Teams & Riders Froome Talk Only

[DirtyWorks]

What are The Clinic's odds that Froomie finishes the WC road race?

My guess the super-powered GT monster has a 20% chance of finishing this one. He can never seem to get it together for this race despite have the most super-powerful motor ever.

 

[DFA123]

What are The Clinic's odds that Froomie finishes the WC road race?

My guess the super-powered GT monster has a 20% chance of finishing this one. He can never seem to get it together for this race despite have the most super-powerful motor ever.

If GB try their usual (sky-style) tactics of trying to control the race from 200km out by riding a very hard pace at the front, then I would guess about 2%.

 

[Hawkwood]

If GB try their usual (sky-style) tactics of trying to control the race from 200km out by riding a very hard pace at the front, then I would guess about 2%.

Well GB got it right when Cav won, apart from losing him in the rather critical last 500 metres or so

 

[SeriousSam]

Dawg continues to be puzzling.

How does someone go from dominating the climbs of the Vuelta to being so inept in such a short amount of time?

Possible explanations include the following :

1. He's not using his magical GT PEDs for races he doesn't care about. His worlds performance reflects his ability on an average doping program.

2. He's not using his magical GT PEDs for races he doesn't care about. His worlds performance reflects his ability riding clean

3. He's just as strong as at the Vuelta. It's just that the previously clean peloton started doping again.

4. **** Swifty, why do anything for him? He just couldn't be bothered to ride hard.

 

[BigBoat]

It would be nice to see a Grand tour contender win the worlds road race for a change, the TT seems to be the favorite for them if they even give it a shot. It seems like it might be a bb issue (as in "the secret race".) It could be that the "bbs" have become risky enough that they only use them when they absolutely need too.

 

[slowspoke]

Dawg continues to be puzzling.

How does someone go from dominating the climbs of the Vuelta to being so inept in such a short amount of time?

Possible explanations include the following :

1. He's not using his magical GT PEDs for races he doesn't care about. His worlds performance reflects his ability on an average doping program.

2. He's not using his magical GT PEDs for races he doesn't care about. His worlds performance reflects his ability riding clean

3. He's just as strong as at the Vuelta. It's just that the previously clean peloton started doping again.

4. **** Swifty, why do anything for him? He just couldn't be bothered to ride hard.

5. #vengabus

 

[blackcat]

It would be nice to see a Grand tour contender win the worlds road race for a change, the TT seems to be the favorite for them if they even give it a shot. It seems like it might be a bb issue (as in "the secret race".) It could be that the "bbs" have become risky enough that they only use them when they absolutely need too.

does not make sense. you only come into the city where it is hosting worlds in the previous week. So you would have infused your bb. There is no chance of getting caught.

you did not appreciate the inverse. The GT riders, with their doping programs and bloodbag deliveries from a new batch of motomen, or motoCound, are able to weed about most of the competition, and it is only the GT contenders who are getting the great advantage of the more advanced BB blood vector doping.

And the Worlds, everyone has access to this benefit, so it is a much flatter race in terms of neutralising advantages accessible to few.

 

[JRanton]

He's not a one day classics rider. Doesn't have the explosiveness or technical ability to do well in them. Simple as that really.

 

[movingtarget]

He's not a one day classics rider. Doesn't have the explosiveness or technical ability to do well in them. Simple as that really.

I agree. Like a lot of GC riders he can't handle the changes of pace and the tactical battles.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

He's not a one day classics rider. Doesn't have the explosiveness or technical ability to do well in them. Simple as that really.

This worlds course wasn't particular technical and the pace was steady (about 37-28 km/h) for the first 200km. If anybody wanted to go to the front it would have been easy, there was very little fight for positioning in the race.

Very unlike most of the spring classics, so I'm not buying the argument, not for the race.

 

[thrawn]

He's not a one day classics rider. Doesn't have the explosiveness or technical ability to do well in them. Simple as that really.

The thing is, at a minimum he should have been able to follow wheels and stay in the peloton.

 

[movingtarget]

The thing is, at a minimum he should have been able to follow wheels and stay in the peloton.

Not really. Plenty of good riders did not finish and the Vuelta obviously took a lot out of him. Contador did not ride. Rodriguez did nothing. Only Valverde of the GC riders backed up after the Vuelta and he seems to have the ability to be competitive all season. Froome has never showed much interest in one day races or achieved good results neither has Contador or Nibali although Contador made the podium of the Fleche in 2010.

 

[thrawn]

Not really. Plenty of good riders did not finish and the Vuelta obviously took a lot out of him. Contador did not ride. Rodriguez did nothing. Only Valverde of the GC riders backed up after the Vuelta and he seems to have the ability to be competitive all season. Froome has never showed much interest in one day races or achieved good results neither has Contador or Nibali although Contador made the podium of the Fleche in 2010.

Nibali has been at the pointy end of one day races quite a few times. He's even podiumed 2 monuments I think?

 

[Afrank]

Nibali has been at the pointy end of one day races quite a few times. He's even podiumed 2 monuments I think?

MSR and LBL in 2012.

 

[SeriousSam]

Andy Schleck even managed to win LBL in his pre Abandony days.

DNF after having worked extremely hard is one thing. DNF because you just can't hold onto the peloton is another.

 

[the sceptic]

Sir Bjarne and Horner both have top 10 in the worlds

 

[thrawn]

Cadel won a worlds too.

 

[the sceptic]

not to forget Lance..

I know people like to say he was a donkey and just a product of Ferrari, but he must have been pretty talented to win the worlds at that age.

 

[sniper]

Kwiatkowski reminds me of Lance somewhat.
Dopers sure, but pretty talented as well.

 

[Rollthedice]

not to forget Lance..

I know people like to say he was a donkey and just a product of Ferrari, but he must have been pretty talented to win the worlds at that age.

Lance would have been definitely a great one day, classics rider.

1993 - World champion
1994 - second LBL and San Sebastian
1995 - 6th LBL and won San Sebastian
1996 - 2nd LBL and won Fleche Vallone

Problem is he went stratospheric afterwards, something like let's say, Sagan now at Stinkov starting to drop his teammate Contador. Froome on the other hand came straight out of the blue.

 

[Benotti69]

Not really. Plenty of good riders did not finish and the Vuelta obviously took a lot out of him. Contador did not ride. Rodriguez did nothing. Only Valverde of the GC riders backed up after the Vuelta and he seems to have the ability to be competitive all season. Froome has never showed much interest in one day races or achieved good results neither has Contador or Nibali although Contador made the podium of the Fleche in 2010.

It used to be a requisite that riders be competitive all season, till after 1999...

A GT is approx 20 one day races day after day!

 

[Hawkwood]

It used to be a requisite that riders be competitive all season, till after 1999...

A GT is approx 20 one day races day after day!

Back in the 1980s the complaint was that LeMond was only picking a few key events to ride, and was thus not a proper champion.

 

[Benotti69]

Back in the 1980s the complaint was that LeMond was only picking a few key events to ride, and was thus not a proper champion.

I remember that, lots of pros had to ride 200+ races a year and LeMond started cherry picking.

 

[lllludo]

I remember that, lots of pros had to ride 200+ races a year and LeMond started cherry picking.

Probably the perception at that time but Lemond podiumed all monuments in the 80s (except the RVV but I'm sure he managed a top 10 there when at La Vie Claire) even if he never won one.
Btw Lemond is a 2 time world champion but it's true he raced less after his accident.

 

[jens_attacks]

Lance would have been definitely a great one day, classics rider.

1993 - World champion
1994 - second LBL and San Sebastian
1995 - 6th LBL and won San Sebastian
1996 - 2nd LBL and won Fleche Vallone

Problem is he went stratospheric afterwards

while lance lies a lot, he says one truth: he didn't use not even 20% after his comeback compared to 1994-1996. those were the wild times. someone should show the pic for the 96 oympics, lance like overeem and hematocrit over 9000.

woulda,shoulda, coulda. the man won 7 tours day fuccin france and is the last real boss of the peloton. the rest is speculation