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Teams & Riders Chris Froome Discussion Thread.

Page 753 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.

Is Froome over the hill?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 28 35.4%
  • No, the GC finished 40 minutes ago but Froomie is still climbing it

    Votes: 45 57.0%
  • No he is totally winning the Vuelta

    Votes: 18 22.8%

  • Total voters
    79
CF: I am back to my previous numbers in training
Media : Chris Froome is ready to launch a bid for the 5th title
Reality: Nowhere in Sight
CF: Comes 2 min behind Cyclocross Pidders and perennial top ten straggler Meintjes
Media: Chris Froome epic performance, Chris Froome silenced 'demons'. The pundits basically left their brains behind before commentating
Reality: Nowhere after that
CF Gaslighting Adams for 5 million , Media gaslighting public for viwership, Adams trying to gaslight sponsors. Numbers and performance don't gaslight
 
I think we mustn‘t forget Chris was lying in 26th rank in GC when he had to leave 2022 TdF. He had improved throughout the race. He was third in Alpe d‘Huez‘ stage. He probably would have finished GC in Paris on a rank between 20 and 25 in GC.

All this is a HUGE improvement to his 2021 TdF. He was so much better in 2022. If he can continue these improvements, very much is possible for him. Probably even an attempt to win his TdF #5. I at least wish him he can do it. And Chris seems absolutely certain and confident he can do it…
 
I think we mustn‘t forget Chris was lying in 26th rank in GC when he had to leave 2022 TdF. He had improved throughout the race. He was third in Alpe d‘Huez‘ stage. He probably would have finished GC in Paris on a rank between 20 and 25 in GC.

All this is a HUGE improvement to his 2021 TdF. He was so much better in 2022. If he can continue these improvements, very much is possible for him. Probably even an attempt to win his TdF #5. I at least wish him he can do it. And Chris seems absolutely certain and confident he can do it…

Don't get get blinded by his third-place finish on Alpe d'Huez - it is not as if he was climbing flat out shoulder to shoulder with Vingegaard and Pogacar and just got pipped by them on the line.

He was fortunate that demon descender Pidcock led him down the mountain and they were able to gap a peloton that was having a day off.

The breakaway arrived at the foot of the Alpe more or less together, but at the top Froome was a mighty 2mins 6secs behind the winner Pidcock.

It was a nice moment for Chris and I was pleased for him, but an indication of being a GC competitor? No way.
 
As time passes there are less and less options for him.
The accident closed one chapter, the transfer curtailed the next, and the age is leafing through what's left.

IPT needs to upgrade its expertise in order to extrapolate his SKY/INEOS experience onto its methodology.
Despite the efforts with British personnel in the past, there must be something familiar only to British Cycling that gave the edge at the time.

Otherwise, the paycheck's gonna be the sum of their collaboration.
 
Don't get get blinded by his third-place finish on Alpe d'Huez - it is not as if he was climbing flat out shoulder to shoulder with Vingegaard and Pogacar and just got pipped by them on the line.

He was fortunate that demon descender Pidcock led him down the mountain and they were able to gap a peloton that was having a day off.

The breakaway arrived at the foot of the Alpe more or less together, but at the top Froome was a mighty 2mins 6secs behind the winner Pidcock.

It was a nice moment for Chris and I was pleased for him, but an indication of being a GC competitor? No way.
The best performance of chris froome at the Tour, was the stage of mur de peguere, when he finished 2 min and 45 behind pogacar and vingegaard. He finished the stage with the all mighty Mas.
 
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LATEST VO2 MAX NUMBERS!

News Flash : Chris Froome has revealed his current VO2 Max in his latest youtube video.

The results make for devastating reading for Froome fans still dreaming of Tour de France dominance.

To summerise : Peak 2015 Froome = 89.5. Peak 2022 Froome = 75.0.

Chris undertook the test, remarkably claiming the last time he undertook one was in 2015's much-publicised examination by GSK Human Performance Lab.

The GSK VO2 Max test in 2015 at a 70 kilo Froome = 84.4.

When his lowest-known race weight for that year was factored in (66 kilos at the Dauphine) this gave a remarkable score of 89.5.

In his current post-season condition Froome's VO2 Max was a miserable 72.1 and when calculated for his current ideal race-weight it converted to 75.0.

That 75.0 is the absolute maximum Chris Froome can reach after shedding weight and getting himself in peak condition for the 2023 season, which is absolutely miles off his former numbers.

Oh yeah, talking of Froome's "numbers" do you remember when he first signed for Israel and their PR spin was that they were as good as ever?

Total garbage and I can't believe Chris put this video out.
That number at his peak wouldn't shock me. Contador reportedly was around 88-90 as well, and Froome is a 7 time GT winner whose eras overlapped.
 
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What would account for such a precipitous drop in V02 max for such a highly trained athlete? In the literature, it seems broadly that after age 40 you can drop 10% per decade. Here we are talking about a 15% drop in a few years (well short of a decade) for someone in their 30's. Someone who has (according to the subject) been training and racing during most of this time.

Seems worth a few questions. For my part I'd have to attribute it to Froome lying about his numbers unless some very clear reason for such a drop was explained by an expert who is not in the Froome camp. Whether he's lying about his current numbers (seems less likely) or his previous numbers (seems quite likely) I don't know. Remember, according to Froome he's been training his face off for years now, and near his previous numbers (whatever that meant) this very season. So is the drop all in the second half of this year? Or is Froome peddling more BS...

I wonder...
 
What would account for such a precipitous drop in V02 max for such a highly trained athlete? In the literature, it seems broadly that after age 40 you can drop 10% per decade. Here we are talking about a 15% drop in a few years (well short of a decade) for someone in their 30's. Someone who has (according to the subject) been training and racing during most of this time.

Seems worth a few questions. For my part I'd have to attribute it to Froome lying about his numbers unless some very clear reason for such a drop was explained by an expert who is not in the Froome camp. Whether he's lying about his current numbers (seems less likely) or his previous numbers (seems quite likely) I don't know. Remember, according to Froome he's been training his face off for years now, and near his previous numbers (whatever that meant) this very season. So is the drop all in the second half of this year? Or is Froome peddling more BS...

I wonder...
But if he lied about his numbers previously, then how did he win Grand Tours? Breaking bones should not alter vomax capacity with training. So, indeed, mysterious.
 
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What would account for such a precipitous drop in V02 max for such a highly trained athlete? In the literature, it seems broadly that after age 40 you can drop 10% per decade. Here we are talking about a 15% drop in a few years (well short of a decade) for someone in their 30's. Someone who has (according to the subject) been training and racing during most of this time.

Seems worth a few questions. For my part I'd have to attribute it to Froome lying about his numbers unless some very clear reason for such a drop was explained by an expert who is not in the Froome camp. Whether he's lying about his current numbers (seems less likely) or his previous numbers (seems quite likely) I don't know. Remember, according to Froome he's been training his face off for years now, and near his previous numbers (whatever that meant) this very season. So is the drop all in the second half of this year? Or is Froome peddling more BS...

I wonder...
Surely this should be discussed in the Clinic? Can’t be openly discussed here. As for lying about his numbers, are you referring to before or after his crash?
 
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But if he lied about his numbers previously, then how did he win Grand Tours? Breaking bones should not alter vomax capacity with training. So, indeed, mysterious.
I don't think V02 max numbers are deterministic for winning, but that's a long and deep conversation we've seen here a fair bit. They certainly play an important part.

I don't know what the truth is for anything with Froome. I just know that based on his history of claims RE: his transformation, bilharzia, and much more, that I take nothing he says at face value. V02 max numbers strike me as something which were used to show how he won GT's and add legitimacy to his performances.

Having it drop like this (supposedly) is just another weird data point in a story that has never made any sense.
 
Surely this should be discussed in the Clinic? Can’t be openly discussed here. As for lying about his numbers, are you referring to before or after his crash?
Someone posts his claims about V02 max number here and I can't pose questions here and say I don't accept them without further explanation? Going to disagree with you on that. They're quite hard to accept. Do what you will with that information.
 
I don't think V02 max numbers are deterministic for winning, but that's a long and deep conversation we've seen here a fair bit. They certainly play an important part.

I don't know what the truth is for anything with Froome. I just know that based on his history of claims RE: his transformation, bilharzia, and much more, that I take nothing he says at face value. V02 max numbers strike me as something which were used to show how he won GT's and add legitimacy to his performances.

Having it drop like this (supposedly) is just another weird data point in a story that has never made any sense.
VO2max is not decisive, as you say, but it still means something. If you are at 75 you can't compete with someone at 92.