Teams & Riders Froome Talk Only

[Moose McKnuckles]

As others have pointed out, it's very common for cyclists to have asthma, which is why we see so many of them puffing on inhalers during races, right?

 

[Beech Mtn]

Thx, but that vid's too short

Watch this until 1:30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIAWEAnzuAg&sns=em and tell me whether it doesn't look like he's got something in his mouth after his hand drops.

Although maybe that's the trick now that I think about it, he probably swallowed the whole inhalator.

 

[zigmeister]

Yes, of course. Good clarification.

As others have pointed out, it's very common for cyclists to have asthma, which is why we see so many of them puffing on inhalers during races, right?

I've very rarely seen someone puffing an inhaler...in fact, can't recall the last time in 3yrs of training/racing seeing someone do it.

But, with that said, I sometimes need an inhaler.

What is interesting, is Froome knows exactly when to use his inhaler, he is approximately 5-15 minutes from a more extreme exertion/effort. The inhaler begins to take effect during that time and reach maximum I believe in 30 minutes. Have to look at the pharmacology again.

Point being, he didn't have asthma 45 minutes prior...decided right at that specific point to use it.....that is shady stuff. The half-life is 3-6hrs...so if he just took a dose near the beginning of the stage..no problems, plenty of drug still in his system to do what it needs to do.

 

[red_flanders]

I've very rarely seen someone puffing an inhaler...in fact, can't recall the last time in 3yrs of training/racing seeing someone do it.

But, with that said, I sometimes need an inhaler.

What is interesting, is Froome knows exactly when to use his inhaler, he is approximately 5-15 minutes from a more extreme exertion/effort. The inhaler begins to take effect during that time and reach maximum I believe in 30 minutes. Have to look at the pharmacology again.

Point being, he didn't have asthma 45 minutes prior...decided right at that specific point to use it.....that is shady stuff. The half-life is 3-6hrs...so if he just took a dose near the beginning of the stage..no problems, plenty of drug still in his system to do what it needs to do.

Very good points, and I would also note we have no idea (unless I'm missing it) what he's actually taking here.

 

[ScienceIsCool]

The whole inhaler thing is a bit silly.

As an asthma sufferer, I can tell you that the whole range of Beta-agonists are both effective at reducing bronchial inflammation and horrible to use. They give me an awful, jittery feeling as though I had too much coffee but without the stimulant effect. It's like someone has rung my nervous system with a bell.

And though uncommon, I have used my inhaler during a race. It's unpleasant and the one race I had to take multiple puffs, I abandoned. Not because of the asthma, but because of how awful the inhaler made me feel.

There's lots of reasons to give Froome the stick, but this probably isn't one of them. The stuff is definitely not performance enhancing by any stretch. It'll let you breathe if you're having problems and that's about it.

John Swanson

 

[No_Balls]

Because they'd dropped Nibali, and he might have thought Contador would want to make sure Nibs stayed behind?

Really, there's so much anti-Froome rhetoric on here. According to the clinic, everything he does is wrong, can't work, shouldn't work, it's now it's done, etc etc - except he seems to keep winning. Strange that.

Yeah, people seems generally anti an arrogant little **** who came out of zigzaging and hiking behind cars to be problably the most complete cyclist ever. While in the process disses everyone else bar his computer hacking african coach. Strange that.

 

[MartinGT]

The whole inhaler thing is a bit silly.

As an asthma sufferer, I can tell you that the whole range of Beta-agonists are both effective at reducing bronchial inflammation and horrible to use. They give me an awful, jittery feeling as though I had too much coffee but without the stimulant effect. It's like someone has rung my nervous system with a bell.

And though uncommon, I have used my inhaler during a race. It's unpleasant and the one race I had to take multiple puffs, I abandoned. Not because of the asthma, but because of how awful the inhaler made me feel.

There's lots of reasons to give Froome the stick, but this probably isn't one of them. The stuff is definitely not performance enhancing by any stretch. It'll let you breathe if you're having problems and that's about it.

John Swanson

Its the whole transparency rubbish though. Why have we only found this out now? Surly as a TdF champion he would like to be an ambassador and show kids with asthma what is achievable.

But nah.

Its the whole "Oh yeh, didnt you know?"

 

[Franklin]

Froome's performance is so over the top...who knows what is going on. But I just took a photo of one of my inhalers...so unusual for a cyclist to have asthma.

As others have pointed out, it's very common for cyclists to have asthma, which is why we see so many of them puffing on inhalers during races, right?

As an Asthma patient myself: No, it's not unusual for Asthma patients to be better at endurance sports. I certainly expect a higher percentage asthma patients among top cyclists and top runners (though the reported numbers are way in the unbelievable)

A doctor told me he was not surprised I did well in endurance events as in his words "I was training all the time".

Now this is certaily not true for every Asthma patient, but I usually get much less stuffed up when I'm sporting. Though I sometimes look as Erik Breukink for those who remember how he looked during a TT

Axel Koenders is a good example of top tri-athlete pre-epo who had asthma.

 

[sniper]

Anyway, have we found any proof that he was actually using an inhaler 20k from the line there?

yes, his girlfriend confirmed it on twitter.
in fact, her response appeared to be one of slight panick, suggesting this wasn't meant to come out, which is of course also suggested by the fact that there is no mention of asthma in the Climb.
iow, the "waiting-for-camera-to-turn-away-then-drain-it" hypothesis is not farfetched.

Its the whole transparency rubbish though. Why have we only found this out now? Surly as a TdF champion he would like to be an ambassador and show kids with asthma what is achievable.

But nah.

Its the whole "Oh yeh, didnt you know?"

this indeed

 

[thehog]

“I do have exercise induced asthma,” Froome said. “I don’t use [the inhaler] every time I race. Normally, only when I have a big effort coming up.

“It’s completely allowed by the UCI and I have done all my tests for my asthmatic problems. A lot of people see the interviews, I’m coughing afterwards.”

http://velonews.competitor.com/2014...o-treat-his-asthma_331334#XS3cZkb2bHxRMp9T.99

 

[Ripper]

The whole inhaler thing is a bit silly.

As an asthma sufferer, I can tell you that the whole range of Beta-agonists are both effective at reducing bronchial inflammation and horrible to use. They give me an awful, jittery feeling as though I had too much coffee but without the stimulant effect. It's like someone has rung my nervous system with a bell.

And though uncommon, I have used my inhaler during a race. It's unpleasant and the one race I had to take multiple puffs, I abandoned. Not because of the asthma, but because of how awful the inhaler made me feel.

There's lots of reasons to give Froome the stick, but this probably isn't one of them. The stuff is definitely not performance enhancing by any stretch. It'll let you breathe if you're having problems and that's about it.

John Swanson

^^ This
10 Char

 

[Hawkwood]

...... There's lots of reasons to give Froome the stick, but this probably isn't one of them. The stuff is definitely not performance enhancing by any stretch. It'll let you breathe if you're having problems and that's about it.

John Swanson

In my case it might help me breathe if I'm having problems. I've tried taking it on the bike, but having to hold my breath for about ten seconds while doing so made things worse!

 

[MartinGT]

“I do have exercise induced asthma,” Froome said. “I don’t use [the inhaler] every time I race. Normally, only when I have a big effort coming up.

“It’s completely allowed by the UCI and I have done all my tests for my asthmatic problems. A lot of people see the interviews, I’m coughing afterwards.”

http://velonews.competitor.com/2014...o-treat-his-asthma_331334#XS3cZkb2bHxRMp9T.99

So.....performance enhancing?

 

[MartinGT]

The summit finish was 1,391 meters above sea level.

Shouldnt he be used to high altitude?

 

[Benotti69]

So.....performance enhancing?

Yes. But the UCI, that bastion of fairness, justice and sporting righteousness, allows it so all is fine in the world.

 

[sniper]

“I do have exercise induced asthma,” Froome said. “I don’t use [the inhaler] every time I race. Normally, only when I have a big effort coming up.

“It’s completely allowed by the UCI and I have done all my tests for my asthmatic problems. A lot of people see the interviews, I’m coughing afterwards.”

http://velonews.competitor.com/2014...o-treat-his-asthma_331334#XS3cZkb2bHxRMp9T.99

There’s no reason to make a big deal out of it. I’m surprised I wasn’t asked about it until now.

you gotta be kidding me. never mind his autobiography just came out.
as i said yesterday, prepare to get your intelligence insulted.

 

[kingjr]

You mention froome attacking contador 3 times, that was not what was bad. What was bad was that he pulled all his opponents for the entire climb. Even when they were going slow.

On a climb like that do you have any idea how much the opponent saves from being in the slipstream?

Bare in mind that 2 weeks ago today Ryder Hejsedal, who was otherwise a fringe top 10 climber, in that giro, managed to hold the wheel of a superform nairo Quintana, on a harder climb on a harder stage.

Froome was just towing them. Shutting down every attack himself. Giving his opponents a free ride.
And not by going fast. Some riders have in the past -basso, mosquera, ullrich, broken others by setting a hard pace.

But froome wasn't even doing that. We know because riders kept catching up from behind. And he wasn't going too slow and resting either because he was bringing back all attackers. He was effectively leading out contador the entire climb. As well as others at other points of the ascent.

It's not the 2 attacks on contador (before the sprint) that were bad as you seem to think. Those were the right thing to do. What was bad was everything else.

He wanted to win the stage, so he wants to keep the group together. No one was going to do that for him. And he very obviously had great legs, so no reason to play games.

 

[Granville57]

The whole inhaler thing is a bit silly.

It's unpleasant and the one race I had to take multiple puffs, I abandoned. Not because of the asthma, but because of how awful the inhaler made me feel.

Well hold on then, is that supposed to make me believe that Froome, in spite of perhaps feeling "awful," was still able to lead the charge during the final kilometers with such strength that an apparently in-form Alberto Contador was unable to overtake him for the stage win?

It may be easy to dismiss Froome' use of an inhaler, but these arguments are not exactly winning me over.
(But I do enjoy your posts, so don't take this as anything personal)

As others have pointed out, it's very common for cyclists to have asthma, which is why we see so many of them puffing on inhalers during races, right?

Well yeah, I was kind of wondering, has anyone else ever seen this in major stage race? Not saying it hasn't happened, but I have never, ever seen it. EVER. Maybe it's just me (and Moose)?

 

[thehog]

you gotta be kidding me. never mind his autobiography just came out.
as i said yesterday, prepare to get your intelligence insulted.

I do like "I've done all my tests".

So that doesn't appear in the book when you had all these mystery illnesses?

Funny guy the Dawg.

Contador had breathing problems and allergies, do we hear about those? That we do.

 

[red_flanders]

He wanted to win the stage, so he wants to keep the group together. No one was going to do that for him. And he very obviously had great legs, so no reason to play games.

If you have great legs, you wait for the right chance and attack, you don't chase down every attack, tow the group and then attack. There is no reason whatsoever to waste the energy.

Froome does it because he has never, since his transformation, actually been challenged and he has no idea how to ride while judiciously using his energy.

The point of all this discussion is as follows. You have a rider in Contador who everyone agrees is on the full sauce this season. Yes? And then you have a rider who can still beat him, wasting energy and using incredibly poor tactics. He has that much energy to burn. No one has ever seen someone ride like this.

The point of all this, and the strong undercurrent of the discussion is that Froome is beating a fully-doped Contador, and doing it while wasting power. What that means is that for one to believe he is clean means that he is riding with as much or maybe more power than we've ever seen, even in the height of the uncontrolled doping era, and claiming constantly that he is clean. His team claim to be clean.

We are trying to get the remaining people who actually believe this to see how absolutely impossible it is. No one can ride like this clean. We've never even seen people ride like this doped. It is a farce to claim cleanliness after putting on displays like he has the past 2+ years.

 

[Granville57]

Funny guy the Dawg.

Contador had breathing problems and allergies, do we hear about those? That we do.

How's that "cough-y," Chris?

 

[sniper]

Well hold on then, is that supposed to make believe that Froome, in spite of perhaps feeling "awful," was still able to lead the charge during the final kilometers with such strength that an apparently in-form Alberto Contador was unable to overtake him for the stage win?

exactly.

Well yeah, I was kind of wondering, has anyone else ever seen this in major stage race? Not saying it hasn't happened, but I have never, ever seen it. EVER. Maybe it's just me (and Moose)?

in the comment section of l'equipe the tenor is that people have never seen it before.
http://www.lequipe.fr/Cyclisme-sur-route/Actualites/Froome-et-son-inhalateur/472446
edit: correction, thought i had seen some comments along those lines earlier below that article, but cant find them now. still some interesting comments there.

 

[rainman]

Like others I find it very strange that during all the hours he's been on camera in recent years, including prior to many major efforts we've never seen him use his inhaler. Even stranger that he hasn't mentioned it in his book. Walsh would surely have jumped all over that one in fawning admiration.

 

[Nathan12]

If you have great legs, you wait for the right chance and attack, you don't chase down every attack, tow the group and then attack. There is no reason whatsoever to waste the energy.

Froome does it because he has never, since his transformation, actually been challenged and he has no idea how to ride while judiciously using his energy.

The point of all this discussion is as follows. You have a rider in Contador who everyone agrees is on the full sauce this season. Yes? And then you have a rider who can still beat him, wasting energy and using incredibly poor tactics. He has that much energy to burn. No one has ever seen someone ride like this.

The point of all this, and the strong undercurrent of the discussion is that Froome is beating a fully-doped Contador, and doing it while wasting power. What that means is that for one to believe he is clean means that he is riding with as much or maybe more power than we've ever seen, even in the height of the uncontrolled doping era, and claiming constantly that he is clean. His team claim to be clean.

We are trying to get the remaining people who actually believe this to see how absolutely impossible it is. No one can ride like this clean. We've never even seen people ride like this doped. It is a farce to claim cleanliness after putting on displays like he has the past 2+ years.

Yes, yes, yes, yes. This.

 

[Granville57]

Let's face it, Froome could've had a gold plated inhaler, with his name engraved on the side, along with a label that read: "AMGEN experimental EPO inhaler."

He could've then dropped it accidentally, in full view of the camera, and then a bystander could've retrieved it, and turned it over to the anti-doping authorities (whoever-the-hell that might actually be these days). But all we would hear about is "chain of custody" issues.

Then Michelle would chime in on Twitter telling us all how the inhaler was, in fact, a gift from her to Mr. Cound, and that the label was merely an inside joke between the two love birds—their private way of mocking all of us conspiracy trolls.

AND THEN NOTHING WOULD EVER HAPPEN. *

THE END





* Michelle would then start screeching about wanting her prized and sentimental possession back and would threaten to sue the bystander who she would likely accuse of "stealing" something that didn't belong to them.

I mean, would that really be such a leap from where we are today with some of this nonsense?