what would stick, add in some unfortunate mechanical issues, they do happen, cost Cav a sprint win after all, and we are where we are.

obviously IPT dont want to be paying millions and getting little out Froome, but have they treated him as their millions prized asset to begin with so have got the most out of him ? it kind of feels like they just expected he'd get on with it by himself.

 

[jono]

so instead of planning a route to TdF for him as their leader, they were chucking him at races, which anyone who has followed his career knows probably dont suit him, just to see what would stick, add in some unfortunate mechanical issues, they do happen, cost Cav a sprint win after all, and we are where we are.

Froome was sent to the following races this year: Tour Down Under and a couple of minor Australian one-day races, Rwanda (climbing stage race), Romandie (climbing stage race), Occitanie (climbing stage race), and Ventoux and Classic Alpes-Maritimes (his one decent result of the year). Hard to think of a program that could be more suited to him.

It's up to him to prove that he's worthy of having a whole team around him as leader.

 

[Savant12]

Sylvan Adams is clearly disappointed in Froome but has left the door open to Froome on whether he wants to extend his contract or not. It's clear that Adams doesn't want him which is understandable given Froome's salary and lack of results so he's been playing some psychology on Froome in the press: "This was a great rider...does he really want to be just another domestique and bottle carrier for the next 2 years?"

Sadly, I don't think Froome cares. As long as he's still a World Tour rider then he can still make his YouTube videos and showcase his own sponsorship/business deals to the masses.

As a big Froome fan, I am really disappointed that he hasn't seen the writing on the wall and bowed out with grace that he still has left.

 

[FroomeWagon]

Sylvan Adams is clearly disappointed in Froome but has left the door open to Froome on whether he wants to extend his contract or not. It's clear that Adams doesn't want him which is understandable given Froome's salary and lack of results so he's been playing some psychology on Froome in the press: "This was a great rider...does he really want to be just another domestique and bottle carrier for the next 2 years?"

Sadly, I don't think Froome cares. As long as he's still a World Tour rider then he can still make his YouTube videos and showcase his own sponsorship/business deals to the masses.

As a big Froome fan, I am really disappointed that he hasn't seen the writing on the wall and bowed out with grace that he still has left.

This could be part of the contract extension negotiations. Froome still wants his $5M and Adams is probably willing to give him $200k.

 

[Gratemans]

This could be part of the contract extension negotiations. Froome still wants his $5M and Adams is probably willing to give him $200k.

Which would still mean he'd be overpaid.
And as I understand it, Chris is the one deciding whether his contract will be expanded. Sheer lunacy.

 

[SHAD0W93]

but that doesnt make alot of sense, he's not at the TdF because Adams didnt pick him, he didnt pick him because it sounds like IPT havent quite got the handle on what they wanted from Froome in advance to show he had the form to be picked as leader, have there been any races this year where IPT have built a team around Froome as leader to show he had any form or that the team could even work together ? surely they must analyse his data watts. max Vo2, and see what he's capable of, and youd have to presume he is hitting the right numbers, else Adams would just be saying he isnt hitting the numbers anymore.

so instead of planning a route to TdF for him as their leader, they were chucking him at races, which anyone who has followed his career knows probably dont suit him, just to see what would stick, add in some unfortunate mechanical issues, they do happen, cost Cav a sprint win after all, and we are where we are.

obviously IPT dont want to be paying millions and getting little out Froome, but have they treated him as their millions prized asset to begin with so have got the most out of him ? it kind of feels like they just expected he'd get on with it by himself.

Froome has proved over and over and over and over again that the majority of the time he wasn’t strong enough to be leader, coleader, or helper.

 

[saunaking]

Adams was a jock sniffing dipstick to sign Froome to that contract in the first place.
He's venting now because this obvious longshot did not pan out.

He made his bed, he needs to just suck it up and pay or buy Froome out of his contract for probably 75% or something of the remaining balance.

 

[Cookster15]

I used to blame the team in this drawn out saga. After all it was they who agreed to pay him millions not to ride. Caveat emptor applies.

But enough is enough, when will Chris Froome formerly announce his retirement?

 

[pelotonIQ]

This is my favorite quote:

“Absolutely not. How could we say we had value for money? We signed Chris to be the leader of our Tour de France team and he’s not even here so that cannot be considered value for money. This is not a PR exercise. Chris isn’t a symbol, he isn’t a PR tool, he’s supposed to be our leader at the Tour de France and he’s not even here, so no I couldn’t say he’s value for money, no.”

Adams obviously is pissed at Froome, probably because Froome acted so pissy when he wasn't selected. If Froome stays on the team, he most likely will be riding races for IPT in Mongolia. My guess is we have seen the last of Chris Froome ever riding in the pro peloton. Wish I could buy Adams a beer and hear the real story in private.

The real story is that Froome isn't good enough anymore and wouldn't provide any value for the team.

He can't sprint or leadout.
He can't climb with the best.
His TT isn't good enough.
He isn't a domestique.
He isn't a rouleur.
He isn't a breakaway rider.

Where is my beer?

 

[benzwire]

If Froome truly believes he was ready for the Tour, then he certainly should have good performances in the coming smaller races he is scheduled to do. Froome needs to put his money where his mouth is and get some results. If he can't do anything in obscure races (as he has been doing so far), what's the point in going on? The only point would be a guaranteed salary for basically being a cyclotourist.

 

[meat puppet]

One of the many propaganda pieces back then was that he has a "crazy adaptive physiology", which explains his superiority. Evidently not a trace remains of that, although such things are supposed to be genetic. Guess that level of adaptiveness can be attained temporarily too, given the right circumstances.

Seriously, what on earth was he on about in 2011-18?

Gotta admire him hustling millions out of the team though. What he pulled on Israel is not only brilliant in it's own right, it kinda crystallises his whole career too.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Recovery from seroius injuries would take 2 years max if at all possible. After which it is clear that it would not happen at all. IPT took a risk and are paying for it. Froome enjoyed the fruits of his palmares for the last 4 years. There is no need for excuses, reasons for non performance over 4 years which are not related to the non performance. Now everbody is saying it. The other riders,his team, the public except for the British media and his diehard fans and of course him. I dont think he will stop.