Teams & Riders Froome Talk Only

[the sceptic]

He's saying that there're 20 pages predicting a record ascent of Ad'H by Froome, and it didn't happen.

It was pretty clear to me.

I for one am shocked that the skybots would jump at this trolling opportunity and completely disregard the fact that Froome bonked and still went faster than any clean rider before him

 

[Wallace and Gromit]

You did just watch the stage, right?

Why would I bother to watch the stage? An alien, 38 minute ascent had been predicted by the eminent Clinicians, so it was bound to happen.

I just made the 41 minutes up, as I posted on one of the threads here some months ago that the leading contenders would do the final ascent in 41-42 minutes. Imagine my surprise when I found out that he did actually do the ascent in 41 minutes!

 

[Ferminal]

I'm saying that Froome climbed the Alpe in 41 minutes and the people who were predicting a 38 minute ascent or something else from the Lance/EPO era were talking b*llocks.

Good for them.

 

[Alphabet]

Imagine if the penalty had been, say, 10 minutes (so he would start the next stage 5 minutes down on Contador and Quintana) and not 20 seconds. He would have had to have gone fuller-than-full ***. I'm disappointed we don't get to see that.

 

[Chaddy]

Today's Alpe d'Huez stage was an interesting point that obviously Froome has no problem cheating to prevent himself from losing. This already shows this man has shaky integrity. And we are supposed to believe that he's clean?

Yes, because theres a massive difference in doing something that means a penalty of just a few seconds and one that means a 2 year ban and losing his job.

 

[hrotha]

Yes, because theres a massive difference in doing something that means a penalty of just a few seconds and one that means a 2 year ban and losing his job.

In the 90s 95% of riders doped, but you didn't see 95% of them breaking other rules.

 

[Bakhjulet]

The "normal" Froome would have beaten quintana by what, 1 minute or so?

Not so sure about that. Maybe his more normal ITT yesterday was an indication that he is tiring a bit.

 

[Wallace and Gromit]

The "normal" Froome would have beaten quintana by what, 1 minute or so?

And as the saying goes, if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle.

 

[hrotha]

Not so sure about that. Maybe his more normal ITT yesterday was an indication that he is tiring a bit.

I think a conservative estimate would have him with Quintana and Purito. Maybe Porte too.

 

[Wallace and Gromit]

Good for them.

It's fine by me, but the fact of such inaccurate predictions does not deserve to pass by un-mentioned.

 

[kingjr]

The "normal" Froome would have beaten quintana by what, 1 minute or so?

Why? Today was the first time this Tour that Quintana didn't go too early. On Ventoux he went 5km before Froome and lost only half a minute.

 

[Ferminal]

It's fine by me, but the fact of such inaccurate predictions does not deserve to pass by un-mentioned.

If someone was predicting beating the 2006 time they were already ridiculous predictions ex ante, highlighting them is only stooping to their levels.

 

[Bakhjulet]

I think a conservative estimate would have him with Quintana and Purito. Maybe Porte too.

Agree with that. Porte was very strong today. Free hands and I'm sure he would have been there in the end with Quintana and Purito.

 

[Jahudor]

It's fine by me, but the fact of such inaccurate predictions does not deserve to pass by un-mentioned.

So there are a few bad predictions by a few posters - so what? What does this prove or illustrate? The performance of today is of no consequence for the discussion whether Froome is doping or not, in my opinion at least.

 

[Lanark]

Froome just doesn't look that great anymore. Still very good, but he won't go supersonic like on Ax. A shame, I would have loved to a see a 100% effort of him on the Alpe. We'll probably have to wait a couple of years for that now, if he's even allowed to ride at that point.

 

[kingjr]

The performance of today is of no consequence for the discussion whether Froome is doping or not, in my opinion at least.

But maybe for the quality of the discussion.

 

[Wallace and Gromit]

...highlighting them is only stooping to their levels.

True. But I'm not worried about occupying the moral high ground. I am just interested in highlighting the amount of b*llocks that was posted in respect of predictions re Froome.

 

[Ferminal]

So there are a few bad predictions by a few posters - so what? What does this prove or illustrate? The performance of today is of no consequence for the discussion whether Froome is doping or not, in my opinion at least.

It'd still be good to give it some context rather than "you were wrong!".

Fourth fastest since 2008 behind Sastre and the other two today, so still by recent standards a reasonable performance. Makes me inclined to think that he just wasn't on today, if he really did run out of energy you'd think things would have been a lot worse.

Plus it's really Porte who is more interesting as that is the best full length climb he has ever done.

 

[Jahudor]

Froome just doesn't look that great anymore. Still very good, but he won't go supersonic like on Ax. A shame, I would have loved to a see a 100% effort of him on the Alpe. We'll probably have to wait a couple of years for that now, if he's even allowed to ride at that point.

Regardless of the shape he is in right now or whether he is stopping himself from showing his true potential, for me the real question is how he was able to make that sudden leap of performance. He was tranformed form a very mediocre rider to the best climber of the world (at the moment). I don't know any comparable case, in any sport. And I don't buy the bilharzia story.

 

[Wallace and Gromit]

So there are a few bad predictions by a few posters - so what? What does this prove or illustrate?

The predictions were out by 3 minutes, or nearly 8%. This proves that the posters making the predictions are either clueless, wind-up-merchants or so lost in their dislike of Froome that they've lost all objectivity.

The performance of today is of no consequence for the discussion whether Froome is doping or not, in my opinion at least.

That must make life easier. Why bother with objective data when you've already made your mind up?

 

[User Guide]

Getting into a pi**ing contest micro analizing each days performance either way is kind of pointless.The only question is weather his transformation is believable or not.

 

[the sceptic]

The predictions were out by 3 minutes, or nearly 8%. This proves that the posters making the predictions are either clueless, wind-up-merchants or so lost in their dislike of Froome that they've lost all objectivity.



That must make life easier. Why bother with objective data when you've already made your mind up?

Where is your prediction that Froomestrong would do 41 minutes today?
Did anyone expect him to crack and get dropped by 1 minute?

 

[The Hitch]

It's fine by me, but the fact of such inaccurate predictions does not deserve to pass by un-mentioned.

Could you please call out specifically the people that made those predictions rather than hang it over the whole clinic?

Thanks.

 

[Jahudor]

It'd still be good to give it some context rather than "you were wrong!".

Fourth fastest since 2008 behind Sastre and the other two today, so still by recent standards a reasonable performance. Makes me inclined to think that he just wasn't on today, if he really did run out of energy you'd think things would have been a lot worse.

Plus it's really Porte who is more interesting as that is the best full length climb he has ever done.

I agree with you on Porte. He clearly had to wait for Froome and could have gone a lot faster. Froome however is an even more remarkable case, because he hasn't shown the same potential as Porte did early in his career.

 

[ChewbaccaD]

OK. Where are the condemnations of Froome's Pantani-style 38 minute ascent of the Alpe?

Such an ascent was widely predicted, so I assume it happened, so the non-condemnations are presumably because Froome's erstwhile knockers have "gone native" and are pretending he ascended in an entirely believeable 41 minutes.

You are aware that dopers bonk too?...