What Should Froome do?

[staubsauger]

Froome should actually stay his focus on the Tour and go to the Vuelta afterwards! With Contador + Nibali opting to do the Giro first and the Tour route maybe forcing Valverde and/or Purito to have a shot at the Tour once more, Froome should've good chances to walk out with a possible Tour+Vuelta double! As long as he can handle Quintana, maybe Aru and the French's in France and unless there's still some fresh climber like Majka, Betancur, Pozzovivo etc. in Spain of course.

Giro (+ Vuelta) should be his aim for 2016!

 

[Pricey_sky]

Maybe 2015 would be the year to try and add the Giro-Vuelta to his tally. If Contador is serious about carrying great form to the Tour he will have to leave a little in hand during the Giro or risk being in poorer shape come July whereas Froome can go all out with no Tour to focus on.

Froome could then aim for a 2nd peak at the Vuelta where he already proved this year he can be in poor form there and still beat Valverde/Purito/Aru ect.

 

[SDub_Vo2Max]

Here's the thing... Froome is 29 years old. He has only been riding near the top since Vuelta 2011. How many years does he have to create a reputation as one of the best GT riders of all time? (assuming that is his goal)

Like it or not, the Tour is THE race in cycling. To make yourself a legendary cyclist, you have to be at the top of the Tour de France on a consistent basis. The Giro-Vuelta double is for younger riders with a lot of potential (see AC 2008, Aru 2014 off the top of my head...)

You don't hear AC saying that he wants to do the Giro-Vuelta double. He knows at this point that the Tour de France is what will add to his reputation. Not all GTs are created equal... Froome is at the same point in his career.

For a cyclist at the pinnacle of the sport, you HAVE to be at the Tour. I agree, the Giro route suits him better. So he should do the Giro first, then (especially if he wins) the very necessary Tour is icing on the cake. AC is doing the double, so he is not at a major disadvantage to his biggest rival.

Doesn't Sky profess they have the best training system with Kerrison and reverse periodization? This is prime time to prove it!

 

[veji11]

The tour. Period. Sky is a global brand with global communication ambitions and the tour is the global event.

 

[scholar]

Where's the Vino option? Particularly the Vino option for July 24, 2007?

 

[LaFlorecita]

I voted Giro/Tour double. Alberto is in. Nibs has alluded to it today also. We now need a message from Colombia

Huh? Nibali said today he might ride Cali

 

[Coat-O]

Giro-Vuelta this year. Then from 2016, he only has to worry about Tour. He has a great chance of joining Contador and Nibali in the big triple club.

Oman-TA-Pais Vasco-Romandie-Trentino-Giro-Dauphine (maybe)-Burgos-Vuelta.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Where's the Vino option? Particularly the Vino option for July 24, 2007?

made me Lol!

 

[ILovecycling]

The tour. Period. Sky is a global brand with global communication ambitions and the tour is the global event.

contador vs froome epic top shape battle can be the decisive point for Giro to step up almost on a Tour level.Sky can help this to happen.
thats another option.

 

[happytramp]

Here's the thing... Froome is 29 years old. He has only been riding near the top since Vuelta 2011. How many years does he have to create a reputation as one of the best GT riders of all time?

That's pretty much an impossibility.

 

[ILovecycling]

That's pretty much an impossibility.

yep,but cuz of competition,not age imho.

 

[happytramp]

yep,but cuz of competition,not age imho.

It depends how long he can keep going at a high level or if he can get back to his 2013 form. Although with only 1 GT win so far he's a long way to go to be considered an all time great even more so given that he'll be 30 next year.

 

[hegemon]

So Wigan has an ok result at PR and all of a sudden his is Spartacus

Yeah, that might be an exaggeration. Wiggins' performance at Paris-Roubaix is more on par with, say, Roger De Vlaeminck.

 

[Akuryo]

So Wigan has an ok result at PR and all of a sudden his is Spartacus

Likewise Nibali ...

The only (strong) riders who get over cobbles fairly well without being a specialist right now are Gilbert and Kwiatkowski who both had multiple good showings on cobbles without focussing their whole season around them.

 

[myrideissteelerthanyours]

Ride Roubaix and send Wiggins somewhere else

Nah make Wigans ride as support/bottles

 

[SDub_Vo2Max]

That's pretty much an impossibility.

I'm not saying it is possible; I'm only saying that it is reasonable to assume Froome's goal as a cyclist is to be considered one of the best of all time. Therefore he should ride the races that would create that legacy.

 

[SDub_Vo2Max]

yep,but cuz of competition,not age imho.

It's true, the competition makes it very hard for Froome to win any GT he enters. The point I was trying to make with the age is that Froomie is no spring chicken. Because he had such a meteoric rise to the top of the cycling world, many people forget he is 29. It's reasonable to assume he has less years left in his career than say, Pinot, Aru, Bardet etc. That can only hurt his quest to build a legacy of dominance.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I'm not saying it is possible; I'm only saying that it is reasonable to assume Froome's goal as a cyclist is to be considered one of the best of all time. Therefore he should ride the races that would create that legacy.

Froome has zero chance of being a legend if he continues to focus on the Tour and ignores all other big races.

Perhaps a successful tour rider if hes lucky.

 

[Electress]

Froome has zero chance of being a legend if he continues to focus on the Tour and ignores all other big races.

Perhaps a successful tour rider if hes lucky.

Absolutely. The trouble with making the statements he made in The Climb, is that you really have to be able to follow them up and the jury is still out. Cannot help to put that much pressure on yourself or your team.

 

[myrideissteelerthanyours]

If AC who hasnt won le tour in 6 years come July can consider "le epic double/triple" then Froome Dawg should seriously consider winning all the jerseys in all the GTs including young rider and the womens' races.

Absolutely disgusting and absurd talk on this forum lately.

 

[SDub_Vo2Max]

Froome has zero chance of being a legend if he continues to focus on the Tour and ignores all other big races.

Perhaps a successful tour rider if hes lucky.

I'm not discounting the importance of the important races beside the Tour. That is why I voted Froome should do the Giro-Tour. But he MUST do the Tour. Indurain, Hinault, Merckx, Anquetil are known because of their exceptional palmares across the board. Nevertheless, the first thing on their resumes is the 5 Tour de Frances. Even Armstrong didn't do much outside the TdF, but in part because he "won" that race 7 straight times, he was considered a legend at retirement.

 

[Angliru]

If AC who hasnt won le tour in 6 years come July can consider "le epic double/triple" then Froome Dawg should seriously consider winning all the jerseys in all the GTs including young rider and the womens' races.

Absolutely disgusting and absurd talk on this forum lately.

"Absurd" maybe but "disgusting"?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I'm not discounting the importance of the important races beside the Tour. That is why I voted Froome should do the Giro-Tour. But he MUST do the Tour. Indurain, Hinault, Merckx, Anquetil are known because of their exceptional palmares across the board. Nevertheless, the first thing on their resumes is the 5 Tour de Frances. Even Armstrong didn't do much outside the TdF, but in part because he "won" that race 7 straight times, he was considered a legend at retirement.

For me Armstrong is not a legend, he a very successful TdF rider.

Hinault, Anquetil, Merckx, Coppi are legends.

Indurain is a great cyclist.

Froome by trying to focus on the TdF will not be close to a legend.

 

[Electress]

If AC who hasnt won le tour in 6 years come July can consider "le epic double/triple" then Froome Dawg should seriously consider winning all the jerseys in all the GTs including young rider and the womens' races.

Absolutely disgusting and absurd talk on this forum lately.

I think the point made was that 'young rider' is not something he's eligibly for any more.

 

[Rollthedice]

Froome should ride the Giro. Be a real man, face the cold and Contador.