How good is Chris Froome?
Comments
-
It's not so much that that is different, it's the talent pool.trek_dan wrote:Mercx is one to talk about having to race all year. Somewhat easier when doped to the gills, bearing in mind he got popped for PEDs 3 times in his career.
Merckx raced against other Belgians, Italians and Frenchmen with the occasional Spaniard and Dutchman.
Today we have riders from South Africa, Colombia, Kenya, Australia, Czech Republic and Uk in the top ten. A Pole, a Slovakian and an East German on the podium in Paris, teams from Russia, Kazakhstan and USA.Twitter: @RichN950 -
Agree with Rick. Best of his generation.
Merckx, Coppi, Hinault, Anquetil remain the class of the field. I leave a big old asterisk beside Indurain.
Lemond was a sublime talent, who but for being shot and the arrival of EPO (hello Big Mig) would probably be up there, but isn't because greatness is not what might have been.
Froome is in that rank just below, but he's not done yet. If he retired today, he'd rank alongside the likes of Fignon, Bobet, Gimondi, Contador* and Lemond.It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.0 -
Best of his generation by some way. interesting to note he's only a year or 2 younger than contador. which means they are of the same generation?
I think he needs to spread the net wider though. a vuelta and giro win would be great. this year as well he's raced like someone that wants to take the race by the scruff of the neck rather than indurain and minimise losses everywhere then nuke the TT...0 -
Andy Schleck is a month younger than Froome but his last GT podium was before Froome's first. So exactly who is in what generation is a bit ambiguous at best.philbar72 wrote:Best of his generation by some way. interesting to note he's only a year or 2 younger than contador. which means they are of the same generation?Twitter: @RichN950 -
RichN95 wrote:
Andy Schleck is a month younger than Froome but his last GT podium was before Froome's first. So exactly who is in what generation is a bit ambiguous at best.philbar72 wrote:Best of his generation by some way. interesting to note he's only a year or 2 younger than contador. which means they are of the same generation?
IMHO Froome is better than Schleck. Whatever generation they are tagged in.It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.0 -
For people who just look on paper Indurain might seem like all about time trials but he did win a MTF in 1989 which finished in Cauterets when Pedro Delgado was the leader of the Banesto team. He also took the mountain stage up to Luz Ardiden in 1990 the year before his first TdF victory.
During his TdF wins he also tended to gift stages to riders who helped him on the climbs and who can forget the 1994 stage to Hautacam where he lost out in the sprint at the top to Luc Leblanc but smashed the rest of the field including Marco Pantani who was off the front initially but reeled in by Indurain's power.
Another notable stage was the one to Liege in 1995 where he broke away with Johan Bruyneel and they basically rode away from the field. I can't remember if it still is but it used to be touted as the fastest non-TT stage ever.0 -
RichN95 wrote:
Andy Schleck is a month younger than Froome but his last GT podium was before Froome's first. So exactly who is in what generation is a bit ambiguous at best.philbar72 wrote:Best of his generation by some way. interesting to note he's only a year or 2 younger than contador. which means they are of the same generation?
Different peaks.0 -
Yeah , that's my point.Rick Chasey wrote:RichN95 wrote:
Andy Schleck is a month younger than Froome but his last GT podium was before Froome's first. So exactly who is in what generation is a bit ambiguous at best.philbar72 wrote:Best of his generation by some way. interesting to note he's only a year or 2 younger than contador. which means they are of the same generation?
Different peaks.Twitter: @RichN950 -
hypster wrote:For people who just look on paper Indurain might seem like all about time trials but he did win a MTF in 1989 which finished in Cauterets when Pedro Delgado was the leader of the Banesto team. He also took the mountain stage up to Luz Ardiden in 1990 the year before his first TdF victory.
During his TdF wins he also tended to gift stages to riders who helped him on the climbs and who can forget the 1994 stage to Hautacam where he lost out in the sprint at the top to Luc Leblanc but smashed the rest of the field including Marco Pantani who was off the front initially but reeled in by Indurain's power.
Another notable stage was the one to Liege in 1995 where he broke away with Johan Bruyneel and they basically rode away from the field. I can't remember if it still is but it used to be touted as the fastest non-TT stage ever.
Yep, Indurain could climb with the best, which is astonishing given his size, but we'll leave that debate to another day. To say he was hanging on would be doing him a massive dis-service.
But you're confusing your Bruyneel Tour wins, the stage to Liege with Indurain wasn't the fastest non-TT stage ever. That was another Bruyneel win, to Amiens, in 1993, aided by a massive tailwind.0 -
philbar72 wrote:I think he needs to spread the net wider though. a vuelta and giro win would be great.
I think this is a view held by a lot cycling fans on forums like this, simply because the Giro carries a certain romance and being able to say that you've won every Grand Tour just sounds better.
At the end of my career I'd actually rather say that I've won 3 Tours and also won every GT, rather than 4 TdFs. Even though I know the 4 TdFs is the harder cycling achievement.0 -
Froome likes the hot weather races doesn't he, so it's hard to see him target the Giro.
I'm pretty sure he has a Vuelta win in him since it seems to be MTF heavy and he has often said he likes the race (and the heat).0 -
Froome's primary focus is the Tour, therefore it's unlikely he will ride the Giro.0
-
Primary focus for the moment - that could change. I agree it seems unlikely, but maybe if he's won say 5 Tours he'll decide to have a go at something else.Joelsim wrote:Froome's primary focus is the Tour, therefore it's unlikely he will ride the Giro.0 -
Joelsim wrote:Froome's primary focus is the Tour, therefore it's unlikely he will ride the Giro.
He said that himself yesterday (or the day before) that the Giro is too difficult if he's still focussing on the Tour, and while you have a chance to win it, why not.
I imagine he'll probably be at the Vuelta again this year, but probably not riding to win it.0 -
Froome's attendance at the Vuelta is mostly a Sky tactical thing. Though to be fair, he looked like he was trying last year before he crashed.0
-
I'm not sure he's very good at entering races and not trying.TheBigBean wrote:Froome's attendance at the Vuelta is mostly a Sky tactical thing. Though to be fair, he looked like he was trying last year before he crashed.
I'm not sure he's going to try too hard at RideLondon this weekend though
0 -
He's come 2nd, 4th & 2nd in other years. He's always tried. He could do lacklustre riding in the bunch anywhere.TheBigBean wrote:Froome's attendance at the Vuelta is mostly a Sky tactical thing. Though to be fair, he looked like he was trying last year before he crashed.Twitter: @RichN950 -
professeur wrote:Milton50 wrote:A 3 time Tour winner. Stats aren't everything so how does he rank amongst the pantheon of Grand Tour winners?
Better than Fignon? On a par with Indurain?
Discuss.
I think he's overtaken Fignon now but he's nowhere near Indurain. The latter did the Giro-Tour double in consecutive years so I don't think he will ever overtake Miguel.
A little harsh on Fignon there. Fignon had a tough gig, sandwiched between Hinault and Lemond (chuck in Roche and Delgado just for fun), with Big Mig taking the wins in the last three tours he rode.
Fignon was also 8 seconds away from a hattrick, in a year where he'd already won the Giro, and 5 years previously had taken 2nd in the Giro alongside his 2nd TdF win.Warning No formatter is installed for the format0 -
No tA Doctor wrote:professeur wrote:Milton50 wrote:A 3 time Tour winner. Stats aren't everything so how does he rank amongst the pantheon of Grand Tour winners?
Better than Fignon? On a par with Indurain?
Discuss.
I think he's overtaken Fignon now but he's nowhere near Indurain. The latter did the Giro-Tour double in consecutive years so I don't think he will ever overtake Miguel.
A little harsh on Fignon there. Fignon had a tough gig, sandwiched between Hinault and Lemond (chuck in Roche and Delgado just for fun), with Big Mig taking the wins in the last three tours he rode.
Fignon was also 8 seconds away from a hattrick, in a year where he'd already won the Giro, and 5 years previously had taken 2nd in the Giro alongside his 2nd TdF win.
Yeah, Fignon had outrageously strong competition. He's also in contrast to Froome as he blitzed the scene from the off. I was just making a paper results-based judgement. More importantly, Fignon was way cooler (see avatar)...0 -
No tA Doctor wrote:professeur wrote:Milton50 wrote:A 3 time Tour winner. Stats aren't everything so how does he rank amongst the pantheon of Grand Tour winners?
Better than Fignon? On a par with Indurain?
Discuss.
I think he's overtaken Fignon now but he's nowhere near Indurain. The latter did the Giro-Tour double in consecutive years so I don't think he will ever overtake Miguel.
A little harsh on Fignon there. Fignon had a tough gig, sandwiched between Hinault and Lemond (chuck in Roche and Delgado just for fun), with Big Mig taking the wins in the last three tours he rode.
Fignon was also 8 seconds away from a hattrick, in a year where he'd already won the Giro, and 5 years previously had taken 2nd in the Giro alongside his 2nd TdF win.
And in that one he was robbed by having a TV helicopter in front of him in the final time trial, while Franceso Moser had the helicopter behind him :roll:It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.0 -
professeur wrote:
Yeah, Fignon had outrageously strong competition. He's also in contrast to Froome as he blitzed the scene from the off. I was just making a paper results-based judgement. More importantly, Fignon was way cooler (see avatar)...
Yes, your avatar and username did lead me to think you were giving up on Fignon too easily!
It's settled then. Fignon, who raced against two of the four riders with 5 TdFs and one with 3, had the toughest gig, was blatantly robbed in other races and was cooooool as f***.Warning No formatter is installed for the format0 -
No tA Doctor wrote:professeur wrote:
Yeah, Fignon had outrageously strong competition. He's also in contrast to Froome as he blitzed the scene from the off. I was just making a paper results-based judgement. More importantly, Fignon was way cooler (see avatar)...
Yes, your avatar and username did lead me to think you were giving up on Fignon too easily!
It's settled then. Fignon, who raced against two of the four riders with 5 TdFs and one with 3, had the toughest gig, was blatantly robbed in other races and was cooooool as f***.
Sums it up nicely for me It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.0 -
Didn't Fignon have a few bad years through health complications which ended when he shat the end of a tapeworm out?0
-
In a straight fight, where they both finished ad were both targeting the race properly...
Bertie never beat Froome
(Did he? That Vuelta, but Froome was just there for a jolly really. Even so the score is still in favour of Froome)We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
I don't think Froome will ride the giro unless (until) he wins a post-tour vuelta and then he'll decide to give it a crack and complete the set.0
-
0 -
LOL! Quintana's not that tall!0
