Froome is Sky's best chance to win Le Tour

[Froome19]

Interview with Sean Yates:

here a temptation to try and get two guys on the podium or is that just being greedy? “Well, if that happens, it happens but our goal from the start – and I think everyone is aware of it – is to win the Tour. And that’s last damn time I’m saying that. I’m only joking... I know that questions have got to be asked, we’ve got three weeks on this race.

“Our record speaks for itself really," said Yates about Sky's efforts in 2012. "Okay all we’ve done today was before the Tour and guys like Cadel are going better now than earlier in the year but we are going better too! There are some saying that Bradley has peaked too soon and this and that and blah, blah, blah... but as he keeps on saying, his goal all along has been to win the Tour de France, along with the rest of the team.

“If we happen to end the Tour with five guys in the top 10, then we’ll have five in the top 10 and be pleased about that. But if we only have one in the top 10, so be it. It all depends on how the race pans out. ‘Froomey’ was always a reserve GC rider and if he hadn’t lost a bit of time already, he’d be on equal terms with Bradley at the moment. If, for whatever reason, Bradley lost his position – in a crash or if he had a bad day, whatever – Froomey has got to make up one and a half minutes and there isn’t a lot of time to do that.”

Disappointing about Froome but I wonder whether he was just taking advantage of the puncture or whether he really meant it?

 

[FignonLeGrand]

I hope Froome kicks Wiggans' **** in the time trial, just so I can see the turmoil in Sky.

yes but thats not going to happen.

 

[webvan]

Who knows? Who could have thought Froome would beat Wiggo in the Vuelta ITT. Thing is Froome wasn't able to bridge to Cadel in the last Km today, Wiggo had to step in, not a good sign for him for tomorrow. Hopefully he'll be alllowed to go full gas tomorrow (in 2004 Landis was told off after going too hard in the Alpe d'Huez ITT...) but that was Bruyneel!

 

[The Hitch]

Interesting to hear Tony Gibb on Eurosport say that he thinks Froome will want to leave Sky at the end of the season as he thinks he will want to ride for himself next year.

He should be able to ride for hisself next year. The only reason Wiggins stands any chance in hell of winning a tour de france is because of the course this year. Next year is going to have some actual mtfs and probably a lot of them.

Id love it if Wiggins was deluded enough to go into such a tour thinking he could win. I think its likely Wiggins will go in as joint leader and defending champion and either try for a top 5 or work for froome after getting dropped on a early mtf.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

He should be able to ride for hisself next year. The only reason Wiggins stands any chance in hell of winning a tour de france is because of the course this year. Next year is going to have some actual mtfs and probably a lot of them.

Id love it if Wiggins was deluded enough to go into such a tour thinking he could win. I think its likely Wiggins will go in as joint leader and defending champion and either try for a top 5 or work for froome after getting dropped on a early mtf.

Should probably wait for the rest of this tour before we worry about who looks best for the next one.

 

[Froome19]

He should be able to ride for hisself next year. The only reason Wiggins stands any chance in hell of winning a tour de france is because of the course this year. Next year is going to have some actual mtfs and probably a lot of them.

Id love it if Wiggins was deluded enough to go into such a tour thinking he could win. I think its likely Wiggins will go in as joint leader and defending champion and either try for a top 5 or work for froome after getting dropped on a early mtf.

Well so far I find it hard to find a rider who seems to be climbing better than Wiggins other than possibly Evans or Froome and next year Evans may be too old to contest seriously.

Contador and Andy will be back but we never know what can happen and though people may say things about Samu and Menchov they are both getting old and I am still waiting for them to produce enough to show they can climb like Wiggins and win the Tour.

We will see by the end of Stage 11 whether Wiggins is the best climber of this group but if he is then why wouldnt think he could go into a Tour thinking he could win, especially as he is improving constantly and he is stronger in the TT than all the other competitors

 

[Magnus]

He should be able to ride for hisself next year. The only reason Wiggins stands any chance in hell of winning a tour de france is because of the course this year. Next year is going to have some actual mtfs and probably a lot of them.

Seeing how Wiggins handled La Plances des Belles Filles I think stating that the route is the only reason Wiggins stands a chance in hell of winning the tour is ridiculous. A short irregular climb with very steep ramps is probably the worst type of climb for Wiggins.

The reason that Wiggins is the favourite for the tour this year is that the best climbers in the world is not there AND he's one of the three best tt'ers in the world, is among the strongest in the climbs and has the best team.

 

[will10]

Seeing how Wiggins handled La Plances des Belles Filles I think stating that the route is the only reason Wiggins stands a chance in hell of winning the tour is ridiculous. A short irregular climb with very steep ramps is probably the worst type of climb for Wiggins.

The reason that Wiggins is the favourite for the tour this year is that the best climbers in the world is not there AND he's one of the three best tt'ers in the world, is among the strongest in the climbs and has the best team.

We still haven't seen how Wiggo handles multi-col stages since 2009.

 

[Froome19]

We still haven't seen how Wiggo handles multi-col stages since 2009.

That is a very frail last leg to stand on

 

[roundabout]

But it's not wrong.

 

[Magnus]

We still haven't seen how Wiggo handles multi-col stages since 2009.

I guess you missed the 2012 version of Dauphine.

 

[Froome19]

But it's not wrong.

Wiggins has negotiated every obstacle without much difficult in my opinion he will be able to negotiate these stage likewise.

 

[roundabout]

Wiggins has negotiated every obstacle without much difficult in my opinion he will be able to negotiate these stage likewise.

Quite possibly. Still, it's one of the last few remaining elements of slight uncertainty.

 

[BillytheKid]

Make the route more climb heavy (plus two to three mountain-top finishes and Wiggins would be defeatable) The adverse is always possible, but he may just "hit the ball out of the park" tomorrow.

A very strong team. Cadel riding alone in the mountains will have a hard time. Tejay is not really the climber that the team needs.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I guess you missed the 2012 version of Dauphine.

I must have missed the multi-col stages in that? As far as I recall the only stage with anything remotely decisive was Joux-Plane?

 

[Magnus]

I must have missed the multi-col stages in that? As far as I recall the only stage with anything remotely decisive was Joux-Plane?

I would say the Joux-Plane stage was a multi-col stage.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

OK, it's harder than I remember, but still all about the one climb at the end. And it was the only even half-decent stage in that race.

The ASO have killed the Dauphiné. Not some accidental mistake in design but a conscious and deliberate killing of it. It's no longer an independent race which is useful in preparing for the TDF, it's a TDF visua with UCI points.

 

[Magnus]

OK, it's harder than I remember, but still all about the one climb at the end. And it was the only even half-decent stage in that race.

Yes it is about the one climb in the end. But it is also a multi col stage. There's like 15 km flat in the last 105 km of the stage (which I'm sure you think the ASO placed in the worst place it could and that if you had designed the route it would have insured a much better race).

 

[roundabout]

Yes it is about the one climb in the end. But it is also a multi col stage. There's like 15 km flat in the last 105 km of the stage (which I'm sure you think the ASO placed in the worst place it could and that if you had designed the route it would have insured a much better race).

Your ability to pick up on one thing and run with it while ignoring the wider context is quickly becoming legendary.

But if you think that a question about Wiggins on multiple climb stages has been answered because the profile showed 3 big climbs, be my guest.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yes it is about the one climb in the end. But it is also a multi col stage. There's like 15 km flat in the last 105 km of the stage (which I'm sure you think the ASO placed in the worst place it could and that if you had designed the route it would have insured a much better race).

Nah, that stage is fine... as one of two or three real mountain stages to counterbalance the 60km of ITT in the race. You know, like back in those halcyon days of 2009, when the Dauphiné had a good route.

Unfortunately, it was its siblings that went missing.

 

[Magnus]

Your ability to pick up on one thing and run with it while ignoring the wider context is quickly becoming legendary.

But if you think that a question about Wiggins on multiple climb stages has been answered because the profile showed 3 big climbs, be my guest.

I'm not saying anything about how Wiggins and Sky will fare in the multi-col stages of this tour I'm just pointing to recent empirical circumstances.

As to my posting-style I think it's been pretty much the same ever since I signed up so if it's becoming legendary it's hardly quickly.

 

[Magnus]

Nah, that stage is fine... as one of two or three real mountain stages to counterbalance the 60km of ITT in the race. You know, like back in those halcyon days of 2009, when the Dauphiné had a good route.

Unfortunately, it was its siblings that went missing.

Fair enough

But still, if it's hypothetical siblings had been raced like stage 6 it wouldn't have altered the end result much.

 

[Parrulo]

last time wiggins rode properly designed and raced multi climb stage on form and with something on the line is still stage 17 of the 09 tour. and this was the result of that stage:

July 22, 2009: Tour de France: Bourg Saint Maurice - Le Grand Bornand (169.5 km):
1 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 04:53:54
2 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana
3 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank
4 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas 0:02:18
5 Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana
6 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana 0:02:27
7 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream 0:03:07
8 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Agritubel 0:04:09
9 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Slipstream
10 Rémi Pauriol (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne 0:06:10

we should also take into account that nibali was on a very bad day and had been dropped from the favorites group before the schlecks started to attack but slowly bridged across to wiggins and then managed to drop him on the next climb of the day together with armstrong.

 

[Froome19]

last time wiggins rode properly designed and raced multi climb stage on form and with something on the line is still stage 17 of the 09 tour. and this was the result of that stage:

July 22, 2009: Tour de France: Bourg Saint Maurice - Le Grand Bornand (169.5 km):
1 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 04:53:54
2 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana
3 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank
4 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas 0:02:18
5 Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana
6 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana 0:02:27
7 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream 0:03:07
8 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Agritubel 0:04:09
9 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Slipstream
10 Rémi Pauriol (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne 0:06:10

we should also take into account that nibali was on a very bad day and had been dropped from the favorites group before the schlecks started to attack but slowly bridged across to wiggins and then managed to drop him on the next climb of the day together with armstrong.

For Wiggins this result is irrelevant as he has become a totally different rider over the course of the past 3 years.

 

[Parrulo]

For Wiggins this result is irrelevant as he has become a totally different rider over the course of the past 3 years.

not is isn't, that's the only actual data we have for him on multi climb stages so ignoring it just because it was 3 years ago is stupid. he may be a better rider now but so are nibali and VDB who imo can drop him on multiple climb mountains, and so can evans.

Besides the fact that that is the only multiple mountain stage he has had to go full gas from far out in the last 3 years should also count as something as experience is needed in order to deal with those which is something nibali has from the giro and evans as well.