• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Teams & Riders Chris Froome Discussion Thread.

Page 612 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.

Is Froome over the hill?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 26 35.1%
  • No, the GC finished 40 minutes ago but Froomie is still climbing it

    Votes: 42 56.8%
  • No he is totally winning the Vuelta

    Votes: 17 23.0%

  • Total voters
    74
It sounds a bit conspiratorial.

I don't think I buy it but I won't completely discard it either.
It sounds a bit like the 2016(?) Dauphine when the rumour about Contador was that he was avoiding going into the red in any way, as he got dropped on final climb after final climb. Then they got to the Tour and it turned out he just didn't have the legs.

Contador finished the 2016 Dauphine in 5th on GC, 35 seconds behind the winner, Froome.
 
It sounds a bit like the 2016(?) Dauphine when the rumour about Contador was that he was avoiding going into the red in any way, as he got dropped on final climb after final climb. Then they got to the Tour and it turned out he just didn't have the legs.

Contador finished the 2016 Dauphine in 5th on GC, 35 seconds behind the winner, Froome.
That was 2017. Contador was attacking 90km out in the 2016 Dauphine.

And he did crash hard in both the 2016 and 2017 Tours
 
I'd be shocked if either Froome or G are anywhere closed to competitive in any GT this year, honestly. It seems like, if they were anywhere close, they'd be able to show up and be at least top 20 on class alone. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think guys like Valverde, Contador ever had this level of showing in WT stage races.

Having said that, while I don't believe the theory about Froome and G doing active recovery, since Rasch said they were underperforming, they both tried to pull in the train and failed, and I don't believe they were doing a weeklong acting job, it would make sense for them to do active recovery in the context of a race. Froome in particular needs the experience of lining up for a start, riding in a peloton, grabbing bottles, etc. You can't get that outside of a race. Showing up at the Tour without that would be a terrible idea.
 
I’m not surprised Froome struggles, that injury was nasty and it didn’t look like he’ll even come close to the same rider he was. Maybe he can improve enough to be competitive but he looked terrible. I’m more disappointed in Thomas. He looked pretty bad too. No reason his performance was so bad. Froome has an excuse, Thomas doesn’t. I doubt either can be counted on as super domesteques. Froome will have to recapture a significant portion of his previous form to even warrant a leaders roll with his new team. Wonder if they’re already regretting the signing?
 
  • Like
Reactions: bigcog and Red Rick
Froome in particular needs the experience of lining up for a start, riding in a peloton, grabbing bottles, etc. You can't get that outside of a race. Showing up at the Tour without that would be a terrible idea.

4x TdF gc
2x Vuelta gc
3x CdD
some GdI
at least 7x gt stage win
some 40.000 wt racing k's for last 5 years..

??!!

I think we're talking about so called 'seasoned pro' in this particular case, could even be a case of real mf. Everybody go grab same stats as my homie Chris here, might learn some bottle grabbin' and peloton ridin' for the same run. :D:joycat:

Sry, was bit much..
 
If Thomas motivation to be in great form 12 months a year is a problem then his motivation and thus training could well have been obliterated in COVID times. That might be what happened, even if it's obviously no excuse.

I know nothing about these things... but it seems to me the guys to trained a lot (like a lot) on the rollers did not come out great so far. (Most of all NTT, but okay, they have not been great before Corona.) And Thomas did a lot of long rides on those? So maybe it's not because he did not train enough?
 
Yes, but he probably had people grab his bottles during all those wins.

True but it's not a problem for him. And we've seen him being watercarrier, he can stuff bottles under his jersey too.

I remember when people gave shat to Pinot being slow on downhills when he was super super fast, of course Nibali is speed of light, but they all are actually skilled and super fast minimum. Roads are free to try this, tired after days and weeks of racing.
 
4x TdF gc
2x Vuelta gc
3x CdD
some GdI
at least 7x gt stage win
some 40.000 wt racing k's for last 5 years..

??!!

I think we're talking about so called 'seasoned pro' in this particular case, could even be a case of real mf. Everybody go grab same stats as my homie Chris here, might learn some bottle grabbin' and peloton ridin' for the same run. :D:joycat:

Sry, was bit much..
I hear what you're saying, but the difference is he had a traumatic, devastating crash that occurred while he was removing a jacket during a descent. He then had to relearn how to walk, ride a bike, etc. And then didn't ride a race for nearly a year. You don't think it might feel different to ride in a peloton now than it did before his crash? Or that he might be more nervous grabbing a bottle and making his way through the peloton now than before?
 
  • Like
Reactions: memyselfandI
I see what you mean, but as an adult racer, obvious no limits hc racer, who has hit the deck many times, I see him grabbing the bike just as quickly as possible and all skillsets are in his head, because no junior.

But true it's possible scar tissue and things like that can hinder movements, then again state-of-the-art physio and coaching involved in his case..
 
  • Like
Reactions: VayaVayaVaya
Occam's razor - Froome injury recovery or straight up done and Thomas unmotivated/little covid training.

The more fun and interesting (forum reaction wise) but probably unlikely theory posited here is the sandbagging/taking the piss scenario, so lets hope it's that.
 
Just wondering out loud looking at results, and I know looking at GC is fluffy logic because I don't think either Thomas, Froome or Tao were racing for anything other than to help Bernal and then ride easy really. Certainly I didn't get an impression they are all fighting each other for a spot on the Tour team from these races as the media claimed anyway, but who knows? I guess the team might simply be looking at numbers, but Thomas said his numbers are where they need to be, he just needs to drop one more kg before Tour.

March = Racing ended due to lockdown
May = UCI announced new calendar
August = Start of scheduled racing for Bernal, Froome ,Thomas, Sivakov & Tao

Occiatanie GC 1st-4th Aug
Bernal 1st
Sivakov 2nd
Froome 37th @ 9:26
Tao 52nd @ 16:44

Tour de l'Ain GC 7-9th Aug
Roglic 1st
Bernal 2nd @ 4s
Froome 30th @ 12:16
Thomas 47th @ 15:52
Tao 75th @ 15:55 (DNF stage 3)

Dauphine GC 12-16th Aug
Martinez 1st (possible Roglic again if not crashed)
Sivakov 11th @ 3:10
Bernal 14th @ 42s (DNS stage 4)
Thomas 37th @ 53:38
Froome 71st @ 1:26:14 (autobus finish last stage as Bernal went home, Sivakov in breaks all day)


My take on the above, is Froome outperformed Tao for the races Tao was at, so not sure the media are correct those two are fighting for the last place on the team. Froomes numbers at Tour de l'Ain suggested around the 5.6-6w/kg when he was on the front and comparable to Thomas's anyway, so more than-enough to make the team imo. He also outperformed Thomas in GC slightly, Thomas in return. Dauphine, they've both gone very backwards in GC just one week later which makes little sense, given it's the same Roglic & Jumbo at top of GC.

Unless this is part of a master strategy off Tenerife fatigue it makes little sense. Could perhaps just be a bit of a bluff to Jumbo also. Jumbo have done Dauphine & L'Ain mostly on the front with mostly their Tour team, Ineos just Occiatanie a month ago now. That 2 weeks in Jumbos domestiques, I don't see Ineos have really had to burn yet - Who knows.
 
I know nothing about these things... but it seems to me the guys to trained a lot (like a lot) on the rollers did not come out great so far. (Most of all NTT, but okay, they have not been great before Corona.) And Thomas did a lot of long rides on those? So maybe it's not because he did not train enough?

So training a lot on the rollers/trainer isn't necessarily a good idea. Although the Valverde/Sagan option of doing the absolute minimum to just ensure a very low base level may not have been a great option either.
 
Well if they're on a planned scheduled overload in which they mostly are, they did Occitanie and l' Ain with intense overreach goal and it looks like that, Froome digged down to the very bottom in Grand Colombier climb doing domestique duties.

In that light taking easy CdD could be possible, short rest and then a bit intensive before Grand Depart.
 
It sounds a bit like the 2016(?) Dauphine when the rumour about Contador was that he was avoiding going into the red in any way, as he got dropped on final climb after final climb. Then they got to the Tour and it turned out he just didn't have the legs.

Contador finished the 2016 Dauphine in 5th on GC, 35 seconds behind the winner, Froome.

Contador crashed at the 2016 Tour and dropped out a few days later due to the injuries.
 
Was Froome restricted from riding due to COVId? I thought I read he was riding in March, am I wrong? Approx 6 months ago. If he was sandbagging it will be one of the biggest slights or hand in sports history. Based on what I saw he doesn’t need to be included on the Tour team. He’d turn into a boat anchor and placeholder. Take Thomas, sit Froome.
 

TRENDING THREADS