Froome Awesomeness Poll

[myrideissteelerthanyours]

No, the issues are interelated. Froome can play it conservative all he wants, but his season will have an asterisk on it if he wins the Tour, and will be a total disaster if he looses it to the Spaniard.

AC hasnt won the tour in so long hes barely still relevant to this conversation. After this year he will not be at all and then trendies will have to adopt Quintana or Nibs

 

[Jspear]

AC hasnt won the tour in so long hes barely still relevant to this conversation. After this year he will not be at all and then trendies will have to adopt Quintana or Nibs

I'm gonna save this quote so I can have a good laugh when your proven wrong. AC is relevant because he has won two GT's (3 on the road) since his last Tour victory. Do you remember which rider was the last to win a gt?

About Froome I think he'll be back to his 2013 form. It won't matter though Quintana will be even better next year (imo) and AC will still kick his ****.

 

[rhubroma]

An asterisk because he concentrated his season in the Tour?

Yes, that's correct for the discerning, when the great one is attempting the double but not you. And after last season I have come to admire Froome's strenght.

Enough is enough though, with GT specialists in a live or die scenario with the Tour. Froome, if he is truly what he has demonstrated over the last two years, should be able to make a fair bid against Contador in both events. He's in peak years, and he might never have a another chance like this o show the Spaniard who is stronger. The Tour wouldn't suffer one bit, and the sport as a whole would benefit. Nibali and Quintana would make the challenge even better.

 

[rhubroma]

AC hasnt won the tour in so long hes barely still relevant to this conversation. After this year he will not be at all and then trendies will have to adopt Quintana or Nibs

Contador will be the first to admit that the Tour has always been troubling. Even when he domintated it, the worst enemies were in his own camp. Then he was never able to find peace with this race, right down to last year on the cobbles and then the disaster.

This may be his biggest obstacle, not Froome or anyone else, for the double.

 

[damian13ster]

Contador will be the first to admit that the Tour has always been troubling. Even when he domintated it, the worst enemies were in his own camp. Then he was never able to find peace with this race, right down to last year on the cobbles and then the disaster.

This may be his biggest obstacle, not Froome or anyone else, for the double.

Ehh, Froome is attempting the double. There is another GT after Tour raced in a country called Spain, if you dont remember.
Since when does another rider decides anyone's schedule?

And if you want to put asterisks maybe do it to a winner who raced against worst competition (whoever wins Giro), not the one who takes on all the best?

 

[cineteq]

And if you want to put asterisks maybe do it to a winner who raced against worst competition (whoever wins Giro), not the one who takes on all the best?

+1 I was going to post the same thing. You beat me!

 

[LaFlorecita]

Ehh, Froome is attempting the double. There is another GT after Tour raced in a country called Spain, if you dont remember.
Since when does another rider decides anyone's schedule?

And if you want to put asterisks maybe do it to a winner who raced against worst competition (whoever wins Giro), not the one who takes on all the best?

Contador asked everyone to join him. They were too cowardly to accept the invitation! Alberto will take on the best, WITH a handicap, and he'll beat them all!

 

[ray j willings]

Froome did not want to ride the tour when he saw the amount of climbing and not much in the way of TT.

He/Sky had a change of mind when they realised Bertie was going to ride the Giro in the hope they will be up against a tired Bertie .
They won't beat Bertie if he's at 90%.

I also doubt Froome will get the same chances to crawl his way back like he did in the vuelta with Quintana riding. He won't be playing any games and Valverde as well. They will put him to the sword. That mistake will not happen again. Froome always has a bad day or 2 in the mountains even in his tour win he got dropped. Having a strong team will mean nothing once they head up. If Sky want to do all the work then Bertie and the rest will let them. That tactic only works against weaker climbers. It never worked last year and it won't work this year.

 

[Taxus4a]

2014 was a sketchy year for Froomedawg. How about 2015?

You can have bad luck or bad situations any year, but anyway he show he is the strongest in 2014, and he will do again in 2015 and with more victories.

Tour will be difficult, becouse the route, bue he is the number one favourite in my opinion. He should put time on Quintana on the Cobbles.

 

[LaFlorecita]

You can have bad luck or bad situations any year, but anyway he show he is the strongest in 2014, and he will do again in 2015 and with more victories.

Tour will be difficult, becouse the route, bue he is the number one favourite in my opinion. He should put time on Quintana on the Cobbles.

In what universe?

 

[burning]

In what universe?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKync3oyhm4

 

[LaFlorecita]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKync3oyhm4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czmwCJpRRtw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0-Yu0IK5rI

 

[staubsauger]

There won't be any stronger climbers unless maybe Quintana. Contador will be past peak after the Giro and shouldn't be too hard to handle. That was it all. At least hypothetical.

The question is whether Froome will struggle in the first week. Actually he never has any real bad day if he peaks for a grand tour. He's very wise at pacing himself to avoid losing big time. Especially Valverde missed that ability in many grand tours he lost.

Rolland will cause trouble anyway. And Froome isn't a typical Sky rider anyway. He always attacks. If he has the legs to prove a point and if he hasn't just on principle.

The Vuelta could be easier to win for Froome. Arrive in good-shape at the first week, peak to distance his main-rivals in Andorra, pacing himself to avoid losing minutes afterwards, take back some lost seconds at the time trial, use the team to control the descend stages.

 

[cineteq]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKync3oyhm4

"200m to go...it's mano a mano...it's gonna be like this on the Tour de France.."
Kirby just jinxed them right there!

http://youtu.be/pKync3oyhm4?t=12m43s

 

[BigMac]

The question is not, should Froome do the Giro?

Nor, will he be able to beat Contador?

But, can he, or anyone for that matter, contest against Machado upon his mighty return?

 

[cineteq]

But, can he, or anyone for that matter, contest against Machado upon his mighty return?

Nice!

"If Machado chases the break it's over!" -iZnoGouD

 

[BigMac]

Nice!

"If Machado chases the break it's over!" -iZnoGouD

Such precious gem.

 

[Pricey_sky]

The Tour will have the strongest competition with the big 4 lining up, so as has been mentioned before if there is an argument then it must be on the Giro where competition is worst.

Contador has marked out his plans of Giro-tour so if he is tired by week 3 of the Tour then he only has himself to blame. Froome and co want to focus on the Tour and that's their call.

For what it's worth I think the Tour will be very close, Froome at his peak can take plenty of time in the mountains but Quintana and Nibali have shown they can match the best too. Regards to Contador it comes down to how hard he is pushed in the Giro. The final week of the Tour seems quite tough so that's where it will all be decided.

 

[cineteq]

The Tour will have the strongest competition with the big 4 lining up, so as has been mentioned before if there is an argument then it must be on the Giro where competition is worst.

Contador has marked out his plans of Giro-tour so if he is tired by week 3 of the Tour then he only has himself to blame. Froome and co want to focus on the Tour and that's their call.

For what it's worth I think the Tour will be very close, Froome at his peak can take plenty of time in the mountains but Quintana and Nibali have shown they can match the best too. Regards to Contador it comes down to how hard he is pushed in the Giro. The final week of the Tour seems quite tough so that's where it will all be decided.

+1 Great post!

 

[LaFlorecita]

The Tour will have the strongest competition with the big 4 lining up, so as has been mentioned before if there is an argument then it must be on the Giro where competition is worst.

Contador has marked out his plans of Giro-tour so if he is tired by week 3 of the Tour then he only has himself to blame. Froome and co want to focus on the Tour and that's their call.

For what it's worth I think the Tour will be very close, Froome at his peak can take plenty of time in the mountains but Quintana and Nibali have shown they can match the best too. Regards to Contador it comes down to how hard he is pushed in the Giro. The final week of the Tour seems quite tough so that's where it will all be decided.

Agreed, of course if Alberto does not win the Tour because he's tired, it's his own fault. However, people will always wonder "what if...." so in that regard, the winner would always have an asterisk next to their name unless the winner is Alberto

 

[rhubroma]

The Tour will have the strongest competition with the big 4 lining up, so as has been mentioned before if there is an argument then it must be on the Giro where competition is worst.

Contador has marked out his plans of Giro-tour so if he is tired by week 3 of the Tour then he only has himself to blame. Froome and co want to focus on the Tour and that's their call.

For what it's worth I think the Tour will be very close, Froome at his peak can take plenty of time in the mountains but Quintana and Nibali have shown they can match the best too. Regards to Contador it comes down to how hard he is pushed in the Giro. The final week of the Tour seems quite tough so that's where it will all be decided.

We know that's their call. That's not what is being placed up for critical discussion here. Any rider can decide what to personally take on, or not to take on. And anyone can decide, given the current rivalries and a certain blandness that comes with focusing exclusively on Tour, what is to be applauded more and what is to be viewed with less admiration in modern cycling.

Once attempting the double was normal for a great rider of a certain caliber, now it has become too risky, is said to be no longer possible. However, these opinions (however scientifically informed), have made the sport less fascinating and more bland. It's nice to know someone is willing to abandon the script, despite the risk and impossibility. But if he succeeds?

 

[Berzin]

Contador has marked out his plans of Giro-tour so if he is tired by week 3 of the Tour then he only has himself to blame.

I thought Bjarne Riis was smarter than this. For the life of me have no idea why he's having Contador attempt both grand tours in the same year.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I thought Bjarne Riis was smarter than this. For the life of me have no idea why he's having Contador attempt both grand tours in the same year.

Perhaps because both Contador and Tinkov insist. I doubt Riis had much to say about it if anything at all. Not to mention that they genuinely believe he can do it.

 

[cineteq]

I thought Bjarne Riis was smarter than this. For the life of me have no idea why he's having Contador attempt both grand tours in the same year.

Most of us wonder what's the real reason behind this decision. I still maintain he will DNS or DNF to compensate for the mistake.

It's nice to know someone is willing to abandon the script, despite the risk and impossibility. But if he succeeds?

If he succeeded, he will have proved us all wrong but you. Highly unlikely though. Btw, that was a very romantic post.

Agreed, of course if Alberto does not win the Tour because he's tired, it's his own fault. However, people will always wonder "what if...." so in that regard, the winner would always have an asterisk next to their name unless the winner is Alberto

That asterisk thing is ridiculous. But if one of them if to be given an asterisk, it'll have to be Contador. He's the one choosing to do a GT against 2nd tier contenders before the Tour while most high-profile GT riders concentrate in the biggest race on earth.

 

[NairoQ]

Agreed, of course if Alberto does not win the Tour because he's tired, it's his own fault. However, people will always wonder "what if...." so in that regard, the winner would always have an asterisk next to their name unless the winner is Alberto

The way you put it, he has nothing to lose. Arranging things in a way you have nothing to lose could be a sign of fear to lose something...