Teams & Riders Froome Talk Only

[sniper]

smell the coffee:

The French race's new wonder, Chris Froome begs comparison with Armstrong, but he rides to a different beat.

Ever the gentleman, he responded to Armstrong's eventual doping confessions on Oprah with the seemingly weary detachment of having to answer the same question repeatedly: "I think the past couple of years have been clean years. If you look at the peloton, the doping era is definitely something of the past."

http://mg.co.za/article/2013-02-15-00-chris-froome-aims-to-sweep-clean-at-tour

 

[Ferminal]

Glad he thinks a clean rider got the better of him in 2011.

 

[The Hitch]

smell the coffee:





http://mg.co.za/article/2013-02-15-00-chris-froome-aims-to-sweep-clean-at-tour

He says he's clean? Wow that really is totally different to.Armstrong.

 

[sniper]

Does the question mark refer to unknown advantages of an assumed UCI free card, or the unknown status of the existence of the UCI free card?

the question mark was a kind gesture to those who haven't smelled the coffee yet.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/christophe-bassons-where-the-war-on-drugs-is-going-wrong

Bassons: I am optimistic but the current situation isn’t good. In the peloton, it’s still going pretty quickly [smiles knowingly]. You don’t need muscles to go fast, apparently. That’s what we saw this year. And then there’s the way they’re recovering.

Be aware that Retul is not some magical fit system. It is merely a tool, and a very good tool, to accurately measure body position. The fitter is still relied on to find the best position on the bike. For that said rider. Retul does not make a bad fitter into a good fitter. Now Chris looks pretty bad on his bike, however, that may be where he feels most comfortable. I dunno, haven't worked with him.

I do know something about fitting. I have been fitting riders in my store for years and am both FIST and Retul certified.

More effective than windtunnel testing?

 

[hrotha]

Yep, pretty obvious who Bassons was thinking of with that and the AICAR thing.

 

[spalco]

Or maybe Sky did. It's going to be great watching him out do Wiggins 2012 and maintain top form through February to July. Va va Vroome....

So, only competing in one race per year makes a rider more believable? Is that really an argument you want to make?

If Froome's doping, he sure as **** isn't doping to win the Tour of Oman, at best that's a side-effect.

 

[BroDeal]

So, only competing in one race per year makes a rider more believable? Is that really an argument you want to make?

If Froome's doping, he sure as **** isn't doping to win the Tour of Oman, at best that's a side-effect.

With the biopassport it is important to keep blood values stable throughout the season.

 

[Parrot23]

I think Alberto is not calibrating it right, but that all right because he's Bertie.

 

[WinterRider]

With the biopassport it is important to keep blood values stable throughout the season.

Ahhh, so sky spent a couple years banking blood (when wiggins was crashed and Froome had Bilharzia), and then last year they were blood doping the entire year? That explains Wiggins run of form, but not what happenned to Froome at the Vuelta. Maybe the spaniards knew they could kick it up a notch for their home race.

 

[BroDeal]

Ahhh, so sky spent a couple years banking blood (when wiggins was crashed and Froome had Bilharzia), and then last year they were blood doping the entire year? That explains Wiggins run of form, but not what happenned to Froome at the Vuelta. Maybe the spaniards knew they could kick it up a notch for their home race.

You never know when Froome's bloodopearzia will come or go. A few weeks ago it had returned and he was in need of six months of treatment. Yesterday he was cured. Tomorrow, who knows.

 

[frenchfry]

So, only competing in one race per year makes a rider more believable? Is that really an argument you want to make?

If Froome's doping, he sure as **** isn't doping to win the Tour of Oman, at best that's a side-effect.

When you are benefitting from marginal gains, you can win every race . As long as you remember to warm down after each race, preferably in front of a TV camera.

 

[DirtyWorks]

With the biopassport it is important to keep blood values stable throughout the season.

What we've learned this week means stable values don't matter that much. For example, the Wonderboy/Ashenden skirmish illustrates that the UCI just didn't test samples that were clearly positive. Even when Wonderboy had results consistent with the results (too normal) that caught Pellozotti(sp?), there was no case opened. The bio-passport system, as it is used, is eqivalent to no testing for some.

Consistent values would matter to a rider not viewed as essential to the UCI's mission to "grow cycling." There are many of those riders.

My gut feeling right now is Froome is the opportunity to grow cycling in parts of Africa like Sky in the UK and Wonderboy in the U.S. So, he might end up in a test pool, but probably tested for things he's not taking.

It's been a huge news week against the UCI. I just don't think it's reached mainstream media yet. The story is hard to follow and arcane.

 

[DirtyWorks]

If Froome's doping, he sure as **** isn't doping to win the Tour of Oman, at best that's a side-effect.

IHMO, it's a test for his bigger goals. Timing getting on and off a doping and perhaps even a training cycle so that he's racing at the sharp end of the field is not simple.

 

[Escarabajo]

Ahhh, so sky spent a couple years banking blood (when wiggins was crashed and Froome had Bilharzia), and then last year they were blood doping the entire year? That explains Wiggins run of form, but not what happenned to Froome at the Vuelta. Maybe the spaniards knew they could kick it up a notch for their home race.

So you think they are clean because they are winning in February?

 

[Catwhoorg]

And of course a bio passport that is very stable is also indicative of blood doping. There should be some variation as the season progresses.

 

[Cycle Chic]

South Africa

I,m not following Oman but just saw Daryl Impey placed 4th. Immediately thought 'thats 2 south africans in the top 4'.....what ??

I then checked Impey's site and he was in South Africa from October 30th....wonder if he's about to start getting some unexpected results.


http://www.darylimpey.com/DisplayLink.aspx?group=Personal&name=Biography

 

[hfer07]

IHMO, it's a test for his bigger goals. Timing getting on and off a doping and perhaps even a training cycle so that he's racing at the sharp end of the field is not simple.

the simplest approach to this is that Froome is part of the best " D programme" & he's responded to it incredibly well- no matter how some people want to portrait it or sugar coat it-bigger or smaller amounts of dope are at the end DOPING.
Bottom line here is that his progress is such to the point that he's ready to dethrone Contador & take over the GT titles from now on....

 

[martinvickers]

IHMO, it's a test for his bigger goals. Timing getting on and off a doping and perhaps even a training cycle so that he's racing at the sharp end of the field is not simple.

Erm. are two vueltas and a tour all at the sharp end not test enough? What does he need to test - i thought the idea was he's already been doing this successfully for the last two years?

 

[martinvickers]

the simplest approach to this is that Froome is part of the best " D programme" & he's responded to it incredibly well- no matter how some people want to portrait it or sugar coat it-bigger or smaller amounts of dope are at the end DOPING.
Bottom line here is that his progress is such to the point that he's ready to dethrone Contador & take over the GT titles from now on....

I really wouldn't be so quick to assume that. Leave aside doping completely for a minute, and it's still pretty clear Sky and Saxo have a very different philosophy on racing fitness for the tour (race to win v race to train). I'd be stunned if Contador is not significantly stronger come july. THe question is, is this froome already at 95%

 

[The Hitch]

I really wouldn't be so quick to assume that. Leave aside doping completely for a minute, and it's still pretty clear Sky and Saxo have a very different philosophy on racing fitness for the tour (race to win v race to train). I'd be stunned if Contador is not significantly stronger come july. THe question is, is this froome already at 95%

Wiggins said this morning that froome is nowhere near form yet.

 

[the sceptic]

Its a miracle that Chris Pilkington can be this good when he has a disease that affects his blood. You have to feel sorry for him that his career is almost getting ruined by this. If he was healthy im sure he would win every race he entered all year round.

 

[Ferminal]

I,m not following Oman but just saw Daryl Impey placed 4th. Immediately thought 'thats 2 south africans in the top 4'.....what ??

I then checked Impey's site and he was in South Africa from October 30th....wonder if he's about to start getting some unexpected results.


http://www.darylimpey.com/DisplayLink.aspx?group=Personal&name=Biography

Isn't there an EPO epidemic or something in the local scene?

 

[gregod]

Ahhh, so sky spent a couple years banking blood (when wiggins was crashed and Froome had Bilharzia), and then last year they were blood doping the entire year? That explains Wiggins run of form, but not what happenned to Froome at the Vuelta. Maybe the spaniards knew they could kick it up a notch for their home race.

the problem with this is red blood cells can only be stored for forty two days and plasma up to a year.

 

[martinvickers]

Wiggins said this morning that froome is nowhere near form yet.

And we believe everything Wiggins says in here, right