Froome interview in Rouleur

iainf72

Ned Boulting does an interview with Froome in the latest issue. It's quite interesting - I didn't know about the dynamic with Porte

frenchfighter

What dynamic do you mean?

iainf72

He describes Porte as his closest friend in cycling

"If Richie is nearby, I let him do all the talking. He'll let people know if they're riding in the wrong place. I'm generally pretty quiet and I'll just go around someone if I think they're in the way"

The other thing is that he does correct Michelle when she's wrong, which probably doesn't fit with the forum straw man that she's a problem.

dsoutar

iainf72 wrote:

which probably doesn't fit with the forum straw man that she's a problem.

I haven't got around to reading the interview yet but I reckon he's no fool; let her rant and rave on Twitter so all the media attention is on her really.

I know he's not liked by many people on here but I quite admire him for the way he just get's on with what he does. I don't think he's quite the prima donna that many people take him for.

iainf72

He doesn't seem to be - He says in the interview he wasn't even aware of what she said a lot of the time.

He sounds fairly easy to manage TBH.

frenchfighter

Interesting. He is always on Porte`s wheel and is rarely on his own. He lacks the tactical nous and maybe he suffered in the Vuelta by having no one to guide him. Sheds new light on the Crit Int move when he took the jersey off Porte.

I am confused by Froome tbh.

He comes across as a really nice guy off the bike although sometimes I suspect it is a guise particularly given what many people have said about him. On the bike he is a killer since coming into this level of performance his legs can now deliver. For some fans that is an ideal combo.

On the one hand I feel like if he was in a different team he would be one of my favourite riders, at least if he rode on instinct. I really dislike him being moulded into Sky`s modus operandi (regardless of how effective it is). On the other hand I can`t feel comfortable about his jump in performance from average to World Beater.

Macaloon

frenchfighter wrote:

Interesting. He is always on Porte`s wheel and is rarely on his own. He lacks the tactical nous and maybe he suffered in the Vuelta by having no one to guide him. Sheds new light on the Crit Int move when he took the jersey off Porte.

This is often mentioned. What's it based on? Yesterday he allowed Valverde to hang for about 2km (Valverde kept looking back to be put out of misery), and waited quite a while before setting off after Contador. It didn't seem naive or tactically weak to me. Quite the opposite.

Edit. On the other stuff, you either believe Sky are doping team-wide or you don't. Similarly you either believe the Froome parasite/late starter story or you don't.

inkyfingers

Looking forward to reading this tonight if the wife has a headache.

I do always take what they say with a pinch of salt though, it's hard to gain a real insight into somebody from one interview, particularly when the interviewer is on side, so to speak.

Richmond Racer

inkyfingers wrote:

Looking forward to reading this tonight if the wife has a headache.

I do always take what they say with a pinch of salt though, it's hard to gain a real insight into somebody from one interview, particularly when the interviewer is on side, so to speak.

Why? Does Mrs Inky get first dibs on Rouleur?

inkyfingers

If she has a headache then she likes me to read to her to get her off to sleep.

If she doesn't have a headache then she talks incessantly, till I go to sleep.

frenchfighter

Macaloon wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Interesting. He is always on Porte`s wheel and is rarely on his own. He lacks the tactical nous and maybe he suffered in the Vuelta by having no one to guide him. Sheds new light on the Crit Int move when he took the jersey off Porte.

This is often mentioned. What's it based on? Yesterday he allowed Valverde to hang for about 2km (Valverde kept looking back to be put out of misery), and waited quite a while before setting off after Contador. It didn't seem naive or tactically weak to me. Quite the opposite.

Edit. On the other stuff, you either believe Sky are doping team-wide or you don't. Similarly you either believe the Froome parasite/late starter story or you don't.

He doesnt have the old school tactical teachers to help him or the race history of learning for himself. He isn`t a bad tactician, just not the best. Anyway I don`t think Sky riders make any decisions anyway. He got played in the Vuelta.

iainf72

You should read the interview FF. He talks a bit about things being "un sky"

The whole did he attack in the Tour thing is good too.

What happened in the Vuelta last year is how you take on Sky - There's no point trying to go for it on a HC mountain top finish, you'll have more luck on a rolling course. See T-A this year

frenchfighter

I completely agree. When you do something somewhat unexpected they falter badly.

I`ll try and pick rouleur up this weekend - havent bought it in a good while.

inkyfingers

Surprised you don't subscribe Frenchie, after all it's mostly about style over substance




(For the record, I am a subscriber, am an absolute sucker for print that smells nice).

frenchfighter

Haha, yeah but the price tag is silly for what it is imo - has some great articles and photos but not enough for it to be a regular buy.

TMR

iainf72 wrote:

The other thing is that he does correct Michelle when she's wrong, which probably doesn't fit with the forum straw man that she's a problem.

To be fair though, she is a problem from a PR perspective. And correcting her isn't the same as stopping her from doing it again. She's a woman and she's Welsh - more than most men can deal with TBH.

TMR

frenchfighter wrote:

Haha, yeah but the price tag is silly for what it is imo - has some great articles and photos but not enough for it to be a regular buy.

You can level that argument at many things in life Frenchie. How many of your colleagues waste money on expensive alcohol in posh bars? It's table art really, meant to be collected and treasured as much as read.

iainf72

frenchfighter wrote:

Haha, yeah but the price tag is silly for what it is imo - has some great articles and photos but not enough for it to be a regular buy.

You're a disgrace to the City Frenchie It's a tenner FFS

above_the_cows

Where did this idea that Froome is difficult to work with, is a prima donna etc come from? He has always seemed very 'well-mannered colonial public school boy' to me. Now that doesn't preclude him from being a total ar*ehat, in fact probably quite the opposite (ask the Mau Mau) but it does seem to have become something of a trope with little of substance to back it up.

iainf72

The Mad Rapper wrote:

To be fair though, she is a problem from a PR perspective. And correcting her isn't the same as stopping her from doing it again. She's a woman and she's Welsh - more than most men can deal with TBH.

She's not really Welsh.

What's worse - A rider being off message or a riders partner being off message?

TMR

Above The Cows wrote:

Where did this idea that Froome is difficult to work with, is a prima donna etc come from? He has always seemed very 'well-mannered colonial public school boy' to me. Now that doesn't preclude him from being a total ar*ehat, in fact probably quite the opposite (ask the Mau Mau) but it does seem to have become something of a trope with little of substance to back it up.

*Pulls pin, tosses grenade*

Probably from the friction generated from the reality of the TdF last year, that Froome should have won as he was the better rider.

Oh no I didn't...

Richmond Racer

The Mad Rapper wrote:

Above The Cows wrote:

Where did this idea that Froome is difficult to work with, is a prima donna etc come from? He has always seemed very 'well-mannered colonial public school boy' to me. Now that doesn't preclude him from being a total ar*ehat, in fact probably quite the opposite (ask the Mau Mau) but it does seem to have become something of a trope with little of substance to back it up.

*Pulls pin, tosses grenade*

Probably from the friction generated from the reality of the TdF last year, that Froome should have won as he was the better rider.

Oh no I didn't...

DONT. GO. THERE.

TMR

iainf72 wrote:

She's not really Welsh.

I thought she was?

What's worse - A rider being off message or a riders partner being off message?

I don't think either is necessarily 'worst' given how expansive the media is these days; the issue is that while the Team can rightly dictate what the rider says publicly, they have no control over what the rider's family might say.

I think that's as it should be, it's honest and refreshing to learn of spats behind the carefully crafted PR veneer. I find it fascinating at least.

frenchfighter

Froome lovers should pre-order:
http://www.birlinn.co.uk/Va-Va-Froome.html

thamacdaddy

Think the podcast from halfway through is equally revealing. Interview with Boulting about the interview with froome and his thoughts on him and how he fits in sky.

http://rouleurmagazine.wordpress.com/20 ... -issue-39/

frenchfighter

iainf72 wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Haha, yeah but the price tag is silly for what it is imo - has some great articles and photos but not enough for it to be a regular buy.

You're a disgrace to the City Frenchie It's a tenner FFS

LoL, are you one of those people that buy an 8 quid burrito
I went to Dishroom yesterday - you should pop round after work one day if you haven`t already as it is quite interesting way of eating Indian. Just don`t look up!

frenchfighter

The Mad Rapper wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Haha, yeah but the price tag is silly for what it is imo - has some great articles and photos but not enough for it to be a regular buy.

You can level that argument at many things in life Frenchie. How many of your colleagues waste money on expensive alcohol in posh bars? It's table art really, meant to be collected and treasured as much as read.

I have yet to reach your level of unrestrained spending

Paulie W

I wonder how many of those 256 pages have been left blank for the TdF 2013 'win'!?

iainf72

frenchfighter wrote:

LoL, are you one of those people that buy an 8 quid burrito
!

You watched me buying lunch yesterday? and you didn't say hi?

[I did actually have a burrito]

thamacdaddy

PS what I find really interesting especially here in this forum is the difference of wiggins and froome. Froome is passion on the bike. Makes him exciting to watch. But off it, especially if you listen to the rouler podcast Froome is mr corporate. Does his interviews. Keeps it cold and businesslike. Exactly the sort of thing many on the forums don't like that you see in football all the time and is just a bit boring.

Off the bike wiggins however has a personality and an emotional side that makes him probably prickly for many people but no denying far more interesting out of the saddle. It might mean nothing because what does it matter in racing but these are the reasons I personally prefer wiggins - he shouldn't beat all these climbers or explosive riders perhaps but the fact he will battle through it using what he can makes me support him a but more.

I am not a froome fan but I totally acknowledge he is a great rider, I don't think he came from nowhere. In his first tour he was always in the select group towards the end until the pace went a bit too high. As Boulting points out, there was something there.

lloyd_bower

frenchfighter wrote:

Interesting. He is always on Porte`s wheel and is rarely on his own. He lacks the tactical nous and maybe he suffered in the Vuelta by having no one to guide him. Sheds new light on the Crit Int move when he took the jersey off Porte.

I am confused by Froome tbh.

He comes across as a really nice guy off the bike although sometimes I suspect it is a guise particularly given what many people have said about him. On the bike he is a killer since coming into this level of performance his legs can now deliver. For some fans that is an ideal combo.

On the one hand I feel like if he was in a different team he would be one of my favourite riders, at least if he rode on instinct. I really dislike him being moulded into Sky`s modus operandi (regardless of how effective it is). On the other hand I can`t feel comfortable about his jump in performance from average to World Beater.

I think most sensible judges weren't surprised by his Vuelta last year, he was never going to take it out having been performing at the top of the game in le Tour and giving his all in the Olympics. Practically impossible to peak for either a Giro/Tour, or Tour/Vuelta double. Doped up Armstrong never attempted it, a doped up Contador easily failed the second step after taking the '11 Giro.

Sure Pantani managed it in the late 90's with Giro/Tour double, he was clearly juiced up and it would pretty naive to think Indurain's two double up's earlier in the decade weren't chemical assisted.