Sky/Froome Talk Only (No Way Sky Are Cleans?)

[peloton]

Wow, some really scary stuff here...I shudder to think how some of you deal with real life issues!

Anyway, why can't balanced arguments be made here? Last I checked Froome couldn't keep up at Tirreno so it's blatantly false to write that he can ride everyone off his wheel whenever he wants to, it devalues the whole debate.

You guys need to take a break or you're going to make yourselves sick, seriously.

Last I check, Froome rode today 8k almost dropping the rider with him making over a minute into a group with convicted dopers in it.

Keep believing in miracles.

 

[armchairclimber]

Hello. Wake up. Hes heads and shoulders the best rider in the world at the moment.

Well now we are getting near to the truth....though I'd say Wiggins and his Nibs would have something to say about that. Maybe Quintana too. And, in a horses for courses styleee...Cancellara.

Still, you're getting there. Well done.

 

[The Hitch]

Well now we are getting near to the truth....though I'd say Wiggins and his Nibs would have something to say about that. Maybe Quintana too. And, in a horses for courses styleee...Cancellara.

Still, you're getting there. Well done.

Nibali?

I can only conclude that all you know about cycling is from this forum cos nibali has always been 2 or 3 levels below the best riders in the world and he clearly is 2 or 3 levels below froome, if not more.

 

[will10]

Tirreno, Criterium International, Romandie - 2nd tier riders peak for these races. They can get a result here that they wouldn't be capable against the top dogs in top form at GTs. And yet Froome is 10 weeks away from peak form and was still far and away the strongest today. Hitch is right. Froome is the strongest rider in the world right now.

 

[Benotti69]

I cant be bothered with commenting much on Froome, it is as obvious as Armstrongs performances.

 

[BYOP88]

Tirreno, Criterium International, Romandie - 2nd tier riders peak for these races. They can get a result here that they wouldn't be capable against the top dogs in top form at GTs. And yet Froome is 10 weeks away from peak form and was still far and away the strongest today. Hitch is right. Froome is the strongest rider in the world right now.

With this form he could win the Giro no problem and still hammer them all in July.

 

[zalacain]

I missed today's comedy.

Does anyone have a link to the video?

Do you need to sleep that much. If he rides the Tour I won't bother going over this year

 

[armchairclimber]

Nibali?

I can only conclude that all you know about cycling is from this forum cos nibali has always been 2 or 3 levels below the best riders in the world and he clearly is 2 or 3 levels below froome, if not more.

Well, I know a lot more about cycling than you know about me. When you appropriated The Hitch's sobriquet and photo you clearly didn't appropriate his intellectual vigour.

Nibali has beaten Froome already this year. Suggesting that Froome is head and shoulders above him is just perverse.

If he wins the TDF this year easily, then maybe. I don't think it's a given.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Perhaps, as a control experiment, we could arrange for Contador to be infected with Bilharzia. We could then see what effects that disease might have on performance.

I am not a Froome fan, certainly not a SKY fan. I'm open to the possibility that Froome's improvement prior to 2011 may have been in part aided by PEDs. However, I'm also open to the idea that an illness such as Bilharzia would have seriously impacted his performance...especially if undiagnosed and untreated.

He was also, from what I've seen of photos in the pre 2011 period, carrying much more adipose tissue. He looks positively chubby around the chops in a few pictures I've seen.

There are those of us who believe the Bilharzia argument for his weak showings prior to his coming out party, and gladly accept that having said disease negatively affected his development, but don't believe that just because this is the case it therefore has to follow that Froome must be clean and the performance jump is only the result of treating it and no other factors are at play.

 

[armchairclimber]

There are those of us who believe the Bilharzia argument for his weak showings prior to his coming out party, and gladly accept that having said disease negatively affected his development, but don't believe that just because this is the case it therefore has to follow that Froome must be clean and the performance jump is only the result of treating it and no other factors are at play.

Thanks for the sensible reply. As you'll see from my previous contributions to this thread, I don't necessarily believe that he's clean. I wouldn't quibble with your post at all.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Anyone who still maintains Froome is a clean rider is either stupid or willfully ignorant.

This guy was climbing SIDEWAYS a few years ago. Now he's far and away the best climber in the world.

The only thing I find amazing here is how effective Sky's "marginal gains" program is. They must have a great swimming coach and gynecologist.

 

[thehog]

Anyone who still maintains Froome is a clean rider is either stupid or willfully ignorant.

This guy was climbing SIDEWAYS a few years ago. Now he's far and away the best climber in the world.

The only thing I find amazing here is how effective Sky's "marginal gains" program is. They must have a great swimming coach and gynecologist.

Best climber and just about the best TT'er.

Johan Brailafords biggest problem for the Tour is how to make him look a little bit real.

Not sure I've read a forum anywhere whereby people actually think he's the real deal.

 

[The Hitch]

Well, I know a lot more about cycling than you know about me. When you appropriated The Hitch's sobriquet and photo you clearly didn't appropriate his intellectual vigour.

Nibali has beaten Froome already this year. Suggesting that Froome is head and shoulders above him is just perverse.

If he wins the TDF this year easily, then maybe. I don't think it's a given.

I don't know a lot about you and you don't know a lot about cycling if you are seriously entertaining the possibility in your head of Nibali being the best rider in the world. No, just no.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Best climber and just about the best TT'er.

Johan Brailafords biggest problem for the Tour is how to make him look a little bit real.

Not sure I've read a forum anywhere whereby people actually think he's the real deal.

Sky are just a repackaged version of US Postal. Which, let's face it, is a good marketing move for Sky and the UCI, who appear to care nothing about doping.

Look at the pro-Sky muppets on here. They're the exact clones of the US Postal fanboys from 1999-2004. Basically people who know nothing about cycling but are getting mahogany over a British team winning races.

 

[goggalor]

I cant be bothered with commenting much on Froome, it is as obvious as Armstrongs performances.

Yeah, really. The guy's probably the most obvious juicer in the peloton atm, maybe the second most obvious after Chris Horner.

 

[thehog]

Sky are just a repackaged version of US Postal. Which, let's face it, is a good marketing move for Sky and the UCI, who appear to care nothing about doping.

Look at the pro-Sky muppets on here. They're the exact clones of the US Postal fanboys from 1999-2004. Basically people who know nothing about cycling but are getting mahogany over a British team winning races.

Bilharziastrong coming to a foundation near you.

Autobiography "Top Dawg - My year in yellow".

Wedding photos in OK magazine.

Given a tribal welcome in native Kenya after winning the Tour.

Brailaford hails clean team after Sky 1-2 in the Tour.

Wiggins vows to return to the Tour and take on new champion.

Vaughters says numbers indicate Tour is clean.

 

[ellenbrook2001]

Wiggins doesn't stand out to me because I'm used to him now, but Froome's performance is weird indeed.

has we all know too keep up in such fast speed you must have the white bag of you be blow out in no time sure they are very talented riders but with a doping supplement they are flying the way FROOME look so easy in the mountain what ever training what ever you lost weight hes impossible at that altitude you be out of breath in no time what ever they take give them a big advantage but nice too watch it.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

I noticed some people trying to use Spilak as a measure for Froome being normal, as in: he could only just catch Spilak and they were evenly matched to the finish, but Spilak's year so far is looking very strong: http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/rider_palm.asp?riderid=2437&year=2013&all=0&current=0


The difference to Froome is he hasn't been leader in any race, whereas Froome can't stop being leader: http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/rider_palm.asp?riderid=5789&year=2013&all=0&current=0

Froome is Wiggins 2012 V2.0, and both, to my mind are equally unbelievable.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

I noticed some people trying to use Spilak as a measure for Froome being normal

Spilak rides for Katusha. Who is managed by...Ekimov. I mean, really.

In any case, I wonder if those people will use the same benchmark when Froome puts 2:00 into Spilak tomorrow.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Spilak rides for Katusha. Who is managed by...Ekimov. I mean, really.

In any case, I wonder if those people will use the same benchmark when Froome puts 2:00 into Spilak tomorrow.

Yeah the Katusha connection seemed too obvious to mention (look! look! Froome can only just chase down the rider from the dodgy team solo!!). The TT will be interesting. I hope Froome doesn't win it. If Porte eased up today he should go ok tomorrow.

 

[Big Doopie]

With this form he could win the Giro no problem and still hammer them all in July.

and that would be proof of...?

why do you think there have been no giro-tour doubles since blood-doping became the norm?

It would actually be refreshing to see a rider dominate from spring to fall. that's how it was pre-epo. largely the same riders fought out the entire season...

i really want to know what froome is on -- because it's not blood doping. he has probably been the most consistently in form rider since last year's dauphine.

when is he storing away all the blood?

so -- and i am not saying he's not, because his sudden improvement is a concern and is hard to explain even if we are to believe that cycling has come back to a less doped norm -- how is he doping?

those of you are so sure, how is he doing it?

 

[kingjr]

he has probably been the most consistently in form rider since last year's dauphine.

Too be honest he's been wa.nk at the Vuelta last year. By his standards.

 

[The Hitch]

Some funny posts being brought up by those quoting page 1.

Froome was just on a good day. He was going to fade. He had ridden the vuelta like a 1 week race and would lose hours in the 2nd week. A breakout performance from a future gt top 10 finisher.

Oh how little we knew.

this from page 2 captures it quite well though

Maybe this is just some early effects of London 2012.

 

[The Hitch]

I REALLY hope DB has a "rest day" announcement on this tomorrow.

Rest day announcment.

Son - you are going to win the Tour de France 2 years from now. And any other race you want.

 

[BroDeal]

and that would be proof of...?

why do you think there have been no giro-tour doubles since blood-doping became the norm?

Indurain and Pantani, if he were still alive, might have a minor quibble with that statement. Armstrong could have easily done a double if he thought there was enough profit in it to care.

A new drug or new doping method gives a massive advantage to the early adopters. We saw it with CERA when a handful of riders were just killing it in a way we have not seen since the early 90s before everyone began using EPO. We saw it in 2000-2002 with USPS switching to blood transfusions. I think what we are seeing now is a new form of doping. To point to minor tweaks in the training of already fully developed pros as a reason for astonishing leaps in performance is ludicrous.