Teams & Riders Chris Froome Discussion Thread.

[Red Rick]

Contador still won and placed high in races after 2010, something Froome hasn’t come close to despite his salary to do so. Which was the point of @Red Rick and others’ posts. But he made that money off his previous accomplishments and deserves it. It’s not his fault Israel gave it to him.

To me it's weird that people are so defensive about Froome when nobody here is really attacking him for taking the bag of money

 

[FroomeWagon]

Got to figure this is the final year for Froome, regardless of contract. I suspect IPT will now just pay him his money to "go away." His ego must be off the charts to think he deserves a spot on the TDF squad.

 

[ice&fire]

60% chance no answer
40% chance block
100% chance equipment issues caused garmin to blow up and server failure deleted all strava data

Dog ate my strava files

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Dog ate my strava files

*Dawg*

 

[jmdirt]

I don't get the money excuse regarding 'why' he should keep on riding. I mean he's a 4x Tour de France winner. He has (or had) lots of avenues to make money after his retirement.

We're not talking about some footballer joining the MLS or Saudi league on a final big contract (basically showing off & scoring goals against quasi amateur level opponents), no, this is a guy who still wants to enter races versus the world's best riders... & he was invariably finishing beyond 50th in his races (I think he was top 30 in the TdF last year but still over 1 hour 25 minutes down in GC).

Are fans supposed to applaud the guy for making a fool out of himself just to fatten his bank balance a little? It seems... uniquely embarrassing for a champ, especially considering his now legendary excuses & stated ambitions which have to be some sort of troll because I refuse to believe the guy is this delusional (aka blaming "equipment problems" was a giant p*sstake of massive proportions).

I think that when he signed his contract he still believed that he could get back to top 5 GC level. Add that to getting $5 MIL = great deal for a guy in his mid-late 30s. That's hindsight though. Now its just 'fattening his bank account'.

 

[dominikk85]

I don't get the money excuse regarding 'why' he should keep on riding. I mean he's a 4x Tour de France winner. He has (or had) lots of avenues to make money after his retirement.

We're not talking about some footballer joining the MLS or Saudi league on a final big contract (basically showing off & scoring goals against quasi amateur level opponents), no, this is a guy who still wants to enter races versus the world's best riders... & he was invariably finishing beyond 50th in his races (I think he was top 30 in the TdF last year but still over 1 hour 25 minutes down in GC).

Are fans supposed to applaud the guy for making a fool out of himself just to fatten his bank balance a little? It seems... uniquely embarrassing for a champ, especially considering his now legendary excuses & stated ambitions which have to be some sort of troll because I refuse to believe the guy is this delusional (aka blaming "equipment problems" was a giant p*sstake of massive proportions).

Actually I think this is a sign that he doesn't do it for the money. He could have made money as a tv presenter or something like that, I think it's more that his ego can't let go. The crash 2019 essentially ended his career before he was ready mentally and he probably hoped to get one last great swansong to end it on his terms but it was just not happening but he was not able to accept that yet.

I don't think it is smart by him and he should let go on the other hand he has earned the right to ride as long as a pro team is willing to give him a contract.

In the end he isn't really hurting anyone, if you don't like he is riding just ignore him and focus on the rest of the field, one man more or less in the grupetto doesn't really make a difference.

 

[Tim Cahill]

What I really want to know is what Wiggo's wife thinks about all of this

 

[ZamlinusYoutubeious]

What I really want to know is what Wiggo's wife thinks about all of this

That was a drama filled July

 

[ZamlinusYoutubeious]

He has tarnished his legacy there’s no doubt about that. A name that was synonymous with GT perfection now echoes failure and excuses. And it is his fault… There‘s a reason people retire when the time comes and it’s exactly to keep their reputation intact. He chose not to do that. Whether it was money or sheer belief he could pull it off doesn’t even matter that much. I’d like to hope it was the latter though…

Anyway, his sympathisers often claim he has the right to make money and that it’s nobody’s business but his. Which is not true, to be honest. Us fans - ultimately we‘re the ones paying these guys and are allowed to have these opinions.

That being said, I really hope that when I think of Froome 20 years from now, I’ll be thinking about Col de la Finestre and not him getting dropped on the 2nd category climb in the middle of the stage. He was a great rider when in his prime.

To the bolded ..Come on, now..how much of the money we pay for gcn and the likes exactly goes to the riders? 😋😃

 

[samhocking]

Contador didn't stop winning after 2010, to the very end.

The point was a multiple GT winners salary is set for his GT achievements won historically. The future wins can only increase salary negotiations for the next contract renewal. Contador not winning the sports biggest race because Froome won instead wouldn't have dropped his salary until his next contract negotiation. Froome isn't at that point yet.

 

[Ricco']

The point was a multiple GT winners salary is set for his GT achievements won historically. The future wins can only increase salary negotiations for the next contract renewal. Contador not winning the sports biggest race because Froome won instead wouldn't have dropped his salary until his next contract negotiation. Froome isn't at that point yet.

Yes, but Froome's salary was already way overvalued after a career threatening injury when he was already showing signs of not being the dominant rider he was even before the crash.

2020 results should be enough to not warrant a multimillion multiyear contract like the one he got.

But for that, it takes two to tango, and Froome shoule be praised for achieving that contract. If anyone is to blame is the Israeli team negotiators.

 

[Rob5091]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1672167797026111489

The motor did n't work?

 

[Cookster15]

Got to figure this is the final year for Froome, regardless of contract. I suspect IPT will now just pay him his money to "go away." His ego must be off the charts to think he deserves a spot on the TDF squad.

I am only choosing your post as an example. This is another quote which absolves the team of any blame. The legal principle of caveat emptor applies. IPT must take responsibility for thinking Froome was worth it.

Nothing Froome claimed about what he could do after his crash and leaving Ineos absolves the team of responsibility for what has (or has not) ensued,

 

[Cookster15]

How much less did Contador earn when he stopped winning Le Tour from 2010 onwards?

Alberto Contador returned to racing after his ban in August 2012. Whilst he may not have won another Tour, upon his return from the ban Contador subsequently immediately won the 2012 Vuelta with an incredible stage 17 long range attack, then won the 2014 Vuelta and 2015 Giro.

Many think Contador might have won the 2014 Tour if he didn't crash out. Post ban he was still one of the best riders in the world and probably the most popular rider in the world outside of Britain.

You simply cannot compare post ban Contador with post crash Froome. One was worth the money, the other obviously not.

 

[bigcog]

What I really want to know is what Wiggo's wife thinks about all of this

Froome should already have a 5th TDF ?

 

[bigcog]

Unfortunately he is in denial. He can't accept what happened to him, and that he cannot anymore be the froome of 2011/2018.

Yep looks like it and I think it's partly because the accident could have been avoided if he had listened to Poels, who warned him before the crash happened to be careful and not take his hands off the bars due to the gusty winds but he ignored it.

 

[dominikk85]

Yep looks like it and I think it's partly because the accident could have been avoided if he had listened to Poels, who warned him before the crash happened to be careful and not take his hands off the bars due to the gusty winds but he ignored it.

He was always a rider who took big risks, some of the downhill stuff he did was insane.

 

[bNator]

To the bolded ..Come on, now..how much of the money we pay for gcn and the likes exactly goes to the riders? 😋😃

Ok then - who pays them? The teams? Why? Because fans buy the products their sponsors promote… I thought that much was clear…

Unless the teams are making loss with their assets (and in Froome’s case, that’s very much a possibility) it’s always fans who pay them.

 

[Tonton]

Alberto Contador returned to racing after his ban in August 2012. Whilst he may not have won another Tour, upon his return from the ban Contador subsequently immediately won the 2012 Vuelta with an incredible stage 17 long range attack, then won the 2014 Vuelta and 2015 Giro.

Many think Contador might have won the 2014 Tour if he didn't crash out. Post ban he was still one of the best riders in the world and probably the most popular rider in the world outside of Britain.

You simply cannot compare post ban Contador with post crash Froome. One was worth the money, the other obviously not.

Both have * stuck to their butt.

 

[StryderHells]

Ok then - who pays them? The teams? Why? Because fans buy the products their sponsors promote… I thought that much was clear…

Unless the teams are making loss with their assets (and in Froome’s case, that’s very much a possibility) it’s always fans who pay them.

In the case of Chris Froome, Sylvan Adams pays and not the fans.

 

[wirral]

I believe the message in Froome's tweets is carefully aimed at the specific audience du jour and goes through many edits. So, if you accept that, you will accept that you cannot draw a conclusion regarding how Froome thinks or feels from his tweets because the tweet is not a reflection of that but rather a tool to achieve a certain aim or present a certain image.

He has spent his cycling career as a far better than average lobbyist and knows how to craft a message to influence management.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

I don't get the money excuse regarding 'why' he should keep on riding. I mean he's a 4x Tour de France winner. He has (or had) lots of avenues to make money after his retirement.

We're not talking about some footballer joining the MLS or Saudi league on a final big contract (basically showing off & scoring goals against quasi amateur level opponents), no, this is a guy who still wants to enter races versus the world's best riders... & he was invariably finishing beyond 50th in his races (I think he was top 30 in the TdF last year but still over 1 hour 25 minutes down in GC).

Are fans supposed to applaud the guy for making a fool out of himself just to fatten his bank balance a little? It seems... uniquely embarrassing for a champ, especially considering his now legendary excuses & stated ambitions which have to be some sort of troll because I refuse to believe the guy is this delusional (aka blaming "equipment problems" was a giant p*sstake of massive proportions).

Froomey probably has the best contract of his life right now. Why not riding a few more years and gathering even more money before retirement? Come on, he's not Messi, he won't make big money away from the sport.

 

[Savant12]

I wonder how much longer he can be the face of the sponsored goods he's promoting to benefit nutrition and training without achieving any meaningful results.

 

[Rackham]

Froomey probably has the best contract of his life right now. Why not riding a few more years and gathering even more money before retirement? Come on, he's not Messi, he won't make big money away from the sport.

Different eras I suppose but I believe it's been well documented that Miguel Indurain refused a large contract offered by Manolo Saiz before calling it quits, i.e. because he knew he was past it, basically. He chose reputation > money.

I mean fair play to Christopher Froome for taking the big contract... but he should live with all the ensuing consequences to his sporting reputation. I don't make the rules, i.e. a former champ getting mauled out there is always bad look, especially when it goes on & on & on & on to the point of parody.

And this comes after the 'clinic' incident (which belongs in the other part of the forum) which didn't do his image any good whatsoever either. I suppose I might have answered my own question there (i.e. he took the money because his name was worth less than before) but he still looks like a royal chump spinning those little gears, elbows sticking out, getting dropped by the bunch... all whilst spouting stuff which is a weird mishmash of trolling & delusion (people can decide for themselves whether he's been genuine with his outlandish comments or not).

It is entertaining though, in a curious sort of way. But he's pretty much done now because there isn't a single other team with a ticket to the TdF 2024 which will offer him a position in the team. So now he can either bow out gracefully... or not!

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Different eras I suppose but I believe it's been well documented that Miguel Indurain refused a large contract offered by Manolo Saiz before calling it quits, i.e. because he knew he was past it, basically. He chose reputation > money.

I mean fair play to Christopher Froome for taking the big contract... but he should live with all the ensuing consequences to his sporting reputation. I don't make the rules, i.e. a former champ getting mauled out there is always bad look, especially when it goes on & on & on & on to the point of parody.

And this comes after the 'clinic' incident (which belongs in the other part of the forum) which didn't do his image any good whatsoever either. I suppose I might have answered my own question there (i.e. he took the money because his name was worth less than before) but he still looks like a royal chump spinning those little gears, elbows sticking out, getting dropped by the bunch... all whilst spouting stuff which is a weird mishmash of trolling & delusion (people can decide for themselves whether he's been genuine with his outlandish comments or not).

It is entertaining though, in a curious sort of way. But he's pretty much done now because there isn't a single other team with a ticket to the TdF 2024 which will offer him a position in the team. So now he can either bow out gracefully... or not!

For Chris maybe money is more important than his reputation of a winning champion. But it's his choice, money is a big argument after all. At least he's entertaining!