Chris Froome (spoilers)

plectrum
plectrum Posts: 225
edited July 2012 in Pro race
I'm wanting to believe that his remarkable development is down to training alongside the best GC road racer currently in the top team but today's performance in smashing an on form Cancellara was a little bit too far for me. How has this cyclist been missed until the age of 26/27, a rider who has no weakness.

Could anyone with a bit more experience and knowledge of pro cycling, give me a bit of reason to keep the faith.
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Comments

  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    If you question, then you're a c**t mate. :P

    He's not come out of nowhere really. Check out his first TdF for Barloworld. He was young, on a rubbish team and still did some decent TT's.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,599
    he was never in a decent team and was constantly ill/ injured
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • nweststeyn
    nweststeyn Posts: 1,574
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Na ... mpionships

    see 2010.

    Also, he is only noticed now at quite an old age as he spent his career as a mountain biker. Rode for Barloworld in 2008-2009 and therefore wouldnt be picked up as much by the british media. Since joining Team Sky he has improved pretty consistently whilst fighting illness. He has never really been an 'also-ran' for a sustained period of time and therefore I have reason to keep the faith by believing he might just be a great rider who has joined road racing late.
  • luckao
    luckao Posts: 632
    I don't know nearly enough about the numbers involved, but I will say that it isn't unheard of for sports stars to come good later in their careers, whilst some peak very early.

    Surely being at Barloworld didn't help? It never struck me as a team that did much more than make up the numbers.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Luckao wrote:

    Surely being at Barloworld didn't help? It never struck me as a team that did much more than make up the numbers.

    And a stage win at TdF And King of Mountains, obviously :P

    But no, wasn't the right environment for younger riders.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • plectrum
    plectrum Posts: 225
    Iain,

    Perhaps where working harder than everyone else works well for Wiggo, being sick for most of the pre-season works best for Froome! The dude has Bilharzia, perhaps those wee worms turn the pedals for him.
  • luckao
    luckao Posts: 632
    iainf72 wrote:
    Luckao wrote:

    Surely being at Barloworld didn't help? It never struck me as a team that did much more than make up the numbers.

    And a stage win at TdF And King of Mountains, obviously :P

    Remind me of Cofidis and Moncoutie. To me, Barloworld's most notable achievement was when John-Lee Augustyn crested a behemoth and then went flying over the edge on his way down.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    With Froome, he showed talent before even if it wasnt particularly special. Yet it seems to me that he has responded really well to the structure of Sky and they have brought out his potential.

    He has some form in the TTs before and was always a climber.

    He remains somewhat suspicious for me, but I am reserving judgement until anything pops up.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Bozman
    Bozman Posts: 2,518
    It amazes me that no one picked up on him doing well, was it Stephen Roche that favoured him more than Wiggins for the Tour?
    Froome had an underlying illness and seems to have sorted that out at the moment, just look at Djokovic's transformation since he was diagnosed celiac, good to great tennis player in a year.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Re Barloworld. They gave us Soler. That is more than enough ; )

    255-013.jpg
    SOLER-8a-TOUR2811.jpg
    Contador is the Greatest
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,788
    He remains somewhat suspicious for me, but I am reserving judgement until anything pops up.

    Whereas you biggest hero got busted :shock:

    You realize nothing will ever 'pop up' to prove him clean. I pity you.
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • nweststeyn
    nweststeyn Posts: 1,574
    valv.piti him?
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Dont waste your time pitying me. Contador will always be a champion and the best stage racer since Hinault, Fignon and maybe Indurain.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • plectrum
    plectrum Posts: 225
    Thanks guys, I still am completely unconvinced, although I guess he's been under the Brailsford wing for a bit longer in the Team GB guise so perhaps they've been working on him for a while. It is just 22 secs on Fabian is just WOW.
  • plectrum
    plectrum Posts: 225
    Just out of interest, could anyone process the power numbers for todays TT?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    plectrum wrote:
    Thanks guys, I still am completely unconvinced, although I guess he's been under the Brailsford wing for a bit longer in the Team GB guise so perhaps they've been working on him for a while. It is just 22 secs on Fabian is just WOW.

    Cancellara underperformed though. If we'd had a sweepstake on who much he would beat TJVG and Chavanel by, I doubt anyone would have said less than a minute, let alone 9 and 27 seconds.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • mroli
    mroli Posts: 3,622
    I liked Barloworld. They rode nice bikes, had a red kit, they gave "British" riders a good crack of the whip and if I ever need transport logistics(?) they're on my list....

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/others ... cipal.html

    Who is taking DB up on his offer of a Manchester seminar?
    http://www.georgesfoundation.org
    http://100hillsforgeorge.blogspot.com/
    http://www.12on12in12.blogspot.co.uk/
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,253
    plectrum wrote:
    Just out of interest, could anyone process the power numbers for todays TT?

    No from today, but this is Froome in the TT at last year's Vuelta: http://teamsky.cyclingnews.com/tech-new ... elta-lead/

    Average power: 406W, 5.8W/kg - nothing particularly suspicious.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Power data for Henderson...not that is of much relevance

    http://www.trainingpeaks.com/av/JAMCUDC ... LEGOAC6JAU
    Contador is the Greatest
  • plectrum
    plectrum Posts: 225
    Rich,

    Chavanel is cycling like a demon and Teejay was a surprise in a similar fashion to Froome.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Critics need to wake up and realise that cycling has evolved. Dedication and sacrifice = results. End of story!

    -Froome twitter

    There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”
    Retweeted by Chris Froome
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    I can't fault anyone for being surprised by Froome.

    However, there are some mitigating factors, and interesting pieces of information about him. Long before his Vuelta explosion British Cycling identified him as a potential GT candidate based on his performance numbers. That was quite openly talked about (and mocked) ever since Sky made the infamous "British Tour winner in 5 years" statement.

    He was 14th in a 53k TT, in the 3rd week of his debut Tour de France as a 23 year old, in a doped up peloton. That is impressive.

    Over the last few years he often climbed with the top riders, but equally as regularly he would panic, attack, and blow up. Before Wiggins crashed out of the Tour last year, Froome was scheduled to be Sky's leader in the Vuelta.

    And bilharzia.

    Cycling is cycling though, so never say never.

    piece on him, by Inner Ring:
    http://inrng.com/2011/08/chris-froome-vuelta-leader/
  • plectrum
    plectrum Posts: 225
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Critics need to wake up and realise that cycling has evolved. Dedication and sacrifice = results. End of story!

    -Froome twitter

    There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”
    Retweeted by Chris Froome

    Makes sense, I'm sure Lance Armstrong may tweet back Dedication and sacrifice ....oh and some good dope = better results. :)

    http://teamsky.cyclingnews.com/tech-new ... elta-lead/

    okay fair enough, he beat Fabian last year in Vuelta too.
  • plectrum
    plectrum Posts: 225
    Turfle

    Yup I did notice he has been within the Team GB fold for a while longer than Sky so it makes sense that they've identified something special.
  • alanjay
    alanjay Posts: 363
    fasr forward a year and no doubt the "doubters" will be saying the same when JTL kicks some backsides in Le Tour...
  • P_Tucker
    P_Tucker Posts: 1,878
    alanjay wrote:
    fasr forward a year and no doubt the "doubters" will be saying the same when JTL kicks some backsides in Le Tour...

    If he does, that'll be a pretty safe bet too
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Sport is littered with those athletes who other athletes swear would have been the greatest "if only". It was interesting watching twitter last year during the Vuelta, and how many non-Sky riders were saying things like "it's about time". Maybe, just maybe, it's the combination of talent shown as a youngster, hidden by serious illness, and then all clicking together in a cleaner peloton.

    Again, I'm really really not saying he's definitely clean, or is above questioning, but his story is plausible enough, in my eyes at least, that I'm happy to go with it until someone produces something suspicious about him other than he's riding really well.
  • frenchfighter
    frenchfighter Posts: 30,642
    Didnt Tom D have numbers good enough to win the TdF (I think I remember reading an article in CycleSport with JV saying this) and Cavndish numbers are rubbish.
    Contador is the Greatest
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Yeah, Danielson was the great hope for American cycling. Numerous records in hill/mountain ascents, off the charts test numbers, but could never put it all together on the road. Still had a number of top 10 finishes in Grand Tours though.
  • Bakunin
    Bakunin Posts: 868
    frenchfighter wrote:
    Dont waste your time pitying me. Contador will always be a champion and the best stage racer since Hinault, Fignon and maybe Indurain.

    And dirty as sin...

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