Teams & Riders Froome Talk Only

[oldcrank]

This is going to sound like a shameless punt, but I'd highly recommend giving Chris' autobiography a read when it comes out in June.

Not shameless at all, my friend. Rest assured cycling fans around
the globe are eagerly anticipating the release of "The Climb."

Are you aware if overseas fans will be able to order autographed
copies from any online vendors?

 

[deeno1975]

Not shameless at all, my friend. Rest assured cycling fans around
the globe are eagerly anticipating the release of "The Climb."

Are you aware if overseas fans will be able to order autographed
copies from any online vendors?

Steady on, you'll get your copy and you can put it with your Lance Armstrong collection of the greatest fiction.

 

[Justinr]

Thanks for asking. My thinking was that it is near impossible to look only at Froome's speed at different events because terrain, distance, weather, etc vary enough to make an analysis useless.

Instead, what I did is calculate his difference in performance from the winner in seconds per kilometer. I also calculated his relative placing (i.e., if he placed 20th out of 200 riders, he's in the top 10%).

What I found is that 2008 until Romandie 2011, Chris on average placed in the top 27% with no higher than a top 11% placing. He also lost an average of 6.4 seconds per kilometer with a best performance of 3.3 s/km.

From 2011 Tour de Suisse onwards, Chris has only lost 1.7 s/km against his rivals and is placing in the top 5%. Barring one outlier, Chris' worst performance since then had him losing 1.9 s/km and only placed in the top 6%.

So a remarkable improvement of 4.7 s/km literally and permanently overnight. Assuming an average race speed of 50 km/hr and the fact that power increases as approximately speed^3 due to aerodynamics, this equates to a ~20% gain in FTP.

Or to use the vernacular: from donkey to racehorse.

John Swanson

Seems a fairly plausible method - i wasnt sure on the speed^3 thing but found a site with a basic speed / watts calculator and increasing watts by 20% (your figure) gives a 10% speed increase (being my figure)

I also like your comparison to other riders, of course the ideal would be that your comparisons would be against the same riders every time but life isnt that kind to us.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Steady on, you'll get your copy and you can put it with your Lance Armstrong collection of the greatest fiction.

Apparently, the penchant for worshiping false cycling idols is not indigenous to Americans. Maybe it was passed down from the Brits along with the crappy cuisine.

Although, to be honest, the South has managed to shed the latter shackles.

 

[Granville57]

Yes he was first diagnosed after his brother had found out that he was riddled with it and suggested he get a test.

I'm not sure how this is supposed to quell the doubter and skeptics at all. As much as I hesitate to beat the bilharzia drum again...

From my limited time paying attention to the details of the ever-prolonged debate on this subject, this would appear to be yet another version of events.

It was my understanding, based on Chris' own words, that when it was time for one of his routine UCI blood passport tests, he asked them for a "full screening" because he hadn't been feeling 100%. They came back, and informed him, of "a parasite...which is called bilharzia." He didn't say anything about his brother "suggesting" the test.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bKuqFBrE9o&t=10m36s

Sorry to nitpick this to death, but seriously, WTF is the OFFICIAL story in regards to this ongoing saga? And no, I don't want to have to buy the book to find out.

Thanks.

 

[BYOP88]

I'm not sure how this is supposed to quell the doubter and skeptics at all. As much as I hesitate to beat the bilharzia drum again...

From my limited time paying attention to the details of the ever-prolonged debate on this subject, this would appear to be yet another version of events.

It was my understanding, based on Chris' own words, that when it was time for one of his routine UCI blood passport tests, he asked them for a "full screening" because he hadn't been feeling 100%. They came back, and informed him, of "a parasite...which is called bilharzia." He didn't say anything about his brother "suggesting" the test.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bKuqFBrE9o&t=10m36s

Sorry to nitpick this to death, but seriously, WTF is the OFFICIAL story in regards to this ongoing saga? And no, I don't want to have to buy the book to find out.

Thanks.

He's just lucky that Bilharzia vacations during July.

 

[lllludo]

Sorry to nitpick this to death, but seriously, WTF is the OFFICIAL story in regards to this ongoing saga? And no, I don't want to have to buy the book to find out.

You are absolutely right. I've read the Froomey's interviews following the Vuelta 2011, in 2012, last year during the Tour and external stories from Miss Cound and everytime there's something different in the bilharzia story.
This is why I've asked this question yesterday and BOOM the story about the brother advising Chris to pass tests appears as another new fact.
The bilharzia is very sensitive because it's the only logic explanation for the sudden rise of Froomey during the Vuelta 2011.

 

[frenchfry]

He's just lucky that Bilharzia vacations during July.

Double lucky he doesn't have the French strain of the disease which takes it's vacation in August.

 

[sniper]

You are absolutely right. I've read the Froomey's interviews following the Vuelta 2011, in 2012, last year during the Tour and external stories from Miss Cound and everytime there's something different in the bilharzia story.
This is why I've asked this question yesterday and BOOM the story about the brother advising Chris to pass tests appears as another new fact.
The bilharzia is very sensitive because it's the only logic explanation for the sudden rise of Froomey during the Vuelta 2011.

according to brailsford in Walsh's "why i believe" article (the recovery from?) bilharzia explains froome's rise.
yet in the same article freeman assures us there's no difference between Froome's pre-11vuelta and post-11vuelta bloodprofile.
hard to believe that if bilharzia played any role this is not somehow reflected in froome's bloodprofile.

here's the relevant part:

"I was confused because Chris hadn't performed with this consistency for the team and I wondered how he'd done it. Before I could be satisfied, I spent two weeks re-examining all of his blood samples from his two seasons in our team and looked at all the information in his biological passport.

"What I wanted was to compare blood results from the Vuelta with the blood tests he'd done previously to see if there were changes. There weren't. His blood values remained the same and whatever the reasons for him riding consistently in that Vuelta, in my opinion it wasn't down to him doing things he shouldn't have done." Freeman's admission of initial concern was reassuring.

http://pastebin.com/UXrzj16r

Note freeman's "whatever the reasons".
And walsh not picking up on that.
So basically they have no clue.
Sounds legit.

 

[Alphabet]

I want to see a showdown between Fran Millar and digger on CN.

 

[Digger]

I want to see a showdown between Fran Millar and digger on CN.

I think in fairness I don't even need to say much.
The last few pages, the responses to questions, the questions themselves have spoken volumes.
The thing about the truth is how consistent and straightforward it tends to be.

 

[red_flanders]

You are absolutely right. I've read the Froomey's interviews following the Vuelta 2011, in 2012, last year during the Tour and external stories from Miss Cound and everytime there's something different in the bilharzia story.
This is why I've asked this question yesterday and BOOM the story about the brother advising Chris to pass tests appears as another new fact.
The bilharzia is very sensitive because it's the only logic explanation for the sudden rise of Froomey during the Vuelta 2011.

You know what cops conclude when various parties tell a different story about an event? Not saying anything criminal is going on, just to be super clear...

I'll take exception to the idea that bilharzia is a "logic[al] explanation" for Froome's rise.

 

[Justinr]

You know what cops conclude when various parties tell a different story about an event? Not saying anything criminal is going on, just to be super clear...

I'll take exception to the idea that bilharzia is a "logic[al] explanation" for Froome's rise.

Quite often the same conclusion they come to when various parties tell exactly the same story about an event - too perfect and manufactured.

 

[BYOP88]

I must be pretty "L7"! Some of you seem to know an awful lot about Cops

 

[red_flanders]

Quite often the same conclusion they come to when various parties tell exactly the same story about an event - too perfect and manufactured.

That's just silly. So your position is that cops never believe anything? Not sure I follow. I think we can safely say the story isn't too perfect.

 

[Justinr]

That's just silly. So your position is that cops never believe anything? Not sure I follow. I think we can safely say the story isn't too perfect.

No - what I'm saying (and granted probably not very well in the last post) is that people's stories of the same thing vary and its easy for anyone to take their own slant on it.

For example if you take, say, 3-4 people and ask them to recount a story of an event which they have all been involved in then those accounts would differ from each other. It doesn't mean that anyone is necessarily wrong or lying, just that people remember more or less than each other or focus on different things. Some people cry foul and say - "there you go, must be dodgy since they don't know what each other is talking about".

Now, if those 3-4 accounts are exactly (or almost exactly) then some people smell a rat and cry "those accounts are far too similar - they're hiding something" or "who has got to them and made them say the same thing - its dodgy".

You can spin it either way

 

[BYOP88]

Just remind me regarding 'badzilla' and Froome finding out he had it, wasn't Dr Julich the first to diagnose it?

 

[bewildered]

Just remind me regarding 'badzilla' and Froome finding out he had it, wasn't Dr Julich the first to diagnose it?

no, Julich tested for it 'again' after the Tour of California. he had already been diagnosed by the passport testers by then

 

[BYOP88]

no, Julich tested for it 'again' after the Tour of California. he had already been diagnosed by the passport testers by then

Thanks for that. There are so many stories I can't keep up with which one came first.

 

[Justinr]

Thanks for that. There are so many stories I can't keep up with which one came first.

Indeed - you cant get a straight answer from Google on anything nowadays.

 

[BYOP88]

Indeed - you cant get a straight answer from Google on anything nowadays.

Yeah Google is where I go for all my news.

 

[the sceptic]

Froome dropped by Contador

 

[BYOP88]

Froome dropped by TJVG

Just changed it for you.

 

[roundabout]

OMG

His back issues may even be genuine

OMG

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Froome the new Wiggins!