This. Unless your aim is to give the impression that you're by far the strongest rider without actually having to prove it.Netserk said:Either you ride away full gas, or you stay but don't whine about it.
This. 2xscholar said:Unless your aim is to give the impression that you're by far the strongest rider without actually having to prove it.
That's what I believe too, it worked as that show of strength earned him the Tour leader job and relegated Wiggins plan to the Giro last year.scholar said:This. Unless your aim is to give the impression that you're by far the strongest rider without actually having to prove it.
Sums it up for me. Prima Donna Froome sounds like Yaya Toure. Sky had committed to Wiggins for years and he was winning so if Froome felt betrayed, imagine how betrayed Wiggins would feel if they suddenly changed support to Froome.scholar said:This. Unless your aim is to give the impression that you're by far the strongest rider without actually having to prove it.
I wouldn't take Vuelta 2012 form into it because of exactly that reason, whilst he didn't push himself 100% at the Tour he still had to pace Wiggins up every mountain and we know how difficult it is to do back to back GT's nowadays, especially trying to win both.webvan said:And he was lucky because when he tried to prove it at the Vuelta 2012 he made a fool of himself. Granted he would have been tired from the TDF, but still...I guess 2014 is the year of the final showdown ;-)
Really? I know he was unlucky with crashes but I remember Contador in the final week of the Tour 2011 saying he was absolutely exhausted. There is no way he'd have beaten Evans or Andy that year with the tough Giro in his legs too.Netserk said:Yet Contador the year before was much better in his 2nd GT. If luck was on his side he could've won it, so I don't agree with the "we know how difficult it is to do back to back GT's nowadays" especially considering how easy the Tour '12 was compared to the Giro '11.
Yeah I do agree in part, I still think he proved he deserved his leadership role with his results last season. He started in Oman and then carried on through to the Tour in July.webvan said:Well the Giro had more climbing but was possibly less tense/stressful as the TDF...anyway my point was more that Froome still managed to get the reigning TDF champ kicked out in 2013 with a weak Vuelta. In the end it worked out ok for Sky but still...Froome really shouldn't be so cocky, at some point it will bite him back, probably faster than he expects.
Why would they have to change?CycloAndy said:Sums it up for me. Prima Donna Froome sounds like Yaya Toure. Sky had committed to Wiggins for years and he was winning so if Froome felt betrayed, imagine how betrayed Wiggins would feel if they suddenly changed support to Froome.
Ah well at least Froome can say i worked for a TDF leader. You all forget the diva'a actions last year, as Wiggins once worked for Froome since that 2012 TDF? Nope even in WCRR before Froome withdrew Wiggins was gone. Froome will have the far better road carear and that is a fact. Win another TDF he would have done it already. At least Froome can win in the mountains he could drop Wiggins anytime he wanted and it is so funny watching the diva panic like he is about to die climbing all laugh at Sir Brad. HAHA.Pippo_San said:There's a reason why Wiggins is a knight and the other not, and probably never will.
One is a champ. The other is a highly talented rider. And that's that.
Jeopardise?!Contadoraus Schlecks said:This leads back to the debate of Wiggins TT vs Froomes mountain ability. Do you jeopardise the yellow jersey for the team for the sake of individual ego?
Always said Alberto was a champ, and with the biggest talent.Pippo_San said:There's a reason why Wiggins is a knight and the other not, and probably never will.
One is a champ. The other is a highly talented rider. And that's that.
Wiggins is a champ?Pippo_San said:There's a reason why Wiggins is a knight and the other not, and probably never will.
One is a champ. The other is a highly talented rider. And that's that.
I agree. Froome should be blaming himself for not having the balls to say "**** this" and just go for it.Arnout said:That's brilliant. I mean, he knew he had one shot at Tour victory, a once in a lifetime opportunity in terms of parcours, opposition and all. The only thing that stood between him and winning was Froome and Wiggins eliminated him perfectly to win the race even though Froome should've won. Wiggins would've been able to do nothing if Froome rode away but the latter was too scared to do it and is still whining about it.
I don't particularly like Wiggins but I have to commend him on his ability to make the most of the situation.
Not actually true I remember him leading on a couple of stages that where not the time trialWalkman said:Wiggins is a champ?
Of all the Tour winner since Maurice Garin back in 1903, I don't think there ever has been a winner that never did go to the front. The only time Wiggins got any wind on his nose was in the time trials….
Champion? The guy was dragged around France by him team and won only because Froome was forced to babysit him an all the climbs. Put Froome on any other team and Wiggins would be 5 minutes behind.
Yeah and even leading the Cav train. Champ!del1962 said:Not actually true I remember him leading on a couple of stages that where not the time trial
Of course I was not meaning literally "only in the time trials" but save stage 21, give me some videos of him being at the front for more than 1 minute, will you?del1962 said:Not actually true I remember him leading on a couple of stages that where not the time trial
You seem to be an expert in argumenting your opinion. You just calling him "Champ" does not make it so. Look how your 'champ' did at the Giro last year. Put in a solid effort worthy champion, don't you think?TomasC said:Yeah and even leading the Cav train. Champ!
He lead Ed Bos out on one stage, can't remember the number, but LLS was pretty cheesed of by it as he was attempting late break, less than one minute though I guess,Walkman said:Of course I was not meaning literally "only in the time trials" but save stage 21, give me some videos of him being at the front for more than 1 minute, will you?
Bolded part highlighted for truth. Froome was the better rider, but Wiggins was the preferred rider and it could be argued was in a better position at the time of Froome's 'challenge'.The Hitch said:Why would they have to change?
This idea that a team must always have 1 dictatorlike leader which every other rider on the team is dedicated to serve and no one else on the team is allowed to do anything was invented by Wiggins in the run up to the 2012 Tour in order to stop Froome from being a challenger.
Ironically the very next year when he was in Froome's position, he directly contradicted that by saying he wanted a free role on Froome's team (hillariously changing the goal posts year to year as he pleases)
In reality it is perfectly normal for teams to give other riders room to do things on certin stages or even during the race even as the rest of the team continues to support the leader.
Allowing Froome to ride in no way required them to change support to him.
And if Sky weren't 50x better than every other team that year and weren't carrying out an orchestrated 1-2, forcing Froome to hang back that year, may have cost them, as it did in the 2011 Vuelta.
Though of course the aim was never to win the 2012 Tour. It was to win the 2012 Tour with a 3 time olympic champion who already had a profile in the country and would thus become the face of the upcoming olympics.
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