Chris Froome

RichN95.

People used to say that Froome only won because of his team. It's starting to look that the opposite was true

smithy21

So what happens now for Froome/Ineos.

Contract is up at the end of 2020. Ineos have 3 TDF winners on the books. Is that too many?

Obviously Bernal will stay but any chance Darth Brailsford looks to move one of the others on?

m.r.m.

Froome is still the best in the world. If he can return to his usual form, he will stay on for another 4 years I'd expect. With 3 GT's and full pockets they will just spread the talent across all 3 GT's and try to win all of them in the same year.

smithy21

I reckon you could plug and play any top tier rider into the Ineos system and win the tour...yes even Nairo. Hell, even Bardet if they encouraged him to give his TT bike a run out every now and again.

amrushton

Froome/Brailsford WANT that 5th win to take Froome into the elite. Froome and Thomas will finish their careers there and Brailsford has the chance to have a chance of taking 3 GTs in one year not across eg 2019/20. They are a team that can/will recruit those it can train to ride to the plan. So Simon Yates wouldn't suit. But Ineos could be a team that goes on like DQS or Movi who are reincarnations of Mapei and Banesto. There will never be a shortage of riders who want to work at the highest level. The Monument/Classics still elude them tho'

Pross

Froome is apparently already able to pedal with both legs and is well ahead of his expected recovery. He just needs to make sure he doesn't push too hard but I assume he's being carefully monitored.

m.r.m.

He will win the Tour de France 2020.

surfercyclist

I so hope Froome back and in form for TDF 2020. INEOS win because they have great riders but also smart planning and tactics. G Thomas won't be a leader next year, it'll be Froome and Bernal. Thomas will be a super domestique.

PhilipPirrip

It's not a given that just because Ineos have three Tour winners right now that they'll all be going to the Tour next year.

Their strength in numbers (of Tour winners) along with their emerging talents means they are better placed than any other team to pick and choose whomever they wish for whichever GT the want with good odds of success across the board.

smithy21

Assume Carapaz wants to defend the Giro, Bernal will definitely want to defend the Tour. Froome will want to go to the Tour. That leaves Geraint riding shotgun at the Giro, bottle duties at the Tour or having a crack at the Vuelta. Interesting to see how they try to keep everyone happy.

PhilipPirrip

Sky weren't given to being sentimental so I imagine Ineos won't be either but I'd like to see Froome be given the chance of a 5th Tour win with Bernal focusing on the Giro (along with Carapaz) and Vuelta double even at 23.

larkim

Agreed, I'd expect to see Bernal given the chance to bag a different GT before he's given joint team leader status alongside Froome.

shirley_basso

Froome will likely be given #1 ranking unless

- Bernal can threaten him in a TT, which I think unlikely,
- Froome doesn't fully recover by next July. Also unlikely, but more realistic than Bernal becoming a stronger rider than Froome was prior to his crash.

fenix

I guess it depends what the course looks like next year - who will it suit better ?

A nice problem for Ineos to have though.

phreak

I wonder if Thomas will do the Vuelta?

ddraver

phreak wrote:

I wonder if Thomas will do the Vuelta?

I suspect there's a few bars in Cardiff requiring his attention instead

Pross

phreak wrote:

I wonder if Thomas will do the Vuelta?

I think he will, he was starting to come into form over the last few stages.

I'd like to see him go back to riding the Classics next season before riding the Tour as a super domestique as I think he is now third in the Ineos GC pecking order (possibly 4th if Carapaz joins). That said, Ineos are in the same situation they were with Geraint this year in that they really need to send the defending champion to the Tour and they won't send Froome to the Giro so it could well be that Geraint gets the Giro leadership (unless, of course, Carapaz joins). I can see at least 2 of Sivakov, Sosa and TGH going to the Tour after the relatively poor performance of the mountain domestiques this time around, it will also give them experience.

DeVlaeminck

That's why I think Geraint will get Giro leadership too, Bernal is Tour champion but also arguably at least as good a bet as Froome to win in 2020. That may change but at 35 coming back from a bad injury it'd be a brave call not to go in with Bernal at least as a semi protected rider - that's 2 years running their second string has won them the race so it has to be in their mind that it could happen again.

Classics are another option, I actually think that would make sense from a team point of view as it'd ensure him being able to prepare for the Tour as domestique - seems a shame if Ineos are actually preventing GBs best home grown grand tour rider riding grand tours though.

larkim

If we extend out to Ineos as a whole, I think they'll be looking at why their climbing doms just couldn't split the peleton apart this year in the way they have with Froome in the train. They all looked like they were missing a small amount to really put the other teams into difficulty compared to previous years.

Maybe with that in mind they'd prefer to ride the Tour with Froom OR Bernal plus Thomas next year, with Thomas in very much a non-leader role.

RichN95.

larkim wrote:

If we extend out to Ineos as a whole, I think they'll be looking at why their climbing doms just couldn't split the peloton apart this year in the way they have with Froome in the train. They all looked like they were missing a small amount to really put the other teams into difficulty compared to previous years.

Maybe with that in mind they'd prefer to ride the Tour with Froom OR Bernal plus Thomas next year, with Thomas in very much a non-leader role.

Mainly because they usually have Thomas or Bernal (and before that Porte) to do the final "put them in to the red" part before the launch. The classic Sky train is primarily a defensive strategy used when they have the yellow jersey, which wasn't until stage 20 this year.

ocdupalais

Assuming Carapaz is on his way, Ineos have now officially moved into the territory of being able to field a team where half the riders have actually won a GT rather than have the potential to.

DeVlaeminck

larkim wrote:

Maybe with that in mind they'd prefer to ride the Tour with Froom OR Bernal plus Thomas next year, with Thomas in very much a non-leader role.

Take your point but is Froome the same rider as 4-5 years ago? I think Froome has to ride as a leader, it's the record if he can win, he's getting on so if not 2020 then is it too late? if he doesn't get at least joint leadership I can't see him being happy.

But given the doubts and Bernal being the future I think they want to keep him sweet. Swings and roundabouts - definitely agree they'll want Thomas and Carapaz if signed there as domestiques. That will be formidable.

rick_chasey

DeVlaeminck wrote:

larkim wrote:

Maybe with that in mind they'd prefer to ride the Tour with Froom OR Bernal plus Thomas next year, with Thomas in very much a non-leader role.

Take your point but is Froome the same rider as 4-5 years ago? I think Froome has to ride as a leader, it's the record if he can win, he's getting on so if not 2020 then is it too late? if he doesn't get at least joint leadership I can't see him being happy.

But given the doubts and Bernal being the future I think they want to keep him sweet. Swings and roundabouts - definitely agree they'll want Thomas and Carapaz if signed there as domestiques. That will be formidable.

Froome may not quite have the legs he once did, but like proper hitters he's improved in many other ways.

Froome does not need to be 100% to win a grand tour, and not many can say that, (possibly Bernal).

shirley_basso

Rick Chasey wrote:

DeVlaeminck wrote:

larkim wrote:

Maybe with that in mind they'd prefer to ride the Tour with Froom OR Bernal plus Thomas next year, with Thomas in very much a non-leader role.

Take your point but is Froome the same rider as 4-5 years ago? I think Froome has to ride as a leader, it's the record if he can win, he's getting on so if not 2020 then is it too late? if he doesn't get at least joint leadership I can't see him being happy.

But given the doubts and Bernal being the future I think they want to keep him sweet. Swings and roundabouts - definitely agree they'll want Thomas and Carapaz if signed there as domestiques. That will be formidable.

Froome may not quite have the legs he once did, but like proper hitters he's improved in many other ways.

Froome does not need to be 100% to win a grand tour, and not many can say that, (possibly Bernal).

It's almost a shame that Froome will likely retire at Ineos rather than go somewhere else and be devastating in some other role.

PhilipPirrip

Shirley Basso wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

DeVlaeminck wrote:

larkim wrote:

Maybe with that in mind they'd prefer to ride the Tour with Froom OR Bernal plus Thomas next year, with Thomas in very much a non-leader role.

Take your point but is Froome the same rider as 4-5 years ago? I think Froome has to ride as a leader, it's the record if he can win, he's getting on so if not 2020 then is it too late? if he doesn't get at least joint leadership I can't see him being happy.

But given the doubts and Bernal being the future I think they want to keep him sweet. Swings and roundabouts - definitely agree they'll want Thomas and Carapaz if signed there as domestiques. That will be formidable.

Froome may not quite have the legs he once did, but like proper hitters he's improved in many other ways.

Froome does not need to be 100% to win a grand tour, and not many can say that, (possibly Bernal).

It's almost a shame that Froome will likely retire at Ineos rather than go somewhere else and be devastating in some other role.

Froome isn't responsible for those who have a mentally retarded view that all cycling should be like American Flyers.

Froome has no responsibility to prove himself to the ignorant and stupid, rather it's their responsibility to prove otherwise.

shirley_basso

Huh?

I'm saying that he will likely retire as a GC rider / hopeful (like Wiggins did once he won TDF) and won't go in pursuit of being a stage hunter, team leader or other in other GTs (like Nibali, for example). Imagine he had free reign to do the odd repeat of that giro stage, rather than conserving energy throughout a GT.

Not that he should become a sprinter.

larkim

But if his specific skillset / physiology is what makes him a great GC rider, why faff around with single stage hunting? Nibali is a stage hunter because he can't consistently be a GC winner.

It'd be like Roger Federer retiring from Grand Slams and just playing doubles in minor tournaments - where's the appeal?

r0bh

Shirley Basso wrote:

I'm saying that he will likely retire as a GC rider / hopeful (like Wiggins did once he won TDF) and won't go in pursuit of being a stage hunter, team leader or other in other GTs (like Nibali, for example). Imagine he had free reign to do the odd repeat of that giro stage, rather than conserving energy throughout a GT.

But that giro stage would not have been that giro stage if he hadn't been riding for GC.

shirley_basso

True that.

RichN95.

larkim wrote:

But if his specific skillset / physiology is what makes him a great GC rider, why faff around with single stage hunting? Nibali is a stage hunter because he can't consistently be a GC winner.

Nibali's consistently on a GT podium every year. It's just he can't/won't do two GTs back to back riding for GC.
I doubt Froome will do it anymore either having done that for 2015-2018.