Teams & Riders Chris Froome Discussion Thread.

[El Pistolero]

Re:

Vuelta has, in the past 12 years anyway, been a prize for either a Tour superdomestique or for someone coming off a disappointing Tour de France. Over the same period, Giro has been a half step more pretigious than Vuelta, with a number of top riders targeting it as their primary annual objective. Recently, nobody at the top of cycling has targeted the Vuelta as their primary season objective. It's like the girl you see at the bar near closing time.

In the last few years the Vuelta's field has been significantly better than in the early 2000s or any other part of its history actually. But I do agree that the Giro is more prestigious and also more beautiful. Still, winning the Vuelta is an impressive feat and I'd rate it higher than winning any of the five Monuments.

1. Tour
2. Giro
3. WC RR
4. Vuelta
5. The five Monuments
6. WC TT
7. T-A / P-N / Vuelta al Pais Vasco
8. G-W, FW, E3 Harelbeke, AGR
9. Dauphiné (too close to the Tour to be ranked higher)
10. Tour de Suisse (too close to the Tour and pathetic field)

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

Giro is much more prestigious than Vuelta imho. Lots of riders attend Vuelta because of schedule/failures earlier in the season. Noone actually targets it

Maybe yes, but look the people will ride this year...Froome, Contador, Quintana, Purito, Aru,... Tour level, not the same than in the Giro..., so, it is relative...

 

[Taxus4a]

Congratulations to Froome. Fantastic performance, he will be a good winner of this tour. Pity that we don´t see a good spectacle, but it´s not his fault.

Agreed. Coming into the tour I'd hoped the next two mountain stages would see Froome, Nibali, Quintana and Contador all riding for the yellow jersey, but it wasn't to be. And despite having the best team, Froome has really impressed me over the past 3 weeks - he's matured noticeably.
I've not been on here long, but I'm surprised by the opprobrium he seems to incur for just doing his job - and doing it brilliantly.

I think a lot of the Froome bashing is mostly due to the team he is riding for. If he was doing what he's doing while riding for a smaller and les dominant team he would probably be almost universally liked, or at least tolerated

I wonder why won't Froome ride with other team? I guess, he knows, Sky has a better team support that others. If Bora Argon can pay Sagan >4mil, that means other team probably can pay Froome that much too. I think Froome knows, Sky is better team for GT than the rest. I bet if Froome rides for other team, people probably will start to like him..

SKy is the team with more resorces today in cycling, and with better domestiques...but you forget an important issue: it is the only world tour team of GB, and he is kenian, but as well british. if other team can pay 4 milions, SKY maybe will pay 5... I like some things of SKY, but I dont like that.

Lot of people likes him, so maybe he is not very worried about that. He is doing things very well and he can be proud.

 

[movingtarget]

Congratulations to Froome. Fantastic performance, he will be a good winner of this tour. Pity that we don´t see a good spectacle, but it´s not his fault.

Agreed. Coming into the tour I'd hoped the next two mountain stages would see Froome, Nibali, Quintana and Contador all riding for the yellow jersey, but it wasn't to be. And despite having the best team, Froome has really impressed me over the past 3 weeks - he's matured noticeably.
I've not been on here long, but I'm surprised by the opprobrium he seems to incur for just doing his job - and doing it brilliantly.

I think a lot of the Froome bashing is mostly due to the team he is riding for. If he was doing what he's doing while riding for a smaller and les dominant team he would probably be almost universally liked, or at least tolerated

Fans forget that riders like Hinault and Merckx often had teams full of superstars surrounding them as well. A strong team is nothing new to cycling. Of course the racing was often more chaotic as well because of longer stages and other things. The Raleigh team used to strangle the classics with the incredible team they had in the 70s and 80s. Peugeot had Phil Anderson, Robert Millar and Stephen Roche in the one team and Hinault had a domestique by the name of Lemond he also had Bernadeau when they went one two in the Giro. How often does a team do a one two result these days in a grand tour ? Contador has also had some very strong teams not including his current one which is not as strong and so has Nibali which means that most GTs are won by someone with a strong team. The days of someone winning by five minutes on a mountain stage are long gone. The sport has become much more technical with training, nutrition and equipment and the grand tours are generally won by smaller margins than they used to be.

 

[Taxus4a]

Froome has showed very strong as well without team sometimes...

He just can attack when the rest of the people is tired, a long attack, not an explosive one, so for his skill. an strong team is important.

 

[JRanton]

Why was he pushing on the last bit of that descent. He could afford to let Bardet go. Hope he isn't badly injured.

 

[MatParker117]

Why was he pushing on the last bit of that descent. He could afford to let Bardet go. Hope he isn't badly injured.

Looked like just road rash, tomorrow should not be too hard with the valleys and the descent finish.

 

[rick james]

should be fine...

 

[DBotero]

He struggled a bit today so the crash had some consequences.Hopefully he's able to survive tomorrow.

 

[Pricey_sky]

He struggled a bit today so the crash had some consequences.Hopefully he's able to survive tomorrow.

I think being on Thomas' bike didn't help. Maybe don't go chasing someone on a wet descent, he's got 4 minutes so there's no need to.

 

[TomekA]

Should be fine? Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow, everything is open now.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Why was he pushing on the last bit of that descent. He could afford to let Bardet go. Hope he isn't badly injured.

Reminiscent of Kruijswijk in the Giro, unnecessarily trying to follow Nibali

 

[Ramira]

He struggled a bit today so the crash had some consequences.Hopefully he's able to survive tomorrow.

I think being on Thomas' bike didn't help. Maybe don't go chasing someone on a wet descent, he's got 4 minutes so there's no need to.

Yup, a bit of a silly mistake. You'd think he would have learned from Kruijswijk, he lost the Giro from a pretty similar situation for the exact same reason.

 

[Taxus4a]

His Tour is in danger. His crash is simiar at Contador one.
Tomorrow is a hard stage from the begining.
Quintana is not at his best level, but I think tomorrow will be better than today.
Bardet wasted too much energie today, but he will try for sure to win e Tour if froome is not very well.

if Froome shows weakness at a hard climb as Ramaz, 4 minutes is no time...

Anyway Froome has the mental and phisical strength and the team to keep those minutes as this is just a hit.

To be the last climb without his bike and no oval ring, it could be a problem tomorrow.

We dont know if Astana will do a hard job tomorrow from the begining.. becouse Aru is not better than this Quintana or Bardet..it iss the only team with potential to do something important, especially if Nibali works...

 

[Pricey_sky]

He struggled a bit today so the crash had some consequences.Hopefully he's able to survive tomorrow.

I think being on Thomas' bike didn't help. Maybe don't go chasing someone on a wet descent, he's got 4 minutes so there's no need to.

Yup, a bit of a silly mistake. You'd think he would have learned from Kruijswijk, he lost the Giro from a pretty similar situation for the exact same reason.

Exactly, there were guys crashing everywhere so surely it was better to just let Bardet go. Could easily have broken a collarbone and his Tour would have been done.

 

[rick james]

Re:

Should be fine? Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow, everything is open now.

No it isn't, everyone was struggling on that final climb, its only road rash he has

 

[Ramira]

He seems pretty upbeat in the interview. Saying nothing's really wrong.

Unless he takes to much of a risk tomorrow and crashes again he'll win his 3rd TDF.

 

[MatParker117]

Why was he pushing on the last bit of that descent. He could afford to let Bardet go. Hope he isn't badly injured.

Reminiscent of Kruijswijk in the Giro, unnecessarily trying to follow Nibali

He was ahead of him.

 

[El Pistolero]

Froome's past it, he crashed. I mean, that's what I've been hearing here with regards to Contador. If you crash you obviously don't have it anymore!

 

[Ramira]

Why was he pushing on the last bit of that descent. He could afford to let Bardet go. Hope he isn't badly injured.

Reminiscent of Kruijswijk in the Giro, unnecessarily trying to follow Nibali

He was ahead of him.

Ehm, no he wasnt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga0r3xqOciY

Edit: 55 seconds in.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Why was he pushing on the last bit of that descent. He could afford to let Bardet go. Hope he isn't badly injured.

Reminiscent of Kruijswijk in the Giro, unnecessarily trying to follow Nibali

He was ahead of him.

As in Kruijswijk trying to follow Nibali, while Froome decided to try to chase Bardet

 

[deValtos]

What a difference between Kruiswjik at the Giro and what happened here.

The sky team have definitely earned their salaries.

 

[Taxus4a]

What is sure is that Froome is not going to publish in the media he has some fibrilar muscles broken, becouse that is nothing to say. He will take more rest than predicted after the Tour and no more. He will be very strong in Brazil, although this is a problem.

 

[damian13ster]

Re:

Froome's past it, he crashed. I mean, that's what I've been hearing here with regards to Contador. If you crash you obviously don't have it anymore!

Froome crashes -----> goes on and 99.99% will have his 3rd Tour win
Contador crashes ---> dropped all over the place --> bitches about teammates being stronger than him ---> quits

Cant see a difference? And i know there is a difference in situations but your post was so incredibly stupid that it doesnt deserve more effort being put into reply

 

[Ataraxus]

Why was he pushing on the last bit of that descent. He could afford to let Bardet go. Hope he isn't badly injured.

Reminiscent of Kruijswijk in the Giro, unnecessarily trying to follow Nibali

He was ahead of him.

Ehm, no he wasnt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga0r3xqOciY

Edit: 55 seconds in.

Nibali was following Froome.


He= Froome
Him = Nibali.