How good is Chris Froome?

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  • secretsqirrel
    secretsqirrel Posts: 2,145
    DJYqX6-XUAEW963?format=jpg

    selfie with a fan.. :lol:

    (from astanateam twitter)
  • yourpaceormine
    yourpaceormine Posts: 1,245
    PhilipPirrip wrote:
    silvergrenade wrote:
    DJXNmQ2W4AE-JBa.jpg
    When you've spent 19 days in the red jersey, finding a seat on the bus can be quite a problem @chrisfroome #LV2017
    This...Ladies and Gents is Dominance!
    Stuff Toy Galore at the Froome residence this year.. :lol:
    Everybody loves a bit of Bully.

    Just need Jim Bowen to say to Nibali, "Look what you could've won"

    Regularly used to bump into Jim Bowen in Tesco in Morecambe when I was a student. (A long time ago, before Tesco owned most of the shopping in UK plc). And, no, before anyone asks there wasn't a Morecambe College/Polytechnic/uni, there was so little rented accommodation in Lancaster that virtually all2nd years lived in holiday flats in Morecambe. It was utter pants.)
  • joey54321
    joey54321 Posts: 1,297
    I dunno, 5th Tour Vs champion of all grand tours at the same time?

    Both incredible feats, but more likely he only has this year to do the triple as the chance of winning a Vuelta and Tour double again...well, it's hard.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    chris froome is very good. Sky are on it. achieved all that on a different team...? maybe not.

    I guess he has to try the giro before its too late.
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,953
    He doesn't like the cold so much, which surely rules out the Giro?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    phreak wrote:
    He doesn't like the cold so much, which surely rules out the Giro?
    He's won a couple of Romandies in really crappy weather. It's a disadvantage for sure, but I don't think it can be ruled out.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Bo Duke
    Bo Duke Posts: 1,058
    Whilst Sky might claim they'll wait until they see the courses for the Giro and TdF, there's no way a rider so on top of his game won't be competing to win the TdF!

    One littl' question that needs answering is that Sky have had a massive squad clear out this summer, I wonder whether the lads they're bringing in could be Giro orientated etc.. maybe the composition of the new team will give clues. A quiet classics season to focus on the three GT's? Will Gee have another go at the Giro and Froome the TdF and VE again?
    'Performance analysis and Froome not being clean was a media driven story. I haven’t heard one guy in the peloton say a negative thing about Froome, and I haven’t heard a single person in the peloton suggest Froome isn’t clean.' TSP
  • silvergrenade
    silvergrenade Posts: 79
    I'd like to see Froome in One Day classics tbh.
    He can potentially win/podium races like Fleche, Lombardia.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Somehow with Chris you kinda feel he's only beating B listers.

    Appreciate it's a bit unfair on Nibz, but we all seemed to agree he won the Tour since all the big riders crashsed out.

    Also, not Chris' fault.

    But does anyone else get that vibe?
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    silvergrenade wrote:
    I'd like to see Froome in One Day classics tbh.
    He can potentially win/podium races like Fleche, Lombardia.


    On what evidence?
    _
  • Mountains09
    Mountains09 Posts: 23
    I think he'll go all in for tour number 5 against Dumoulin, Quintana et al. I'd imagine he might then skip the Vuelta to rest up for a Giro-tour effort in 2019.

    Who knows though, be interested to see the tour and Giro routes when they come out.
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,953
    RichN95 wrote:
    phreak wrote:
    He doesn't like the cold so much, which surely rules out the Giro?
    He's won a couple of Romandies in really crappy weather. It's a disadvantage for sure, but I don't think it can be ruled out.

    He probably could do it, but it increases the risks considerably, and given his past, you suspect he's very much a man that plays the odds.
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Somehow with Chris you kinda feel he's only beating B listers.

    Appreciate it's a bit unfair on Nibz, but we all seemed to agree he won the Tour since all the big riders crashsed out.

    Also, not Chris' fault.

    But does anyone else get that vibe?

    He's beaten everyone there is to beat hasn't he? It's noticeable how Bardet, Aru, Yates et al have done in the Vuelta having come from the Tour, so it's feasible to suggest they went deeper in the Tour than Froome did.
  • Agent57
    Agent57 Posts: 2,300
    yourpaceormine wrote:
    And, no, before anyone asks there wasn't a Morecambe College/Polytechnic/uni, there was so little rented accommodation in Lancaster that virtually all2nd years lived in holiday flats in Morecambe. It was utter pants.)
    Lots more student accommodation in Lancaster now - and more being built. Latest is on Bulk Road near the old Kingsway baths. There's a Facebook group, "Lancaster Past and Present" full of people moaning about the city being turned into student accommodation.

    As for Jim Bowen, IIRC one of my mates in sixth form went out with his daughter.
    MTB commuter / 531c commuter / CR1 Team 2009 / RockHopper Pro Disc / 10 mile PB: 25:52 (Jun 2014)
  • r0bh
    r0bh Posts: 2,451
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Somehow with Chris you kinda feel he's only beating B listers.

    Appreciate it's a bit unfair on Nibz, but we all seemed to agree he won the Tour since all the big riders crashsed out.

    Also, not Chris' fault.

    But does anyone else get that vibe?

    No.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    r0bh wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Somehow with Chris you kinda feel he's only beating B listers.

    Appreciate it's a bit unfair on Nibz, but we all seemed to agree he won the Tour since all the big riders crashsed out.

    Also, not Chris' fault.

    But does anyone else get that vibe?

    No.

    So who's a genuine A lister then?
    _
  • StillGoing
    StillGoing Posts: 5,211
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Somehow with Chris you kinda feel he's only beating B listers.

    Appreciate it's a bit unfair on Nibz, but we all seemed to agree he won the Tour since all the big riders crashsed out.

    Also, not Chris' fault.

    But does anyone else get that vibe?

    Only vibe I get is that Sky are more tactically astute and willing to work for their lead rider, sacrificing themselves time after time after time etc etc.
    I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    philthy3 wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Somehow with Chris you kinda feel he's only beating B listers.

    Appreciate it's a bit unfair on Nibz, but we all seemed to agree he won the Tour since all the big riders crashsed out.

    Also, not Chris' fault.

    But does anyone else get that vibe?

    Only vibe I get is that Sky are more tactically astute and willing to work for their lead rider, sacrificing themselves time after time after time etc etc.

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQF9JBXHvdqJEppFFJLPCU2ENRShNAiSlR2rp0jZvKF8_XHoClv
    _
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    Agent57 wrote:
    yourpaceormine wrote:
    And, no, before anyone asks there wasn't a Morecambe College/Polytechnic/uni, there was so little rented accommodation in Lancaster that virtually all2nd years lived in holiday flats in Morecambe. It was utter pants.)
    Lots more student accommodation in Lancaster now - and more being built. Latest is on Bulk Road near the old Kingsway baths. There's a Facebook group, "Lancaster Past and Present" full of people moaning about the city being turned into student accommodation.

    As for Jim Bowen, IIRC one of my mates in sixth form went out with his daughter.
    He owned the old railway station on the Carnforth to Kirby Lonsdale road somewhere past the inn at Redwall. IIRC he co-owned that inn back when it was a cool place to go (played live music and jazz which Bowen was a jazz trumpeter in the day). Sold up and moved away long ago now.

    You must have be in the area a good 20 years back to see JB in a supermarket unless I'm mistaken. IIRC Tesco wasn't around then with it only moving into the area at Carnforth when they bought the existing Safeways store when Morrisons took it over. They've since put in a Tesco metro in Morecambe.

    JB was reportedly nice guy... Most of the time!
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,275
    How good is CF? Not so this morning after the team night out in Madrid, judging by his appearance on Chris Evans' R2 show this morning.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    orraloon wrote:
    How good is CF? Not so this morning after the team night out in Madrid, judging by his appearance on Chris Evans' R2 show this morning.

    :lol:
    _
  • okgo
    okgo Posts: 4,368
    r0bh wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Somehow with Chris you kinda feel he's only beating B listers.

    Appreciate it's a bit unfair on Nibz, but we all seemed to agree he won the Tour since all the big riders crashsed out.

    Also, not Chris' fault.

    But does anyone else get that vibe?

    No.

    +1

    Rick Chasey in absolute drivel shocker.
    Blog on my first and now second season of proper riding/racing - www.firstseasonracing.com
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,788
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    r0bh wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Somehow with Chris you kinda feel he's only beating B listers.

    Appreciate it's a bit unfair on Nibz, but we all seemed to agree he won the Tour since all the big riders crashsed out.

    Also, not Chris' fault.

    But does anyone else get that vibe?

    No.

    So who's a genuine A lister then?
    I think he's beaten all the top guys this year. I guess we never got to see what Porte can do, but he's never won a GT so only a potential A lister. Same with Dumoulin, more a future A lister. Shame Valverde was at this Vuelta. He has a stella podium record but only one win, and that was a long while ago.
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    okgo wrote:
    r0bh wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Somehow with Chris you kinda feel he's only beating B listers.

    Appreciate it's a bit unfair on Nibz, but we all seemed to agree he won the Tour since all the big riders crashsed out.

    Also, not Chris' fault.

    But does anyone else get that vibe?

    No.

    +1

    Rick Chasey in absolute drivel shocker.

    Well now I'm convinced.
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    inseine wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    r0bh wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Somehow with Chris you kinda feel he's only beating B listers.

    Appreciate it's a bit unfair on Nibz, but we all seemed to agree he won the Tour since all the big riders crashsed out.

    Also, not Chris' fault.

    But does anyone else get that vibe?

    No.

    So who's a genuine A lister then?
    I think he's beaten all the top guys this year. I guess we never got to see what Porte can do, but he's never won a GT so only a potential A lister. Same with Dumoulin, more a future A lister. Shame Valverde was at this Vuelta. He has a stella podium record but only one win, and that was a long while ago.

    Right. So Dumolin's an A lister, just not yet.

    So who is?

    I'm not saying he hasn't beaten all the top guys.

    I just feel he's not really been made to sweat for it; there's no-one in the peloton apart from him who, right now is remotely at his level. They can match him going up hill, but then you wouldn't consider any of the contenders to be a good TTer.

    You don't feel there's someone else with potential 5 TdF victory talent that Chris is beating. Nor do his rivals have a team that can really match.

    You know, with Hinault you had some serious big cheeses in LeMond and Fignon.

    Even Armstrong had Ullrich, who had that talent and on the rare occasion he applied it ('04) Armstrong STILL got the better of him.
    _
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Nibz is certainly A list, but he didn't really have his A game this year....
    _
  • hopkinb
    hopkinb Posts: 7,129
    Mikel Landa next season? He can TT a bit now, did ok in the Giro TT last year.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,108
    If we are talking over the past 4 or 5 years I'd say Quintana and Contador are A list as well as Nibali. For whatever reason though neither has really brought that to the Tour consistently. Contador has crashed and compromised one Tour going for he Giro, Quintana I know is not rated by some but I still think he has shown potential to win a couple of Tours in the future.

    Nibali's best year was the year Froome crashed out - had Froome lost the kind of time to Nibali that all the other GC riders did on the cobbled stage then Nibali would likely have beaten him in that Tour.

    No the depth of field isn't as deep as the peak years of Hinault, LeMond and Fignon but how often did Hinault actually have to beat those two in a straight fight - never ?
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • above_the_cows
    above_the_cows Posts: 11,406
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    r0bh wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Somehow with Chris you kinda feel he's only beating B listers.

    Appreciate it's a bit unfair on Nibz, but we all seemed to agree he won the Tour since all the big riders crashsed out.

    Also, not Chris' fault.

    But does anyone else get that vibe?

    No.

    So who's a genuine A lister then?

    Froome.

    The rest are good but not as good. The only rider who if you believed the media could have challenged him at the Tour was LRP and well, I'm not really sure he would have TBH, as much as I like LRP.

    Who else that was a 'big' rider crashed out of the Tour?

    Quintana didn't crash he was just underwhelming as is becoming a bit standard. Aru collapsed in the third week, Bardet ground to a halt in the TT, Uran rode consistently well but not well enough to beat Froome. Contador was Contador i.e. past his prime, who else was there that could conceivably have beaten Froome?
    Correlation is not causation.
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,788
    I get what you're saying now, basically there are no other A listers in the peloton. Interesting point.
    I think Nibali qualifies, just.
    Porte, despite lack of results, could be.
    Dumoulin will be.
    Quintana would be nalied on if it weren't for Froome.
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Maybe it's just because Chris is so good he makes everyone else look like B listers, but I never really remember seeing Chris really tested and coming out on top.

    In instances where he's lost, post becoming a GT contender (i.e. the Vuelta, or some of the WT 1 weekers), you feel it's because he's not been preparing for it specifically, rather than because he's just been outclassed. They weren't a priority, but he likes the races and he's happy to race them hard.

    The dream scenario is Nibz on an absolute flyer, pulling out all the stops, putting Chris on the ropes and Chris still creeping over the line with the leader's jersey intact.

    Then you'd think 'fair play Chris, even on a bad month you can win it'.

    I just don't get that vibe. I did once upon a time with Contador, but I don't yet with Chris.
    _

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