Teams & Riders Chris Froome Discussion Thread.

[Singer01]

I'm glad the TopDawg rides for a team that cares about their riders and can afford the best medical treatment available. I shudder to think what kind of care he would have received if he was riding for a low budget team.

That is the dumbest post I've ever seen on this forum

That's up against some pretty stiff competition.

 

[Pricey_sky]

I'm glad the TopDawg rides for a team that cares about their riders and can afford the best medical treatment available. I shudder to think what kind of care he would have received if he was riding for a low budget team.

That is the dumbest post I've ever seen on this forum

Perhaps, but I reckon Froome will be glad he doesn’t ride for Sunweb after the farce they put Dumoulin through after his injury.

 

[Leinster]

I'm glad the TopDawg rides for a team that cares about their riders and can afford the best medical treatment available. I shudder to think what kind of care he would have received if he was riding for a low budget team.

That is the dumbest post I've ever seen on this forum

Perhaps, but I reckon Froome will be glad he doesn’t ride for Sunweb after the farce they put Dumoulin through after his injury.

Yes, because what Tom really needed after his crash at the Giro was someone to tell him he might never be able to ride a bike again.

 

[Poursuivant]

Re:

It’s beyond me how people can legitimately believe some of these conspiracy theories.

It’s because they loathe him. Sad acts.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re: Re:

tin foil hat mob have broken out the lounge it seems

Rick, stop the BS. I believe he crashed. I could care less if he didn't as well. But he really looks good on those pictures. Maybe he might come back strong next year and it is not a career ending injury like some suggest.

I think most people believe he crashed. The pictures they've shown (not many) do not look like he suffered anywhere near the injuries they say he suffered.

There is absolutely no reason for them to lie about the extent of his injuries. All they had to say was “he broke his leg, he’s out of the Tour.” I do not understand anyone who would question the validity of the reports for any reason.

Read again!!!
People being defensive are being silly.
Nobody is questioning his injuries here.

 

[Singer01]

Re: Re:

It’s beyond me how people can legitimately believe some of these conspiracy theories.

It’s because they loathe him. Sad acts.

And they are crazy.

 

[bigcog]

Pretty sure the photos Froome is releasing on Twitter etc are done to troll such idiots. You only have to read Vayers tweets after the crash happened, the guy needs psychiatric help.

 

[jmdirt]

Re: Re:

tin foil hat mob have broken out the lounge it seems

Rick, stop the BS. I believe he crashed. I could care less if he didn't as well. But he really looks good on those pictures. Maybe he might come back strong next year and it is not a career ending injury like some suggest.

I think most people believe he crashed. The pictures they've shown (not many) do not look like he suffered anywhere near the injuries they say he suffered.

There is absolutely no reason for them to lie about the extent of his injuries. All they had to say was “he broke his leg, he’s out of the Tour.” I do not understand anyone who would question the validity of the reports for any reason.

Well, some people think that the earth is flat, the holocaust didn't happen, no one has ever been to the moon (or space in general), JFK jr. is working with dt... it makes the basement more exciting. I don't think that anyone here falls into the conspiracy crew, they are just pointing out that Ineos isn't doing anything to shut them up.

Hopefully CF feels relieved just to be home. Being in the hospital that long will make most people stir crazy!

 

[glassmoon]

did LA mention a on-bike footage of CF's wobbling before the crash in the TdF preview WEDU podcast 2 days ago?
https://youtu.be/gjyyr5fp5uw?t=231

 

[jmdirt]

Re:

did LA mention a on-bike footage of CF's wobbling before the crash in the TdF preview WEDU podcast 2 days ago?
https://youtu.be/gjyyr5fp5uw?t=231

I saw the video too. It might actually be linked up thread. All it shows is that he wasn't being careful, dare I say smart, during his recon ride.

 

[Leinster]

Re: Re:

tin foil hat mob have broken out the lounge it seems

Rick, stop the BS. I believe he crashed. I could care less if he didn't as well. But he really looks good on those pictures. Maybe he might come back strong next year and it is not a career ending injury like some suggest.

I think most people believe he crashed. The pictures they've shown (not many) do not look like he suffered anywhere near the injuries they say he suffered.

There is absolutely no reason for them to lie about the extent of his injuries. All they had to say was “he broke his leg, he’s out of the Tour.” I do not understand anyone who would question the validity of the reports for any reason.

Read again!!!
People being defensive are being silly.
Nobody is questioning his injuries here.

Your reply was fine. I was responding to Koronin, who said his injuries “do not look like the injuries they say he suffered.” He literally questioned the injuries.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

tin foil hat mob have broken out the lounge it seems

Rick, stop the BS. I believe he crashed. I could care less if he didn't as well. But he really looks good on those pictures. Maybe he might come back strong next year and it is not a career ending injury like some suggest.

I think most people believe he crashed. The pictures they've shown (not many) do not look like he suffered anywhere near the injuries they say he suffered.

There is absolutely no reason for them to lie about the extent of his injuries. All they had to say was “he broke his leg, he’s out of the Tour.” I do not understand anyone who would question the validity of the reports for any reason.

Read again!!!
People being defensive are being silly.
Nobody is questioning his injuries here.

Your reply was fine. I was responding to Koronin, who said his injuries “do not look like the injuries they say he suffered.” He literally questioned the injuries.[/quote]


Questing the pictures, which do not show his injuries in anyway is different than questioning the injuries themselves. The pictures look to be intentionally hiding his injuries. Also I'm a she.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

I'm going to buck the trend here and say that CF will be flying for TdF 2020! Of course much like those who see this as the end of his career, I don't have enough info to make a true prediction. That being said, the femur will likely be fine, the question is more about the soft tissue.

Taylor Phinney had a compound leg fracture and was out completely for 14 months, then returned to racing in top form. But that was tibia fracture, not femur

Joseba Beloki is the famous example. Because that crash was also Armstrong's offroad adventure, and because Beloki was never the same after compound fracture of the femur. Beloki was back in grand tours two years later and completed the Tour de France and the Vuelta, with unremarkable pack finishes. And under questionable circumstances, because he was riding for Saiz and working with Fuentes

Froome could be back for Tour de France 2020, but why would he be selected, given that he will not contend for GC anytime soon - and would not be a great choice as a domestique of an 8-man team. Also, he is very controversial and unpopular in France, so not a sentimental favorite who fans demand to see in the race

Froome's injuries, from the available information, seem worse than Finney, but not as severe as Beloki. The two liters of blood loss, not clear where that is coming from - it is normal if that means intraoperative blood loss during the orthopedic surgery. If it means lost 2 liters on the ground at the scene of the crash, then he was almost dead, so that could be a misinterpretation of what the surgeon said

He is on contract with Brailsford until the end of 2020 - if Froome doesn't just retire, then Ineos will give him something to do, but not GT. The 'survivor' narrative of bilharzia, asthma, kidney failure, and now multiple bone fracture... isn't enough, because Froome is just not well-liked. Geraint Thomas was exasperated by the Froome salbutamol case, and has nothing to gain by 'co-leader' nonsense

He may not be liked by some, but every person has things to learn from, and if Froome can come back and rediscover any form, it will be an inspiration to many to fight the obstacles that life sometimes presents to you. Of course, he wouldn't be the first, and he won't be the last, but he's definitely high profile enough to inspire some people, and that can only be a good thing

 

[Oude Geuze]

Froome is the only great champion of the tdf in our time, the only GT-great since Contador (only much more so) only rivaled by LA in modern times. He is the guy everyone cares about, about 50% want to see him loose, and the rest want to see if the greatest still has it. He is the only one to be able to deliver magic in a GT, the rest will only win in his absence, injury or fatigue from a daring double or even triple. To loose him would be terrible for the sport, there are no one else regular people even know about, no one to pick up the mantle. I hope he can make it for 1 or even 2 more attempts, he should definitely be amongst the 5 wins guys.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I don’t agree that a comeback against the odds “survivor” narrative would be met with indifference. I agree that he’s more controversial than popular among fans, including casual fans, but great champions often suddenly become popular in any sport if they look like having a last hurrah some time after their career at the top seemed over. If he can be competitive at the top level again, many people who cheered against him through his best years will be cheering for him.

 

[Koronin]

Re:

I don’t agree that a comeback against the odds “survivor” narrative would be met with indifference. I agree that he’s more controversial than popular among fans, including casual fans, but great champions often suddenly become popular in any sport if they look like having a last hurrah some time after their career at the top seemed over. If he can be competitive at the top level again, many people who cheered against him through his best years will be cheering for him.

Except that cycling fans in general are a very cynical group.

 

[bigcog]

Re: Re:

Froome's injuries, from the available information, seem worse than Finney, but not as severe as Beloki. The two liters of blood loss, not clear where that is coming from - it is normal if that means intraoperative blood loss during the orthopedic surgery. If it means lost 2 liters on the ground at the scene of the crash, then he was almost dead, so that could be a misinterpretation of what the surgeon said

I was under the impression the blood loss occurred at the scene of the accident, which I presume is why he spent so long there initially, about 1.5 or 2 hours whilst they stabilised him. There were some pictures/footage of blood near the wall where he crashed.

Unfortunately I think this is the end of his GT ambitions, unless the femur fracture was a lot less serious than it sounded. Plus if GT or Bernal wins the TDF this year I can't see either of them playing second fiddle to Froome next year if he does manage to come back.

 

[Leinster]

Re: Re:

I don’t agree that a comeback against the odds “survivor” narrative would be met with indifference. I agree that he’s more controversial than popular among fans, including casual fans, but great champions often suddenly become popular in any sport if they look like having a last hurrah some time after their career at the top seemed over. If he can be competitive at the top level again, many people who cheered against him through his best years will be cheering for him.

Except that cycling fans in general are a very cynical group.

If cycling fans were all as cynical as that, none of us would actually be cycling fans any more. The return from catastrophe is a tale as old as time, and we’re all romantics really, believing in feats of superhuman endurance when all around us tell us such things cannot be possible by the blood and sinew of mortal man.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

Re: Re:

Partly agree with ZinovievLetter

I don’t agree that a comeback against the odds “survivor” narrative would be met with indifference. I agree that he’s more controversial than popular among fans, including casual fans, but great champions often suddenly become popular in any sport if they look like having a last hurrah some time after their career at the top seemed over. If he can be competitive at the top level again, many people who cheered against him through his best years will be cheering for him.

Agree, but Froome is not a 'lock' for TdF or any grand tour, just for being Chris Froome, or for sentimental reasons... Ineos have to be pragmatic about a rider likely to abandon.
French fans are bitter about Froome being in competition at all, because he should be serving a doping suspension. And they will not go from: tossing urine on Froome, protest banners at the Grand Départ , telling him to get out of France, and booing him in the velodrome, one year, then hoping he will win the next. Begrudging respect for persistence through great adversity (for real this time), and therefore respectful enough not to attack Froome

The blood loss question appears to have been answered by curiosity seekers who went to the location :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZW3F2mE6rY
He wasn't bleeding to death on the scene. And the road there is not a 'technical descent', as some reporters assumed - it is a straight, steep urban street. Froome was fiddling with blowing his nose, with one hand off the bars of a TT bike, it was just a freak accident, like Wout Poels said. Hit the corner of the courtyard at 33 mph

"Une marche à suivre plutôt clair pour le chef de chirurgie Stéphanois : "Pour la suite, la rééducation va être longue. Il va falloir d’abord y avoir une période de consolidation osseuse qui est de minimum un mois et demi voire un peu plus pour des lésions complexes. Et ensuite une période de rééducation, de réathlétisation avec minimum une période de six mois en dehors de toute compétition."
For the chief of surgery Stéphanois, the course of action to follow is clear: ' From this point, the rehabilitation will be long. There must first be a period of bone reconsolidation which is at a minimum six weeks, and even a bit longer for complex fractures. And then, a period of rehabilitation, re-training in sport, with at a minimum six months away from all competition."

So Froome is out until March 2020 at the earliest... in theory he could be back in competition for the 2020 late spring warmup --> Dauphiné --> Tour de France sequence.
Doomsayers could be proven wrong
On the other hand, why would Froome be included in TdF squad when it's not in their interests ... personal whim of Ratcliffe to outweigh strategic good sense ? He knowingly bought Chris Froome's baggage when he bought the team... maybe Ratcliffe does subscribe to the redemption narrative, who knows

I’m confused. The story all along was that he took excessive risks in removing both hands from the steering wheel to blow his nose and that a freak gust of wind knocked him off his bike. Why are you acting like you’re debunking a conspiracy theory? Also, color me bored after Contadors exit, but I for one am a former anti-Froomer who will be cheering for him. Same reason I cheered for Tiger at the Masters I guess. Deep down many of us love a return to dominance after being exposed to ruin even more than we love straight up dominance.

 

[rick james]

he took one hand off his handle bar

 

[TourOfSardinia]

So rookie mistake
leads to likely 8 months or so out of competition.
Move along now
haven't you got a Tour to watch?

 

[Gigs_98]

I totally think fans will get sentimental and root for Froome when he comes back, however only if he isn't as strong as he used to be. You know, a lot like Contador got all the more likeable when he constantly pulled off ridiculous attacks because he couldn't win by just attacking 5 k from the finish anymore. A lot of the dislike for Froome has to do with the way he, or more precisely his team, races. If he comes back and he just isn't the strongest rider in the race anymore, he will have to change his riding style and if that happens I can absolutely see a lot of cheering for him.
That said, if there is another tour with him sitting behind the Ineos train for 21 stages, winning another tour by default because nobody properly attacks in the mountains, and he gains a minute on everyone in the TT's, then it would probably go straight back to booing. Sounds sh*tty but that's just how sports fans work.

 

[Parker]

Re: Re:

I’m confused. The story all along was that he took excessive risks in removing both hands from the steering wheel to blow his nose and that a freak gust of wind knocked him off his bike. Why are you acting like you’re debunking a conspiracy theory?

It was to correct inaccurate reporting about the incident, especially second-hand interpretations on Twitter, how he crashed on 'a technical descent', and the idea that Froome lost 2000ml of blood on the ground at the scene of the crash. Questions were unresolved for some other members in the forum. There isn't a conspiracy, and if the facts put an end to conspiracy theorists' nonsense, so much the better. Not to be indelicate or mean ...but will point out that racing bicycles have handlebars, not steering wheels. Maybe that just means 'the front wheel'

The blood loss would mostly be due to internal bleeding, so there wouldn't be blood on the ground. If a head surgeon at a major hospital tells you he lost nearly two litres, then he lost nearly two litres. His expert opinion based on actual information is not debunked by 'curiosity seekers' on a day trip.

 

[jmdirt]

Re: Re:

I’m confused. The story all along was that he took excessive risks in removing both hands from the steering wheel to blow his nose and that a freak gust of wind knocked him off his bike. Why are you acting like you’re debunking a conspiracy theory?

It was to correct inaccurate reporting about the incident, especially second-hand interpretations on Twitter, how he crashed on 'a technical descent', and the idea that Froome lost 2000ml of blood on the ground at the scene of the crash. Questions were unresolved for some other members in the forum. There isn't a conspiracy, and if the facts put an end to conspiracy theorists' nonsense, so much the better. Not to be indelicate or mean ...but will point out that racing bicycles have handlebars, not steering wheels. Maybe that just means 'the front wheel'

The blood loss would mostly be due to internal bleeding, so there wouldn't be blood on the ground. If a head surgeon at a major hospital tells you he lost nearly two litres, then he lost nearly two litres. His expert opinion based on actual information is not debunked by 'curiosity seekers' on a day trip.

:lol:

 

[MatParker117]

https://mobile.twitter.com/inrng/status/1151590788960329739

An extremely belated congratulations to Chris on becoming the first British rider to win a Grand Tour and joining Coppi, Indurain and Contador in becoming a seven time GT winner.