The Climb

mfin

smithy21 wrote:

The clue for Froome should have been when Wiggins was team leader in every single race that year.

Well, he apparently had a quite privileged upbringing and education, but he appears somewhere between thick as pigshit and having no common sense.

mfin

iainf72 wrote:

mfin wrote:

If you put a 100 people in a room that knew who Wiggins and Froome were, then gave them the choice of going for a drink with just one of two, Froome would probably be going for a drink on his own. Also, I bet he's about as crap at drinking as he is at having a personality.

Yes, but I believe the other guy is more popular on the team.

So there you go.

Maybe, I dunno, but there are a huge number of cycling fans and only a few Sky team members.

Turfle

That Wiggo was leader in the build up races would be even more reason for Froome to be angry. If he was given assurance when he signed his contract, then he had every right to feel betrayed.

iainf72

mfin wrote:

Maybe, I dunno, but there are a huge number of cycling fans and only a few Sky team members.

Sure, but the perception of people who know the guys involved is slightly different is all I was saying.

I wouldn't want to have a drink with either of them. Mainly coz it encourages Brailsford to pop around and make sure his riders aren't drinking :P

r0bh

Turfle wrote:

I opened up paint, but it was a bit beyond my talents.

Much as I'm a Wiggins fanboy, I can't blame Froome at all for being a little peeved over how 2012 played out. If he re-signed with Sky because he was given assurances he would be protected in the 2012 Tour, then he had every right to be angry. There was no reason to not have half the team wait for him when he had his mechanical on stage 1.

Pretty sure the mechanical on S1 was in the last few k so wouldn't have made much difference.

Froome complains about Wiggins being arrogant but IMHO it his him that comes across as arrogant in the bits of his book we have so far seen. Did he seriously expect to become team leader in 2012 after 2 years of crapness followed by one good performance in La Vuelta?

frenchfighter

Basically they are both not very likeable characters and I have little respect for either of them. They can ride their bikes pretty fast though.

Not only is Contador better than them from a talent and accomplishment perspective, he is a guy you can respect and is loved by fellow riders, team managers and others in the Sport.

Richmond Racer

RIGHT

Firstly Iain, I have my beadies on you. Throwing myself at Titchie Richie indeed...

Bernie on the other hand...

Someone asked what Wiggins said about Froome in his book. In fact, he didnt slag him off as Froome has done to him. He said that he felt threatened, because he didnt know after La Toussuire whether Froome was going to follow team orders in the rest of the race (because he certainly hadnt on that stage). He said that on reflection he put it done to naievety on the part of Froome, that he didnt think Froome hadnt really tried to attack him, but that he was naive as a rider (which many Forumites have also said on this very site).

And that was all he said in (mild) criticism of Froome. Otherwise he praises him as an extremely talented rider.

So Froome asked the Cound in the middle of the Tour to check the terms of his contract to ensure that his employers were allowed to make him 'sub-servient' to his team leader? Oh FFS Fenton, grow a pair.

As for Froome being so much more popular in the team...? According to David Walsh in his Sky book, there is a Team Wiggins, a Team Froome, and a third group of people who like them both equally. So unless Iain's polled all the riders and staff as to who prefers whom...

Froome's book is nicely timed to serve up a bit of cold revenge. Unfortunately for him, from the excerpts so far, not everyone thinks he's come out looking a good guy.

Richmond Racer

r0bh wrote:

Turfle wrote:

I opened up paint, but it was a bit beyond my talents.

Much as I'm a Wiggins fanboy, I can't blame Froome at all for being a little peeved over how 2012 played out. If he re-signed with Sky because he was given assurances he would be protected in the 2012 Tour, then he had every right to be angry. There was no reason to not have half the team wait for him when he had his mechanical on stage 1.

Pretty sure the mechanical on S1 was in the last few k so wouldn't have made much difference.

Froome complains about Wiggins being arrogant but IMHO it his him that comes across as arrogant in the bits of his book we have so far seen. Did he seriously expect to become team leader in 2012 after 2 years of crapness followed by one good performance in La Vuelta?

Not to mention he was sick again and missed Paris-Nice in 2012, and was out of racing for a few weeks.

As for that mechanical, the team had Porte and I think one other wait back for him.

Froome comes across as having a pretty immense sense of entitlement.

Turfle

r0bh wrote:

Turfle wrote:

I opened up paint, but it was a bit beyond my talents.

Much as I'm a Wiggins fanboy, I can't blame Froome at all for being a little peeved over how 2012 played out. If he re-signed with Sky because he was given assurances he would be protected in the 2012 Tour, then he had every right to be angry. There was no reason to not have half the team wait for him when he had his mechanical on stage 1.

Pretty sure the mechanical on S1 was in the last few k so wouldn't have made much difference.

Froome complains about Wiggins being arrogant but IMHO it his him that comes across as arrogant in the bits of his book we have so far seen. Did he seriously expect to become team leader in 2012 after 2 years of crapness followed by one good performance in La Vuelta?

If during contract negotiations he was told he'd be protected, then yeah he had the right to expect it. Remember Froome was a hot commodity at that point. Garmin absolutely were trying to sign him to lead them at the Tour in 2012.

The mechanical was about 12k to go, and the team had already prioritised Cav over him as he had Eisel with him two minutes behind the peloton. That made Froome 4th priority behind Wiggins, Cav, and EBH who was fighting for the stage win all on his lonesome. I'd be pretty fed up with that state affairs if I'd been promised to be protected.

ugo.santalucia

The thing is: many people disliked Armstrong... he divided opinions with his arrogance... Froome might win another 6 Tour de France, but he's unlikely to generate opinions... he's just... how can I put it... grey... :?

Richmond Racer

ugo.santalucia wrote:

The thing is: many people disliked Armstrong... he divided opinions with his arrogance... Froome might win another 6 Tour de France, but he's unlikely to generate opinions... he's just... how can I put it... grey... :?

Look, Ugo, he doesnt drink but on the odd occasion he wants to really shake loose like after winning the Tour, he likes a Baileys. How can that be grey?

Anonymous

frenchfighter wrote:

Not only is Contador better than them from a talent and accomplishment perspective, he is a guy you can respect and is loved by fellow riders, team managers and others in the Sport.

How can you respect a convicted unrepentant doper?

iainf72

Richmond Racer wrote:

Froome's book is nicely timed to serve up a bit of cold revenge. Unfortunately for him, from the excerpts so far, not everyone thinks he's come out looking a good guy.

The timing might be to encourage BW to come down with an "injury" or something.

above_the_cows

Richmond Racer wrote:

he doesnt drink but on the odd occasion he wants to really shake loose like after winning the Tour, he likes a Baileys. How can that be grey?

A damning indictment if ever there was one. Guilty on all charges. Lock him up, throw away the key. There is no hope for him. A truly lost cause.

davidof

So Brailsford sees Froome as one of the big danger's to Wiggins' tour win so resigns under false pretenses to neutralize a rival. Crafty.

cal_stewart

TDF should be good this year, there's a good chance of BW going into the final week up on CF, he's not going to beat him but it could make for some good telly

greeny12

It's no revelation to say professional cycling is the most overtly commercial of sports. Apart from the occasional sugar daddy effort teams only exist to promote their sponsor.

As such, there's surely no way Sky/News Corp would stand by and let a rider who is top quality but hardly 'box office' have the final say on the participation of another who - love him or loathe him - is one of the two biggest stars in the sport in this country? Especially when said star rider is looking bang on it again!

Tail wagging the dog in every way, that would be...

iainf72

greeny12 wrote:

As such, there's surely no way Sky/News Corp would stand by and let a rider who is top quality but hardly 'box office' have the final say on the participation of another who - love him or loathe him - is one of the two biggest stars in the sport in this country? Especially when said star rider is looking bang on it again!

We all remember what happened last time a sponsor forced the inclusion of someone in a grand tour team.... :P

ddraver

Above The Cows wrote:

Ca n people stop talking about cycling now please?!? Gah!

Trouble is now, is Froome Joffrey, Robert Baratheon otr Jamie Lannister..?

Think I might have to go with Jamie...

RichN95.

ddraver wrote:

Trouble is now, is Froome Joffrey, Robert Baratheon otr Jamie Lannister..?

Think I might have to go with Jamie...

Contador is Daenerys Targayen. The last surviving member of the toppled House of Bruyneel now joining forces with powers from the east, still thought of by some loyalists as the 'True Monarch/Champion'.

above_the_cows

RichN95 wrote:

ddraver wrote:

Trouble is now, is Froome Joffrey, Robert Baratheon otr Jamie Lannister..?

Think I might have to go with Jamie...

Contador is Daenerys Targayen. The last surviving member of the toppled House of Bruyneel now joining forces with powers from the east, still thought of by some loyalists as the 'True Monarch/Champion'.

Froome could be Loras Tyrell?

Who's Jon Snow?

Still this has given us something to talk about on the rest day.

DeVlaeminck

iainf72 wrote:

From what I've heard, Froome is an order of magnitude easier for the team to deal with than Wiggins.

I think there's enough of the story around that you can get the feel for what happened. The Cavendish piece is the interesting part to me.

Also, if you're the team leader, why try communicate through management? Why not just have a face to face? For someone who seems to love talking when a camera is pointing at them, calling the public w.nkers etc yet has a problem talking to someone he see's day to day? Odd.

Or why not wait a couple of years and then publish your feelings in a book.

RichN95.

Above The Cows wrote:

Who's Jon Snow?

Jason Kenny. The Starks are the GB track team - once key to the Brailsford seat of power but now shorn of it's male and female figureheads and alienated with hopes of survival resting on a couple of young girls.

ddraver

RichN95 wrote:

Above The Cows wrote:

Who's Jon Snow?

Jason Kenny. The Starks are the GB track team - once key to the Brailsford seat of power but now shorn of it's male and female figureheads and alienated with hopes of survival resting on a couple of young girls.

Ha ha!!

That is beautiful!

joelsim

sjmclean wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Not only is Contador better than them from a talent and accomplishment perspective, he is a guy you can respect and is loved by fellow riders, team managers and others in the Sport.

How can you respect a convicted unrepentant doper?

If you removed the word convicted then it could be the vast majority of the peloton.

above_the_cows

ddraver wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Above The Cows wrote:

Who's Jon Snow?

Jason Kenny. The Starks are the GB track team - once key to the Brailsford seat of power but now shorn of it's male and female figureheads and alienated with hopes of survival resting on a couple of young girls.

Ha ha!!

That is beautiful!

You know nothing.

No seriously, that is awesome.

iainf72

RichN95 wrote:

Contador is Daenerys Targayen. The last surviving member of the toppled House of Bruyneel now joining forces with powers from the east, still thought of by some loyalists as the 'True Monarch/Champion'.

haha - genius.

Does this mean I need to fancy Contador now?

mechanism

Froome - gangly, gormless, slightly irritating. Just like Sansa Stark.

iainf72

Wiggins must be Petyr Baelish surely.

above_the_cows

Is Ian Stannard Brienne of Tarth?