Teams & Riders Chris Froome Discussion Thread.

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Is Froome over the hill?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 42 34.4%

  • No, the GC finished 40 minutes ago but Froomie is still climbing it

    Votes: 65 53.3%

  • No he is totally winning the Vuelta

    Votes: 28 23.0%
  • Total voters
    122
B

Bolder

Jun 25, 2015
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ppanther92 said:
He is for sure one of the worst WT pros. When was the last time he finished in a front group? Not even on flat stages he is good enough to hold the tempo. And I honestly can't think of any other pro where this is the case as well. Also I do not think that there is a lot of publicity for Israel Startup Nation outside of hardcore cycling fans. So they probably regret this investment. But then again, thats fully on them.
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Yeah, I still wonder what the real problem is. I'm not saying that in a suggestive way, more like even with some physical impairment, he should be able to ride at the front for a full stage at Romandie, even if he can't contend for the win. Even some of the least-talented Continental riders could do that.

So it's got to be some real, likely insurmountable, physical problem. I watched his riding form in the last few stages (when the camera could find him!) and it just looks like he can't move his hip joints fluidly, the way he used to. Perhaps the muscles or nerves were severely damaged with no hope of recovery? (Not in the sense that he can't walk or ride, but at a competitive level)

I'm a fan of any comeback but IMO this has got to be his last season in the pro peloton. Find a race he likes, call it his final hurrah, and retire knowing he tried his best.
 
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R

rm2021

Apr 29, 2022
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Bolder said:
Yeah, I still wonder what the real problem is. I'm not saying that in a suggestive way, more like even with some physical impairment, he should be able to ride at the front for a full stage at Romandie, even if he can't contend for the win. Even some of the least-talented Continental riders could do that.

So it's got to be some real, likely insurmountable, physical problem. I watched his riding form in the last few stages (when the camera could find him!) and it just looks like he can't move his hip joints fluidly, the way he used to. Perhaps the muscles or nerves were severely damaged with no hope of recovery? (Not in the sense that he can't walk or ride, but at a competitive level)

I'm a fan of any comeback but IMO this has got to be his last season in the pro peloton. Find a race he likes, call it his final hurrah, and retire knowing he tried his best.
Click to expand...
This week we saw that his ftp is 390 w. His ftp before the crash was 420 w.
It´s possible that he can improve his ftp?
 
P

ppanther92

May 3, 2015
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Bolder said:
Yeah, I still wonder what the real problem is. I'm not saying that in a suggestive way, more like even with some physical impairment, he should be able to ride at the front for a full stage at Romandie, even if he can't contend for the win. Even some of the least-talented Continental riders could do that.

So it's got to be some real, likely insurmountable, physical problem. I watched his riding form in the last few stages (when the camera could find him!) and it just looks like he can't move his hip joints fluidly, the way he used to. Perhaps the muscles or nerves were severely damaged with no hope of recovery? (Not in the sense that he can't walk or ride, but at a competitive level)

I'm a fan of any comeback but IMO this has got to be his last season in the pro peloton. Find a race he likes, call it his final hurrah, and retire knowing he tried his best.
Click to expand...
I understand you since I've got the same questions as well. Either its a very severe physical problem - and then I think it might be a question if he was open about it on contract signing or its a combination of the injury, motivation, age, clinic and whatever else could contribute. In any way its an immense drop in ability, more than age alone allows for, I would argue.
 
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Lequack

Lequack

Jul 10, 2014
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Someone has put square chainrings on his bike. No wonder he can't keep up with the peloton! Mystery solved.

20210626085622_IMG_3009-1340x893.jpg
 
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B

Bolder

Jun 25, 2015
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ppanther92 said:
I understand you since I've got the same questions as well. Either its a very severe physical problem - and then I think it might be a question if he was open about it on contract signing or its a combination of the injury, motivation, age, clinic and whatever else could contribute. In any way its an immense drop in ability, more than age alone allows for, I would argue.
Click to expand...
Yep. Even if it was a clinic thing, even that should not stop him from being somewhat competitive in a lower tier WT stage race, which is what Romandie is. He trained for 15 years and won 5 or 6 GTs; so even one-legged he should be better than he is.
 
SHAD0W93

SHAD0W93

Aug 13, 2011
7,880
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Lequack said:
He did inspire his teammates to win todays stage.
Click to expand...
Inspire them to not see him maybe.
maybe this is all he needs, a team win and boom there is the old Froome. But which one ;)

Bolder said:
Yep. Even if it was a clinic thing, even that should not stop him from being somewhat competitive in a lower tier WT stage race, which is what Romandie is. He trained for 15 years and won 6 or 7 GTs; so even one-legged he should be better than he is.
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It’s a strange case in that, when Froome was riding at and near his peak he wanted to win everything he could, no matter what and wasn’t thinking of gifts like Armstrong unless it was his teammate. Unless that fire is completely gone from the accident it is weird to see it leave an athlete that competed with that. Like Contador, he had a, I want to win and that matters but wasn’t trying to win everything he could. Case in point him giving stages away. There is no way Froome during his run is letting Frank and Andy win those stages in 2009 and 2010. Froome always wanted to show how strong he was when he could. And that fire seems to be completely gone. Like Tom Brady, has won everything he can and considered the GOAT of his position and some for sport and if American sports but still has that fire to win at 45 years of age and accomplishing everything more then anyone else.
 
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del1962

Oct 16, 2012
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SHAD0W93 said:
Oh absolutely. 2008-pre Vuelta 2012 Froome destroys anything he has done since coming back. Not just by PCS points but placing and prescience.
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This is totally correct,

If he could find hs pre-sky or pre 2011 vuelta sky form he would be doing a lot better than this, no way Froome now could finish in top 40 in giro which he did in 2009, the injury is having a massive effect on his performance,
 
Taxus4a

Taxus4a

Aug 12, 2012
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47FROOME ChrisIsrael - Premier Tech

He reaches the line with his team mate Bevin, who started the stage second at GC, who was climbing as Quintana in Turkey...so I think it was not a bad result. At least much better than he did last year...although last year he finisdhed the race with a cold, and before the cold he was no so bad.. but i Think he was not pulling the peloton as this year, but quite free..so it is an important improvement.

Just Fuglsang and Woods were the only riders of his team better than him today. and more than 60 riders were behind his time, among them people as Jungels, Tolhoek, Ruben Fernandez,...
 
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Libertine Seguros

Libertine Seguros

Feb 20, 2010
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Look on the bright side, in 2012 the first CQ points Froome got all year were 5 for managing to not climb off during Romandie (same as Cobo in fact, which some Sky fans were upset at me pointing out), and he was far better in this than he was in the penultimate stage mountain stage that year too. In fact he's been far better in the 2022 Tour de Romandie than he was in 2012, although obviously he had the excuse of domestiquing for Wiggins in the yellow jersey back then.
 
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Taxus4a

Taxus4a

Aug 12, 2012
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Libertine Seguros said:
Look on the bright side, in 2012 the first CQ points Froome got all year were 5 for managing to not climb off during Romandie (same as Cobo in fact, which some Sky fans were upset at me pointing out), and he was far better in this than he was in the penultimate stage mountain stage that year too. In fact he's been far better in the 2022 Tour de Romandie than he was in 2012, although obviously he had the excuse of domestiquing for Wiggins in the yellow jersey back then.
Click to expand...
Yes, he was very bad at GC in that Romandie (it is normal if you help the team), and later he was the best in le Tour, althougth he finished second.

But he did a good prologue, really short,..and a quite good final ITT...I think tomorrow he is able to do a good ITT,,,but anyway just looking at the prologue there is a difference. He has to improve anyway in his current position.. he didnt train specificaly for that since his crash I think...
 
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P

ppanther92

May 3, 2015
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Libertine Seguros said:
Look on the bright side, in 2012 the first CQ points Froome got all year were 5 for managing to not climb off during Romandie (same as Cobo in fact, which some Sky fans were upset at me pointing out), and he was far better in this than he was in the penultimate stage mountain stage that year too. In fact he's been far better in the 2022 Tour de Romandie than he was in 2012, although obviously he had the excuse of domestiquing for Wiggins in the yellow jersey back then.
Click to expand...
The Prologue was considerably better in 2012 though.
 
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