Teams & Riders Froome Talk Only

[sniper]

Riis said this year we might see the duel many have been hoping for.
Riis wouldn't say that if he didn't have good arguments.
This year's gonna be epic.

 

[gooner]

Looking at the reaction here to today, the odds on the forum crashing once again in July?

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Looking at the reaction here to today, the odds on the forum crashing once again in July?

I give 1/1 odds but take 10% commision.

 

[BYOP88]

Seriously you need to go on stage. This level of comedy needs to be shared with the world.

Thanks dude! You don't know how much that means to me coming from a top guy like yourself.

 

[Nathan12]

Looking at the reaction here to today, the odds on the forum crashing once again in July?

Low, surely, because near everyone expects a similar performance. The shock factor has gone.

 

[the sceptic]

Image if he smokes Cancellara by a minute in the stage 20 TT......and then Cancellara goes on to set the hour record a couple weeks after the Tour.

that can only mean one thing. he must have had a tailwind.

 

[SundayRider]

Riis said this year we might see the duel many have been hoping for.
Riis wouldn't say that if he didn't have good arguments.
This year's gonna be epic.

He is not going to say his man has no chance though is he?

 

[hrotha]

You guys underestimate what a Contador who's back in the game may be able to do. Come July it'll be something like this:

 

[ralphbert]

Is froome the hydra? Pretty poor analogy, the hydra would look way more elegant on the bike.

 

[sniper]

He is not going to say his man has no chance though is he?

well if he wasn't sure about contador's form he might have preferred to put contador in the underdog role by saying froome is the big favorit, or sumtin.
To me Riis' statements looked like an expression of sincere confidence, but i might be wrong (and Riis might be wrong).

...

 

[RownhamHill]

Low, surely, because near everyone expects a similar performance. The shock factor has gone.

I guess you haven't clocked the Mary Whitehouse tendency on the forum. . .

 

[Ripper]

From whom exactly? Have you examples of British posters saying that? have I ever said that for example?

There's this weird Anglo vs Southern Europe mentality from certain posters, I honestly think this is a construct, because from where I'm sitting it doesn't exist. British xenophobia is fairly scatter-gun, and certainly not Southern-European directed. What I mean to say is we dislike the Northern Europeans as much if not more. I would say the two European nations we are most suspicious of, and resentful of, would be Germany or France. And after that Eastern Europeans (in general). We might consider the South a bit feckless, but we don't reserve a special prejudice against the Italians or Spanish.

So I dislike hearing about this Anglo against Southern Europe. I think the illusion was shattered when posters here, Hitch included, called Kittel an Anglo when he called out Sayer, part of some imaginary Anglo-Alliance against the nations of the Med. It was bizarre, a German calling out Sayer and not Froome of Wiggins and considered an Anglo because of it, and even called racist. Go read the thread, it's an eye opener.

The British are as prejudice as the next country you care to name, but there's not some overwhelming prejudice towards the Southern Europeans, else we wouldn't be riding around on Italian bikes.

If you want forum examples, then look at the boards last summer, pre and during the TdF. I'm not going back to dig stuff up, but it should not take you long if you are interested and so inclined. I was not referring to you.

The angle of Brits against Southern Europeans might have been exacerbated by anti-Bertie sentiment, and came from pro-Froominator folks (sometimes also referred to as Skybots). I am not saying Brits target Southern Europeans, I am saying that there were a fair few posts that back up Rhub's observation. You see it as artificial, but others do not - being an individual experience drawing upon personal perceptions, both can be 'right', so to speak.

 

[stutue]

Yes.
No. You may be missing (or intentionally obfuscating) the point.

"Intentionally obfuscating"? Well yes, because trying to win pointless arguments on the internet really is central to my existence.

I can assure you, it will be misunderstanding but I've just come back from the Sunday night pub quiz and I'm not quite sure who has misunderstood whom.

A successful attack on a climb such as we're discussing is one where no one can match the attacker's acceleration. That can be timing, but those are generally nullified after a bit. Only the ones which are so powerful that they drop everyone succeed.

It can be about energy and output management.

It can also be about doping.

 

[The Hitch]

Low, surely, because near everyone expects a similar performance. The shock factor has gone.

It wasn't just Froome though then, it was Richie Porte after towing froome riding like someone who is lost and thinks they missed their exit, slowing down, looking around, stopping to ask Quintana for directions, and still soloing in 2nd behind his teammate. If Sky 1-2 a stage again or 1-3 like PDBF, I can definitely see the forum crashing.

 

[ferryman]

If you want forum examples, then look at the boards last summer, pre and during the TdF. I'm not going back to dig stuff up, but it should not take you long if you are interested and so inclined. I was not referring to you.

The angle of Brits against Southern Europeans might have been exacerbated by anti-Bertie sentiment, and came from pro-Froominator folks (sometimes also referred to as Skybots). I am not saying Brits target Southern Europeans, I am saying that there were a fair few posts that back up Rhub's observation. You see it as artificial, but others do not - being an individual experience drawing upon personal perceptions, both can be 'right', so to speak.

JF's post is simply embarrassing. As if we Brits actually have a league of who we dislike most depending on where they come from.

 

[purcell]

At least this kind of performance frees my weekends up in July.

Truer words .....

I won't even bother turning the TV on this year.

Enough.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Truer words .....

I won't even bother turning the TV on this year.

Enough.

Why not? Those cyclists are no worse than NHL players. I assume you watch the playoffs...

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

The British are as prejudice as the next country you care to name, but there's not some overwhelming prejudice towards the Southern Europeans, else we wouldn't be riding around on Italian bikes.

Of course the knights of the round table riding Pinarellos excuses all sorts of fans' xenophobic blindness!

I heard there's a rock you could pull a knife out of, and truly find your calling...

 

[Dear Wiggo]

The British are as prejudice as the next country you care to name, but there's not some overwhelming prejudice towards the Southern Europeans, else we wouldn't be riding around on Italian bikes.

Team Sky is part-owned (25%) by Sky Italia.

 

[Ripper]

Why not? Those cyclists are no worse than NHL players. I assume you watch the playoffs...

NHL is more doped up. Why would you make that assumption BYW?

 

[filipo]

Sorry but WTF?

He's so farking skinny the spandex no longer works. Or does wearing dad's shoes = marginal gains?

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Sorry but WTF?

He's so farking skinny the spandex no longer works. Or does wearing dad's shoes = marginal gains?

What are you talking about?

And is that motorcycle sheltering him from the wind?

 

[sniper]

He's so farking skinny the spandex no longer works. Or does wearing dad's shoes = marginal gains?

indeed that's some wicked-assed shape of shoes he's got going there.
not normal.

And is that motorcycle sheltering him from the wind?

 

[nomapnocompass]

I am staggered at just how bad Froome looks on the bike, both when he is riding and TTing. He looks worse than last year, although it is obviously not harming his performances.

 

[Franklin]

Sorry but WTF?

He's so farking skinny the spandex no longer works. Or does wearing dad's shoes = marginal gains?

It's not simply caused because he's skinny, it's also his leg's angle and mostly caused by the construcion of the shoe combined with his shoe cover being the wrong size to accomodate the heel section..

1. He's wearing a Sidi Wire. The heel cap is solid plastic with above it a heel strap which sticks out. The whole heel is pretty much inflexible.
2. Now at that part of the stroke he rotates his ankle forward. Combined with the inflexible heel you get that pronounced gap.
3. The shoe cover is probably just too small, so when he puts it on its stretched to the limit, not going under the heel, but just sticking to the heel cap. During the repeated motions (±100 a minute) it ceeps up as it's not held in place by the heel. (Note that I'm so sure about this is because I have a similar issue with my shoe covers^^).

Sure, his thin ankles won't help, but I'm pretty sure my ankle's are not much thicker than his considering I'm also a fly-weight, even though my optimal weight is hardly TdF ready (that's just not healthy). There's only that much fat that can dissappear at that spot.

More intersting is the shape of his bicycle frame (not singling him out, indeed I'm sure the Pinarello's are no patch on a Walzer which is the go to TT bike of Uli, Mencov and Cadel). I remember that Tail fins were prohibited after Thierry Marie used one on his saddle. I thought that the rule was that extra material which had no construction function was forbidden.

Yet I clearly see a tailfin(the blue part above his wheel). Again, I'm not accusing Sky of anything as I know other TT bikes also have similar features. I just wonder why the UCI let's these kind of bikes go through. Perhaps the rules changed (Marie's saddle is 25 years ago)?