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What effect does he, specifically, have on racing?You're defending him against arguments nobody is criticizing him with. I don't like him, I loathe his effect on racing, yet I won't criticize him for milking it for the duration of his contract. I would do the same.
I just hope he won't go so far into cycling influencing he ends up doing collabs with Alberto.
The cold death of enjoymentWhat effect does he, specifically, have on racing?
In his autobiography he claimed his racing weight is 66kg. Still some way to go.Chris says he lost 2 kg at a training camp (he's at 69 kg now) and will try to lose another kg for the Tour. Pog and Rog should withdraw and try to peak for Olympics and Vuelta.
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/chris-froome-drops-towards-tour-de-france-weight-at-altitude-camp/
You're defending him against arguments nobody is criticizing him with. I don't like him, I loathe his effect on racing, yet I won't criticize him for milking it for the duration of his contract. I would do the same.
I just hope he won't go so far into cycling influencing he ends up doing collabs with Alberto.
In his autobiography he claimed his racing weight is 66kg. Still some way to go.
We are joking.He was struggling at the back when the favourites were soft-pedalling, I don't see how that is supposed to be encouraging? Or were you joking?
Isn't that more of Sky/Ineos thing than it was a Froome thing? They always seem to be fighting (too) long to be in the front of the group at the end of stages.We are joking.
But on a serious note - in his domination years he used to finish in the very front of the peloton in big groups. It might not be the most important fact but being 5th last in the big group is also not very encouraging. Either he doesn't have the sustained top speed anymore to make this semi-sprints or he lacks the confidence.
Yes, something is clearly off…At first I was hopeful that he’d come around this year but by now we should have seen at least some flashes of the old dawg. I’m still pulling for him to end his career on a positive note, though…I've never been a Froome fan, but I will be if be makes a full recovery. I hope he does it.
However all this talk of weight is not the root of the issue I don't believe. You don't perform poorly in a time trial because you are heavy, for instance. I think he lacks power.
Were you expecting more? I don’t know why anyone would be, unless for some reason one puts credence his statements. Which would seem odd given his history...Not so good today for our Chris.
Was hanging on the back of the peloton for much of the final Category 2 climb and finally got dropped before the top.
Finished with a small group over three minutes behind the main group of favourites.
Disappointing.
The key here is to ignore anything Froome says and evaluate him with your own eyes. If the issue were weight, he’d be competitive but lacking enough to win or drop the best riders. He’s not even remotely close.I've never been a Froome fan, but I will be if he makes a full recovery. I hope he does it.
However all this talk of weight is not the root of the issue I don't believe. You don't perform poorly in a time trial because you are heavy, for instance. I think he lacks power.
I'd call his current contract a success tbh.Ride Volta a Portugal -> win it -> retire in peace after a success.
It's basically the smokescreen of the moment. "Working on my weight" ... then why is your TT soooooo bad, your recovery so bad, everything so bad? Because it is everything. Weight is the least of his concerns, especially if he actually dropped some.The key here is to ignore anything Froome says and evaluate him with your own eyes. If the issue were weight, he’d be competitive but lacking enough to win or drop the best riders. He’s not even remotely close.
I'd call his current contract a success tbh.
Honestly, this must be up there in the list of most stupid contracts ever given to a sports person and it just gets funnier the more I think of it.