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daveinzambia said:
Wiggins' performance isn't what's questionable. Wiggins is a good climber. A diesel, for sure, but a good climber nonetheless. My predictions pre-Vuelta were that he would be with the heads of state on Covatilla and Manzaneda but drop away this weekend - but those predictions were based on the assumption that Antón, Rodríguez, Nibali and Scarponi were in peak form and Wiggins wouldn't have the endurance for 3 weeks given that he's just coming back from injury. Instead, those top names other than Wiggins have underperformed and he's been in his best form and as a result has ground them into dust with his tempo climbing and make them fight him on his terms, instead of being forced to change tempo to catch the lightweight pure climbers which is obviously not suited to his gameplan.
No, what's raising questions is Froome. It's all well and good pointing out him coming 31st after being in the break on the queen stage in 2008, but there has been no indication that he had anything even remotely like this in him at any point since. And a day or two of superdomestiquing can be bought quite easily, but now we've got to this point in the race and this almost totally unheralded guy who's only finished in the top 10 on two mountain stages of any race in his career (3rd on Mont Faron in the Tour Méditerranéen in 2009, 8th to Leysin in Romandie this year) is still shelling numerous GC contenders, not as a domestique but as a bona fide GC man in his own right - that's what makes me worry. Not the guy who's won the Dauphiné and finished in the top 5 of a GT before. Him being at the front is very easy to buy. Froome's results are more the reason why people are drawing comparisons to Piepoli/Cobo and Kash/Vino.
zapata said:
I totally agree, but I wish he hadn't said
Tour of Spain is ours to lose
http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=reu-spainwiggins_interview
&
"Credo di poter vincere" ("I believe I can win")
http://www.gazzetta.it/Ciclismo/03-09-2011/nibali-ho-sofferto-ultima-salita-802734064356.shtml
all the times Brits have have managed to lose in almost certain winning positions in all sports spring to mind, and there are that many that I probably won't get to sleep for another few hours....
Still, a valiant effort, worthy of praise, whatever the result !
So question is if wiggins does struggle tonight, Does Froome get the chance to go and take the lead.
Libertine Seguros said:
OK i will be honest Froome is a shock. he has shown potential and has shown moments of great climbing this year but this is a new step.
the only two points i can find to explain it are
The mental side. I know in the past he has struggled tactically, burning himself too much when feeling good then imploding the next day. I think working for Brad has helped him keep his head and not destroy himself.
form of the others. While Froome has no doubt impressed but think many others have really disappointed. I think that since the first week others have just not put enough pressure on the sky riders when it matters.
but think even the most ardent sky fans have been very surprised by his performance, i am just happy to believe it is a break through rather than anything else.
Moose McKnuckles said:
hint: he is anglo-saxon
i said it before i will say it again i wonder what would be the people saying froome's performance is not a shock and believable reaction if an unknown guy from spain was doing this kind of performance
daveinzambia said:
Ive already apologized numerous times for saying that
, also I've paid him loads of compliments I like him. I don't think im going to be allowed to ever live those stupid comments down.
Parrulo said:it was an honest question to be honest as i am not sure
He rides under the British flag for judicial reasons I'm sure I've heard it mentioned a few times. It must be frustrating for a country like Kenya who has virtually no cycling history to have to watch one of its own perform so well under another flag.
auscyclefan94 said:if the gc stays the way it is in madrid then it will be a belgian, kenyan and dutch podium
Us Brits won a stage with Dan Martin though
daveinzambia said:
I don't think Dave Brailsford has quite the same enthusiasm for young Froome as he does for Wiggins. He's yet to be re-signed and if Froome tries to leave Wiggins behind I think the Sky Team car will zoom up the road and do a Fletcha on him!
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cobo-becomes-vuelta-gc-threat
"Cobo puts Nibali to the sword"
Erm .... If you saw the Stage, I think you'll see it was Wiggins and Froome that 'put Nibali to the sword'
"Cobo puts Nibali to the sword"
Erm .... If you saw the Stage, I think you'll see it was Wiggins and Froome that 'put Nibali to the sword'
[start rant]
coming into an appreciation thread for a rider you obviously do not like and trying to kill the thread with insinuations of doping (against well-established forum rules) is particularly despicable forum behavior. [/end rant]
my guess is that if cobo wins this vuelta it will be because he is such an amazing talent who trains harder than everyone and has an instinct for cycling tactics that no anglophone could ever posess. forget that he is prominently displayed in the photo meant to discredit wiggins.
coming into an appreciation thread for a rider you obviously do not like and trying to kill the thread with insinuations of doping (against well-established forum rules) is particularly despicable forum behavior. [/end rant]
my guess is that if cobo wins this vuelta it will be because he is such an amazing talent who trains harder than everyone and has an instinct for cycling tactics that no anglophone could ever posess. forget that he is prominently displayed in the photo meant to discredit wiggins.
spanky wanderlust said:
There is a Cobo thread in the clinic, and most of the contributors are pretty unanimous on their opinion of his form, especially given his disastrous year with Caisse d'Epargne in 2010.
Libertine Seguros said:
Have to agree having felt aggrieved at the anti sky conversations i am glad to see at least the forum is consistent in its opinions. The Cobo insinuations are as strong if not stronger than the Froome ones from a few days ago.
and we wonder why teams are folding (ok i know that is not the only cause and leopard probably has much more to do with a bad model than the reputation of the sport but it cannot help)
at this point-and regardless of what happened today-I think Wiggo deserves a podium spot-and at the same time help Froome to maintain second too....
Do we know if Wiggins was dropped today or whether it was the mechanical?
We saw Froome edge past him on the seriously steep section before the moto went kaput but he was still in the saddle (once a track rider, always a track rider).
Guess we won't know unless a spectator ran alongside for the duration.
Can't help but think Wiggo is getting some stick for a great ride.
We saw Froome edge past him on the seriously steep section before the moto went kaput but he was still in the saddle (once a track rider, always a track rider).
Guess we won't know unless a spectator ran alongside for the duration.
Can't help but think Wiggo is getting some stick for a great ride.
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