• 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 626 - 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 looks like he has still quite a bit extra weight in his body. I wonder if there's some reason and logic behind it, it could be but is it? Not shure if he's going to key races like that, where one needs every bit of cooling one can get. Then we'll see pretty quickly what it is, sandbagging or not.
 
I respect Cavendish, i.e. a real "racer" who loves cycling & rides for no real big money at Deuckenink, just for the joy of being a pro-cyclist in a good team. He's not lost up his own backside fantasizing about rebecoming the best.

Froome? His insanely inflated contract (highest in world cycling!) & constant bravado rhetoric about getting back into form nullifies all boasts about his "determination" or whatnot. I'm sorry for his fans, but I'm going to assume that's the reality for most people in this world regarding how they'd perceive the former Tour de France champ struggling to even compete in world tour races in 2021 whilst banking that sort of money. Your talk of him showing Roglic & co anything is just... sad. They'd need to watch youtube archives to be impressed.

And what the hell was up with him leading the peloton today in the final 30 km of the stage? Publicity stunt? It looked ridiculous.

Fine by me that you think Cavendish is hell of a rider. He is in the same camp as Froome. He is trying to find his legs. But don't be in denial towards it, he has also yet to show his old self og being the best sprinter with the best lead out man. That spot is now for Bennett and Mørkøv.

It's a fine conparision but it seems you neglect the fact that cavendish has also on numerous occasions told us that he is not done yet. Same for Froome.

So if want to favour one over the other be objective about it.

My comment on Roglic and the rest of the absolute top tier gt contenders was merely about the fun it would be to actually watch froome on his best form. I would like to see it.
 
I dindt think he was better in Cataluña than in Emirates, so I was quite worried, but I am waching now stage 6 and I see him working in front of the peloton, so maybe is not just 81 th place GC the only think to evaluate, and he is in the right path to reach a good level to figh for podiums. Anyway he is still far from that. I hope he will be in Romandie.

He was in worse shape that UAE Tour imo and I think he will be at Tour of the Alps so we get to have all these discussions again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
He was in worse shape that UAE Tour imo and I think he will be at Tour of the Alps so we get to have all these discussions again.
I think he did a better ITT, and the final stages he was working, so it is normal he lose big time those stages.. If he was pulling his best always in the middle of the peloton and he finish that bad in GC he is of course in worse condition than in UAE Tour, but now I think he is similar or better. Waltter 200 he was not bad, 51 of 162 riders. I dont think is worse than in UAE. Here the average riders were better.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Fine by me that you think Cavendish is hell of a rider. He is in the same camp as Froome. He is trying to find his legs. But don't be in denial towards it, he has also yet to show his old self og being the best sprinter with the best lead out man. That spot is now for Bennett and Mørkøv.

It's a fine conparision but it seems you neglect the fact that cavendish has also on numerous occasions told us that he is not done yet. Same for Froome.

So if want to favour one over the other be objective about it.

The objective truth is there are six million reasons "why" Froome's failure is way more concerning for his own standing than anything Cavendish's situation might entail. I mean it's pretty obvious, i.e. one is on the biggest wage in cycling & the other isn't. It's like when a former football star signs on a free transfer on a low wage for a club, i.e. whether he performs well or not doesn't really affect his standing. Meanwhile the top star on the highest contract who performs really badly is never on an equal footing with the prior example. That would be Froome in this instance.

It's just the way it is, I don't make the rules. By negotiating a race winner salary, Froome should be expected to at least compete for race wins. That's the way the world works.

You don't get a pat on the back for "trying" when you're constantly performing badly whilst laughing all the way to the bank, basically.
 
I wonder how this forum would react if Froome ended up winning the Tour like TGH in the Giro last year. He would have achieved his aim of winning a 5th TDF even though most of the big hitters had left the race for whatever reason. It would still be a win regardless of the opposition. Not saying that it would happen but stranger things have happened.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Sandisfan
I wonder how this forum would react if Froome ended up winning the Tour like TGH in the Giro last year. He would have achieved his aim of winning a 5th TDF even though most of the big hitters had left the race for whatever reason. It would still be a win regardless of the opposition. Not saying that it would happen but stranger things have happened.

It's not going to happen. His injury at his age carries next to zero odds for a recovery to top end cycling. There's no shame in it as there's nothing that one can really do. It's so very easy to fall off the top level in cycling, but add in a career threatening injury at an age where one is typically nearing the end of their career and that's how it goes.

I've never been a Froome guy because I prefer more well-rounded riders.
 
  • Like
Reactions: topcat
It's not going to happen. His injury at his age carries next to zero odds for a recovery to top end cycling. There's no shame in it as there's nothing that one can really do. It's so very easy to fall off the top level in cycling, but add in a career threatening injury at an age where one is typically nearing the end of their career and that's how it goes.

I've never been a Froome guy because I prefer more well-rounded riders.
Agree 100%. A well-rounded rider is also built for a better legacy IMO. As for Froome not fitting Rackham's version of a worthy salary earner I'll defer to the term: professional. His sponsor may get the exposure they're paying for whether he wins or not. If not; that's the sponsor's problem as long as Froome is trying.

To my point about a well-rounded icon:
Negotiations between Sagan and Bora about an extension of the contract are ongoing and a decision is to be found already in April, Denk said:

"We are currently in talks with Peter. The outcome is open. We have announced new time windows, there should be a decision in April. I am currently having a hard time recognizing a tendency," confirmed Denk, trying to keep the result completely open allow. "We are very grateful for what Sagan has done for us. The sponsors have received a lot of attention through his person," he continued, only to add a "but": "But he is entering the autumn of his career. And he's one of the best paid professionals in the peloton. We just have to weigh up: Do we still want to afford it? Or is it better to invest the money in the youth? "
[...]
"If Peter doesn't stay with us, I have a lot of money available. My sponsors trust me that I can put together the best possible team with the money they give us " he added.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
I wonder how this forum would react if Froome ended up winning the Tour like TGH in the Giro last year. He would have achieved his aim of winning a 5th TDF even though most of the big hitters had left the race for whatever reason. It would still be a win regardless of the opposition. Not saying that it would happen but stranger things have happened.

At this stage, it would be a bigger leap to the top than for the 2011 Vuelta.... and that's saying something.
 
  • Like
Reactions: topt and ppanther92
I wonder how this forum would react if Froome ended up winning the Tour like TGH in the Giro last year. He would have achieved his aim of winning a 5th TDF even though most of the big hitters had left the race for whatever reason. It would still be a win regardless of the opposition. Not saying that it would happen but stranger things have happened.
I've never been a fan, but I would love to see it happen.
 
I wonder how this forum would react if Froome ended up winning the Tour like TGH in the Giro last year. He would have achieved his aim of winning a 5th TDF even though most of the big hitters had left the race for whatever reason. It would still be a win regardless of the opposition. Not saying that it would happen but stranger things have happened.
Well the clinic would explode.
 

TRENDING THREADS