How would YOU beat Froome?

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Comments

  • hypster
    hypster Posts: 1,229
    Above The Cows wrote:
    Seriously though can we consider the answer to this questions to be, if Froome is 100% he can't be beaten, he can only loose through error or misfortune.

    Is that not enough of an answer?

    Personally I have no problem with the strongest rider in the race winning the race. Isn't that sort of the point? Anything else just starts to seem like some sort of kids game show with Pat Sharpe sporting an 80s mullet and a bucket of green gunge.

    That's what I've maintained all along. In terms of the spectacle and the race I hate it when riders crash out like Contador, when they lose substantial amounts of time through no fault of their own like Richie Porte's untimely puncture and are sick like the rumour circulating about Nairo Quintana.

    The last point is a moot one of course because you could argue that it is the stresses and strains imposed by the race which might exacerbate that so it all part of the contest. Froome himself was suffering with something in the last few days last year which could have ultimately cost him the race and it has happened in the past as well.

    Unfortunately it's such an intensive contest that naturally riders are going to fall by the wayside for one reason or another. It's just all part of the drama of the Tour and nothing's over until it's over which is why I'm sure we'll see Froome shit (I didn't type shoot) or bust today.
  • philbar72
    philbar72 Posts: 2,229
    Dinyull wrote:

    Having said all of that, do all riders in the peloton ride with power meters?

    Probably not.
  • Richmond Racer 2
    Richmond Racer 2 Posts: 4,698
    RichN95 wrote:
    I think there's now a substantial mental barrier established in the minds of many riders. It's notable that the one rider who doesn't seem the least bit intimidated by Froome is Porte - a confidence born out of hours and hours riding together.


    That's a good point. If you've smashed him up a fair few climbs as Porte has done, irrespective of whether it was training vs racing (and Froome isn't someone who wants to lose in OR out of races), it must give you a mental aid...
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,470
    Greg Lemond is pretty much accusing him off having a motor and of being a doper in l'equipe by the looks of it.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Given that Froome's bikes seem to be being checked day in day out it seems a bit unlikely that they'd risk it.
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    gsk82 wrote:
    Greg Lemond is pretty much accusing him off having a motor and of being a doper in l'equipe by the looks of it.

    The fact that we haven't seen any massive attack in the mountains from Froome this Tour, L'Equipe were running low of manufactured insinuation but Greg duly came to their aid. So boring.
    Correlation is not causation.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,470
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    Given that Froome's bikes seem to be being checked day in day out it seems a bit unlikely that they'd risk it.

    More the ventoux attack in 2013 if the cycling news write up is a fair reflection of what he said.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • coopster_the_1st
    coopster_the_1st Posts: 5,158
    Could they try going above 2500m?

    See if that has a negative affect on Froome?
  • milemuncher1
    milemuncher1 Posts: 1,472
    gsk82 wrote:
    Greg Lemond is pretty much accusing him off having a motor and of being a doper in l'equipe by the looks of it.

    He'd be incredibly daft to dope these days. However, I've been very suspicious of the amount of 'bike changes' being taken by several riders this year, just before the end of the stages.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Milemuncher1 wrote:
    gsk82 wrote:
    Greg Lemond is pretty much accusing him off having a motor and of being a doper in l'equipe by the looks of it.

    He'd be incredibly daft to dope these days. However, I've been very suspicious of the amount of 'bike changes' being taken by several riders this year, just before the end of the stages.
    They've been using the thermal camera during stages as well though. A huge risk.

    And as that Belgian lady found, the fact you weren't actually riding the bike at the end of the race doesn't really help you.
  • ridgerider
    ridgerider Posts: 2,851
    Ridgerider wrote:
    No...this is how to beat Froome

    Isolate him...

    First day in the mountains, when his 'flat' riders are hoping for an easy day in the autobus, absolutely hammer it so they are all outside the time limit and get eliminated.

    Then, you pick another day in the mountains when sky have had a particularly hard day and half their climbers have finished their work for the day and are pooling along at the back, hammer it again to take further advantage of the time cut off.

    Repeat as necessary.

    Job done.

    I don't like to brag...but I called this a couple of months ago.

    [puts on Skooby Doo voice]...And it would have worked if it hadn't been for those pesky commissioners.
    Half man, Half bike
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,588
    You forgot the bit where you have to get him riding in a chipper race first ;)
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Ridgerider wrote:
    Ridgerider wrote:
    No...this is how to beat Froome

    Isolate him...

    First day in the mountains, when his 'flat' riders are hoping for an easy day in the autobus, absolutely hammer it so they are all outside the time limit and get eliminated.

    Then, you pick another day in the mountains when sky have had a particularly hard day and half their climbers have finished their work for the day and are pooling along at the back, hammer it again to take further advantage of the time cut off.

    Repeat as necessary.

    Job done.

    I don't like to brag...but I called this a couple of months ago.

    [puts on Skooby Doo voice]...And it would have worked if it hadn't been for those pesky commissioners.

    And for my next PTP pick, Kelderman to win everything next year. :wink:
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 20,642
    ridgerider, I'm also claiming expert DS insight.
    TheBigBean wrote:

    The only effective strategy in my mind is to islolate Froome on the flat / small hills. How you do that is another matter.
  • Richmond Racer 2
    Richmond Racer 2 Posts: 4,698
    Ridgerider wrote:
    Ridgerider wrote:
    No...this is how to beat Froome

    Isolate him...

    First day in the mountains, when his 'flat' riders are hoping for an easy day in the autobus, absolutely hammer it so they are all outside the time limit and get eliminated.

    Then, you pick another day in the mountains when sky have had a particularly hard day and half their climbers have finished their work for the day and are pooling along at the back, hammer it again to take further advantage of the time cut off.

    Repeat as necessary.

    Job done.

    I don't like to brag...but I called this a couple of months ago.

    [puts on Skooby Doo voice]...And it would have worked if it hadn't been for those pesky commissioners.


    Podium flowers for Ridgerider!
  • ridgerider
    ridgerider Posts: 2,851
    1. Big Bean - I provided full details how to achieve it, you didn't.
    2. Joelsim - You spend too much time discussing your ideas with cats. Kelderman is sooo 'last year'. About to be dumped by Jumbo (and me...).
    3. Pross - I thought we had all agreed the Vuelta is an end of term chipper GT...
    Half man, Half bike
  • ridgerider
    ridgerider Posts: 2,851
    Richmond Racer 2 wrote:
    Ridgerider wrote:
    Ridgerider wrote:
    No...this is how to beat Froome

    Isolate him...

    First day in the mountains, when his 'flat' riders are hoping for an easy day in the autobus, absolutely hammer it so they are all outside the time limit and get eliminated.

    Then, you pick another day in the mountains when sky have had a particularly hard day and half their climbers have finished their work for the day and are pooling along at the back, hammer it again to take further advantage of the time cut off.

    Repeat as necessary.

    Job done.

    I don't like to brag...but I called this a couple of months ago.

    [puts on Skooby Doo voice]...And it would have worked if it hadn't been for those pesky commissioners.


    Podium flowers for Ridgerider!

    I feel this is is my "Hesink" moment...years of rolling in with the main group (within the time limit), then I have one moment of epiphany.
    Half man, Half bike
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Ridgerider wrote:
    1. Big Bean - I provided full details how to achieve it, you didn't.
    2. Joelsim - You spend too much time discussing your ideas with cats. Kelderman is sooo 'last year'. About to be dumped by Jumbo (and me...).
    3. Pross - I thought we had all agreed the Vuelta is an end of term chipper GT...

    They're normally the only ones who don't disagree with me.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,649
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    I have done this experiment on pro cycling manager.

    I did a week long stage which went as follows:

    Stage 1: tour of Flanders
    Stage 2: Paris Roubaix
    Stage 3: liege
    Stage 4: 50km flat TT
    Stage 5: monster alpine stage including MTF.

    It was procycling manager 2008: it almost exclusively became a battle between Evans and Valverde, however much I tried.

    On PCM 2008, surely Devolder would win this? He'd put minutes into Cuddles and Piti in Flanders and Roubaix then only lose a bit on the MTF, as back then he was seen as a GT rider (75+ in MTN)
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    Contador proving without doubt that he is all class and anyone who thinks him out is a fool
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 26,266
    Vino'sGhost wrote:
    Contador proving without doubt that he is all class and anyone who thinks him out is a fool

    He is still 4 minutes back and the gap grew even on the day of his tactical masterclass. He has dropped back to the next layer down without a doubt.
  • professeur
    professeur Posts: 232
    KingstonGraham wrote:
    Vino'sGhost wrote:
    Contador proving without doubt that he is all class and anyone who thinks him out is a fool

    He is still 4 minutes back and the gap grew even on the day of his tactical masterclass. He has dropped back to the next layer down without a doubt.

    Didn't he get closer to everyone but Quintana on GC though?
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 26,266
    professeur wrote:
    KingstonGraham wrote:
    Vino'sGhost wrote:
    Contador proving without doubt that he is all class and anyone who thinks him out is a fool

    He is still 4 minutes back and the gap grew even on the day of his tactical masterclass. He has dropped back to the next layer down without a doubt.

    Didn't he get closer to everyone but Quintana on GC though?

    Yes, which means he can't stay with the other GC contenders on a big hill any more. Would you expect him to gain or lose time on the two summit finishes to come?
  • professeur
    professeur Posts: 232
    KingstonGraham wrote:
    professeur wrote:
    KingstonGraham wrote:
    Vino'sGhost wrote:
    Contador proving without doubt that he is all class and anyone who thinks him out is a fool

    He is still 4 minutes back and the gap grew even on the day of his tactical masterclass. He has dropped back to the next layer down without a doubt.

    Didn't he get closer to everyone but Quintana on GC though?

    Yes, which means he can't stay with the other GC contenders on a big hill any more. Would you expect him to gain or lose time on the two summit finishes to come?

    Presumably he'll lose time, which is probably why he attempted something different (if not totally unexpected) on Stage 15. I'm not sure if we're agreeing or disagreeing here, tbh! Anyway, question is, what will be the nett result of the remaining MTFs + TT w.r.t. Contador/Chaves/Yates?

    NB I'm assuming Froome will do a strong TT which may well turn out to be incorrect
  • ridgerider
    ridgerider Posts: 2,851
    Class is class
    Legs is legs

    Don't mix the two.

    He still has class, put perhaps not the legs.
    Half man, Half bike
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 26,266
    Ridgerider wrote:
    Class is class
    Legs is legs

    Don't mix the two.

    He still has class, put perhaps not the legs.

    On that basis, he is indeed all class.

    I still think that I think him out, but I'm not sure I know what that means anymore.
  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Ridgerider wrote:
    Class is class
    Legs is legs

    Don't mix the two.

    He still has class, put perhaps not the legs.

    ^This
  • RideOnTime
    RideOnTime Posts: 4,712
    How do you do that to the original poster thing.....

    I would steal his pants.

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