Teams & Riders Chris Froome Discussion Thread.

[movingtarget]

Froome might want to peak later in the race but that is when the fatigue factor should kick in as well. Contador and others have mentioned it after attempting the double. Aiming to be good for the third week is fine but maybe not in consecutive grand tours. After a break his legs should be okay at the moment but the accumulated racing will have to have some sort of effect. Whether it's enough to hurt his chances or whether others can take advantage of it is another thing. They will have to be more aggressive in the mountains than last year and Froome was comforted by the fact that the best climber in the race was riding in front of him, Uran rode for a podium without taking too many risks and Bardet was not good enough to maintain the gaps he opened up in the mountains plus his usual TT issues.

 

[dacooley]

Re:

Froome might want to peak later in the race but that is when the fatigue factor should kick in as well. Contador and others have mentioned it after attempting the double. Aiming to be good for the third week is fine but maybe not in consecutive grand tours. After a break his legs should be okay at the moment but the accumulated racing will have to have some sort of effect. Whether it's enough to hurt his chances or whether others can take advantage of it is another thing. They will have to be more aggressive in the mountains than last year and Froome was comforted by the fact that the best climber in the race was riding in front of him, Uran rode for a podium without taking too many risks and Bardet was not good enough to maintain the gaps he opened up in the mountains plus his usual TT issues.

Erm, did last tour have an obvious best climber in the race?
except for porte, there are no contenders without TT issues this time either. I wouldn't look back at contador's and quintana's attempts indefinetely. contador was very competitive in the 2011 tour and had a decent chance to pull it off. Quintana, inspite of having 2 gts under his belt, has never been regarded a rider of AC/CF level. On top of that what Froome did in stage 19 of the Giro will always cause some hope to until the end.

 

[Bolder]

An intriguing question is how the gap to Thomas gets closed. Judging by Thomas's form in the Dauphine, Froome will have to do it himself in the mountains.

 

[dacooley]

Re:

An intriguing question is how the gap to Thomas gets closed. Judging by Thomas's form in the Dauphine, Froome will have to do it himself in the mountains.

I don't think sky are too much concerned about froome or thomas is going to win the tour. froome having an unique opportunity to grab 4th consecutive gt is his personal issue. almost certainly they will be riding the alps everyone for himself and then decide how to manage the effort come to pyrenees.

 

[Blanco]

He gambled a little and got caught behind the split by riding conservatively and then had to try and come across the gap when he realised hence why he finished on his own inbetween the groups. At least that's my take.

Obviously though not in the form he was when he was sprinting up Mur du Huy but I expect that's not part of the plan doing the double.

He might've stayed in the main group had he not ride behind Valverde. When Bala opened his sprint he was instantly dropped and couldn't recover.

 

[Bot. Sky_Bot]

Re:

An intriguing question is how the gap to Thomas gets closed. Judging by Thomas's form in the Dauphine, Froome will have to do it himself in the mountains.

Well, not exactly, it would be initiated by some other contenders.
Next Tue-Thr no doubt we will have some attacks and Sky Doms will try to cancel them.
Finally there would be Bernal, CF & GT following Porte/Nibali/Quintana, and GT will crack.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

An intriguing question is how the gap to Thomas gets closed. Judging by Thomas's form in the Dauphine, Froome will have to do it himself in the mountains.

I don't think sky are too much concerned about froome or thomas is going to win the tour. froome having an unique opportunity to grab 4th consecutive gt is his personal issue. almost certainly they will be riding the alps everyone for himself and then decide how to manage the effort come to pyrenees.

I agree. Froome obviously want to win himself, but for Team Sky it's probably a little better publicity if they could win it with Thomas instead.

That doesn't mean they're gonna screw Froome over, just that they'll keep both in play until they hit the mountains at least.

 

[movingtarget]

Is Thomas more of a chance to win a grand tour than Porte or Uran or Bardet etc...... ? I wouldn't think so even if he is in a good position at the moment. The Dauphine result is meaningless. Plenty of riders can do well in one week races and not three week ones.Even if Thomas finishes say in the top five this year, he will find it even harder when he leaves Sky to ride for a much weaker team. I'd be surprised if he made the podium and like Porte, first he has to finish the race. Both are good TT riders but both are unpredictable with bike handling. Froome will have to drop another few minutes before leadership is discussed.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

Is Thomas more of a chance to win a grand tour than Porte or Uran or Bardet etc...... ? I wouldn't think so even if he is in a good position at the moment. The Dauphine result is meaningless. Plenty of riders can do well in one week races and not three week ones.Even if Thomas finishes say in the top five this year, he will find it even harder when he leaves Sky to ride for a much weaker team. I'd be surprised if he made the podium and like Porte, first he has to finish the race. Both are good TT riders but both are unpredictable with bike handling. Froome will have to drop another few minutes before leadership is discussed.

Having an average back up plan is better than having no back up plan.

I wonder if Bernal will have to wait on the cobbles? If all of Froome, Bernal and Thomas make it over the cobbles relatively unscathed they can really create a tactical nightmare for the other teams

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Is Thomas more of a chance to win a grand tour than Porte or Uran or Bardet etc...... ? I wouldn't think so even if he is in a good position at the moment. The Dauphine result is meaningless. Plenty of riders can do well in one week races and not three week ones.Even if Thomas finishes say in the top five this year, he will find it even harder when he leaves Sky to ride for a much weaker team. I'd be surprised if he made the podium and like Porte, first he has to finish the race. Both are good TT riders but both are unpredictable with bike handling. Froome will have to drop another few minutes before leadership is discussed.

Having an average back up plan is better than having no back up plan.

I wonder if Bernal will have to wait on the cobbles? If all of Froome, Bernal and Thomas make it over the cobbles relatively unscathed they can really create a tactical nightmare for the other teams

Yeah the cobbles will be a nervous stage for most of the GC riders and with the inevitable punctures and falls it will be very interesting to see who waits for who on some teams. Thomas obviously wouldn't be waiting for Froome unless it was absolutely necessary and Froome was down on team mates. Froome's climbing form is going to be the big query I think as the race goes on. Last year he wasn't too convincing but towards the end of the race he looked better and carried that form into the Vuelta but that's without the Giro in his legs. I think Bernal would probably wait and could still be factor for them in the mountains. Riders like Porte and Bardet have to be aggressive in the second week and Movistar of course especially if Froome's climbing is a bit off like it was in the first half of the Giro. Dan Martin could also be a good ally for them. He's not afraid to attack even if he often pays for it at the end of the stage. Nibali of course will be looking for signs of weakness as well.

 

[Frihed89]

If he makes it still in contention, more or less, Stage 11 with a summit finish, will probably be an auger of things to come, vis-vis his fitness. Stage 12 will be the big test, I think

 

[Leinster]

Re: Re:

An intriguing question is how the gap to Thomas gets closed. Judging by Thomas's form in the Dauphine, Froome will have to do it himself in the mountains.

I don't think sky are too much concerned about froome or thomas is going to win the tour. froome having an unique opportunity to grab 4th consecutive gt is his personal issue. almost certainly they will be riding the alps everyone for himself and then decide how to manage the effort come to pyrenees.

Somewhere along the way, a situation will/may arise where Froome and Thomas are in a group in the mountains, a GC threat attacks, and Sky have to decide whether Chris or G has to do the bulk of the chasing. It may even come up on Sunday.

 

[Bot. Sky_Bot]

Re: Re:

An intriguing question is how the gap to Thomas gets closed. Judging by Thomas's form in the Dauphine, Froome will have to do it himself in the mountains.

I don't think sky are too much concerned about froome or thomas is going to win the tour. froome having an unique opportunity to grab 4th consecutive gt is his personal issue. almost certainly they will be riding the alps everyone for himself and then decide how to manage the effort come to pyrenees.

Somewhere along the way, a situation will/may arise where Froome and Thomas are in a group in the mountains, a GC threat attacks, and Sky have to decide whether Chris or G has to do the bulk of the chasing. It may even come up on Sunday.

The same kind of discussion as in Geraint Thomas thread.. .
Do you all really think that Sky will hesitate what to do? With Froome only ca. 1 min behind Thomas?
Thomas will lose minutes between next Tuesday-Thursday..

EDIT: maybe before UCI verdict Sky would have some doubts what to do, but not now.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re: Re:

An intriguing question is how the gap to Thomas gets closed. Judging by Thomas's form in the Dauphine, Froome will have to do it himself in the mountains.

I don't think sky are too much concerned about froome or thomas is going to win the tour. froome having an unique opportunity to grab 4th consecutive gt is his personal issue. almost certainly they will be riding the alps everyone for himself and then decide how to manage the effort come to pyrenees.

Somewhere along the way, a situation will/may arise where Froome and Thomas are in a group in the mountains, a GC threat attacks, and Sky have to decide whether Chris or G has to do the bulk of the chasing. It may even come up on Sunday.

The same kind of discussion as in Geraint Thomas thread.. .
Do you all really think that Sky will hesitate what to do? With Froome only ca. 1 min behind Thomas?
Thomas will lose minutes between next Tuesday-Thursday..

EDIT: maybe before UCI verdict Sky would have some doubts what to do, but not now.

Agreed entirely.

Sky have never yet allowed any other rider to put their own interests above those of their main Tour leader, no matter how good. Froome, Porte, Landa, whoever. If another guy is above you in their plan, you may be held in reserve as a plan B but that’s it. As soon as your services become more useful than holding you in reserve, you go to work.

Sky exist to win the Tour. Froome has won four Tours and the last 3 GTs. Froome is still their main man and will remain so until and unless he is truly out of contention.

 

[Leinster]

I should have added “and as soon as that situation comes about I’m quite sure they will put G to work.”

I don’t think that’s cast in stone, though. There was a stage early in the 2015 Vuelta where Froome told Nico Roche to follow a move if he wanted. It didn’t come to anything, but it was a chance, and Froome was happy to let someone else on the team take advantage of it.

Obviously though, it meant Froome was calling the shots. And a Vuelta is different to a Tour.

 

[dacooley]

argh, guys. thomas won't drop minutes on next tuesday-thuersday, give him some credit. I admit this time he's really ready and fit to finish on some spot between 5th or 10th. nonetheless the likelihood of him being able to outclimb froome and take over team leadership is quite small.

 

[Robert5091]

If anyone thinks that Froome is not Sky's leader at TdF then you're believing SDB's spiel.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

How much time can Froome put into Thomas in say the last TT? It would be interesting to see the outcome if Froome was within touching distance. Obviously it would depend on energy levels left from the mountain s.

 

[tobydawq]

How much time can Froome put into Thomas in say the last TT? It would be interesting to see the outcome if Froome was within touching distance. Obviously it would depend on energy levels left from the mountain s.

Negative time. Thomas is the better TTer these days.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Unless Froome crashes, I don't see any reason why be wouldn't be ahead of Thomas in GC by the third week.

 

[rick james]

How much time can Froome put into Thomas in say the last TT? It would be interesting to see the outcome if Froome was within touching distance. Obviously it would depend on energy levels left from the mountain s.

Negative time. Thomas is the better TTer these days.

at the business end of a grand tour??? we have no proof of that

 

[tobydawq]

How much time can Froome put into Thomas in say the last TT? It would be interesting to see the outcome if Froome was within touching distance. Obviously it would depend on energy levels left from the mountain s.

Negative time. Thomas is the better TTer these days.

at the business end of a grand tour??? we have no proof of that

That's a fair objection. But Froome might not be at his strongest either at that point, considering the Giro. Even though he wants to peak in the last week.

 

[Red Rick]

How much time can Froome put into Thomas in say the last TT? It would be interesting to see the outcome if Froome was within touching distance. Obviously it would depend on energy levels left from the mountain s.

Negative time. Thomas is the better TTer these days.

at the business end of a grand tour??? we have no proof of that

What's the last time Thomas even made it to a 3rd week ITT?

I'm pretty sure the final ITT is hilly enough to negate most of Thomas' advantage anyway. If Froome doesn't crumble and is actually in the GC fight, he won't lose major time to Thomas in that ITT

 

[Frihed89]

Re: Re:

An intriguing question is how the gap to Thomas gets closed. Judging by Thomas's form in the Dauphine, Froome will have to do it himself in the mountains.

I don't think sky are too much concerned about froome or thomas is going to win the tour. froome having an unique opportunity to grab 4th consecutive gt is his personal issue. almost certainly they will be riding the alps everyone for himself and then decide how to manage the effort come to pyrenees.

Somewhere along the way, a situation will/may arise where Froome and Thomas are in a group in the mountains, a GC threat attacks, and Sky have to decide whether Chris or G has to do the bulk of the chasing. It may even come up on Sunday.

Sky (with Froome) has taken different approaches to, and has had different experiences in, handling mountain attacks in the past. Sometimes, just the support riders go and Froome tails. Sometimes, he is in their with them as a group. Sometimes, in the first case, Froome has failed to keep up, and backs off, rests, and then charges back to join a bit later. But this may be a different Tour for Froome, given he rode and won the Giro. I am sure Brailsford and the team riders will discuss all the options and have a pretty dynamic plan in place before each mountain stage that can also be adjusted as the situation changes. I frankly don't see Thomas becoming the Captain, unless Froome collapses big time. Brailsford will probably try to keep them both in contention as long as they are both able to keep up (and they would do that best as a pair).

 

[silvergrenade]

Re: Re:

An intriguing question is how the gap to Thomas gets closed. Judging by Thomas's form in the Dauphine, Froome will have to do it himself in the mountains.

I don't think sky are too much concerned about froome or thomas is going to win the tour. froome having an unique opportunity to grab 4th consecutive gt is his personal issue. almost certainly they will be riding the alps everyone for himself and then decide how to manage the effort come to pyrenees.

Somewhere along the way, a situation will/may arise where Froome and Thomas are in a group in the mountains, a GC threat attacks, and Sky have to decide whether Chris or G has to do the bulk of the chasing. It may even come up on Sunday.

Sky (with Froome) has taken different approaches to, and has had different experiences in, handling mountain attacks in the past. Sometimes, just the support riders go and Froome tails. Sometimes, he is in their with them as a group. Sometimes, in the first case, Froome has failed to keep up, and backs off, rests, and then charges back to join a bit later. But this may be a different Tour for Froome, given he rode and won the Giro. I am sure Brailsford and the team riders will discuss all the options and have a pretty dynamic plan in place before each mountain stage that can also be adjusted as the situation changes. I frankly don't see Thomas becoming the Captain, unless Froome collapses big time. Brailsford will probably try to keep them both in contention as long as they are both able to keep up (and they would do that best as a pair).

+100
I would imagine Geraint attacking from the Froome group or both of them following wheels.
Neither will hit the front and ride tempo unless any one loses serious time.
Totally depends on how it plays out. Froome and Thomas have a good relationship, which is a huge positive.
Froome could've easily vetoed Thomas out of the Tour team; hell even Sky.