All eyes will be on Froome at Occitanie and l'Ain, he's got to perform there to convince his team he's back to his best. If he's finishing in the groupetto then no way should he be selected for the Tour.
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I'm tipping top 15-30, with slight improvement over the week. Some glimmers of hope for the fanbois
It's almost possible to miss that much racing and be ready; no matter what the "numbers" say. It generally takes a full season to get to the levels of output to be as successful as he was. He's also not going to be featured in his customary Sky bubble of support so he's going to have to get strong n' jumpy as soon as he can. Good luck to him for that; he's lucky to be walking.
I second this.
A good reference could be Valverde after coming from the doping ban. And he wasn't even injured. It took him over a year to get back to his normal self. And we all know that he is a freak.
It should also be factored in that while Valverde was on a doping ban, everyone else was racing on. For half of Froome's recovery, everyone else has also had no racing
His first three stages races back were: Tour Down Under (2nd), Andalucia (1st), Paris-Nice (3rd). I think he was back to normal straight away
Win wise his 2012 and 2013 were similar, he just performed better in the classics and TdF. Then started winning more in 2014 and progressively got more results.
Valverde had some other issues he was fighting during the first half of the 2012 season as well. He's recently opened up and been willing to talk about the deep depression he'd fallen into in the early part of 2012 and due to that he's said he has no idea how he won or finished well in anything he was racing during the first half of that season. The Ardennes are when it got to the point that he finally decided he needed to seek help. By the time we get to the 2012 Vuelta he's finally gotten his depression sorted out and he was more or less back to himself.
Now on the other hand there is something about not having raced a Grand Tour for a 12 month period and that affecting your racing.
Now on the other hand there is something about not having raced a Grand Tour for a 12 month period and that affecting your racing.
Chris Froome may not make Tour de France if he loses 'play-off' with Egan Bernal
Why three pre-Tour de France warm-up races are must-see viewing in cycling's fascinating battle for supremacy.
www.bbc.co.uk
Chris Froome may not make Tour de France if he loses 'play-off' with Egan Bernal
Why three pre-Tour de France warm-up races are must-see viewing in cycling's fascinating battle for supremacy.www.bbc.co.uk
If that is correct, not as though it adds much to what we already know, it would suggest Froome probably ain't going to the TDF this year. It would be ironic if he went to the Vuelta or Giro instead and won, can't see it mind, and Ineos fail to win TDF this year with Bernal or Thomas.
So we're considering the scenario where Froome is good enough to win GTs but isn't going to the Tour?
During the live chat on YouTube for Getxo there was suddenly a weird - and fortunately untrue - rumour that he'd crashed over in Occitanie and broken his collarbone...
Nope, as said I can't see it happening, but I can see him being left out of TDF team.
Fair enough.
I just don't see him being left out, they've generally always had one or two domestiques not on that great from so they end up being the first cogs of the train, and so even in the worst case I can see a use for Froome.
Only reason I'd see them leave him out is if he's basically internally blown up on the team.
We will see, I don’t expect anything from him tomorrow.
I think if I was Froome and I hadn’t shown really good form in the Dauphine, I’d be worried.
Ineos are not sentimental, Brailsford will be cold - and honestly even if he was amazing in the Dauphine, I seriously think they won’t take him. They already have two top leaders, proven GT winners, and proven that they can work together at the TDF. Throw in the fact that Ineos have top domestiques like Amador or TGH to bring instead of Froome, I’ll be really surprised if he goes the TDF. I think he will have a Vuelta swansong, but we shall see this month.
Let’s hope the pandemic doesn’t mess anything else up.
I think if I was Froome and I hadn’t shown really good form in the Dauphine, I’d be worried.
Ineos are not sentimental, Brailsford will be cold - and honestly even if he was amazing in the Dauphine, I seriously think they won’t take him. They already have two top leaders, proven GT winners, and proven that they can work together at the TDF. Throw in the fact that Ineos have top domestiques like Amador or TGH to bring instead of Froome, I’ll be really surprised if he goes the TDF. I think he will have a Vuelta swansong, but we shall see this month.
Let’s hope the pandemic doesn’t mess anything else up.
I have a feeling that tomorrow on the forum there will be one of two extreme general viewpoints. Either that his career is being given the last rites, or that he is the favourite for the Tour!
I guess it also depends on what Ineos wants, not just DB. I'd have thought winning a 5th Tour with Froome would be very appealing but maybe they don't really give a *** or maybe they even don't really wanna win with a Sky relic.
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