Froome :- I don't think I will Play

2

Comments

  • deejay
    deejay Posts: 3,138
    After the Spring Classics next year Wiggins effectively won't be riding for Sky.
    As a point of Interest but do Team GB riders get their income from the same Budget as Team Sky. :?:
    Organiser, National Championship 50 mile Time Trial 1972
  • jscl
    jscl Posts: 1,015
    deejay wrote:
    After the Spring Classics next year Wiggins effectively won't be riding for Sky.
    As a point of Interest but do Team GB riders get their income from the same Budget as Team Sky. :?:
    No.
    Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/scalesjason - All posts are strictly my personal view.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,221
    RichN95 wrote:
    However, having said that he will definitely do the Tour, that was with a solely sporting view.

    From a commercial point of view Sky will want to be big in Italy next season. They have just bought Sky Italia from Fox and have the Serie A football rights from next season, so they are on a big commercial push there. A visible Giro is important

    Aren't Sky and Fox more or less the same company (and both sponsors of the team)?
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,551
    Pross wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    However, having said that he will definitely do the Tour, that was with a solely sporting view.

    From a commercial point of view Sky will want to be big in Italy next season. They have just bought Sky Italia from Fox and have the Serie A football rights from next season, so they are on a big commercial push there. A visible Giro is important

    Aren't Sky and Fox more or less the same company (and both sponsors of the team)?

    Simple answer is yes.

    FWIW - Murdoch split his company into two separate companies a couple of years ago, though remains Chairman and CEO of both.

    21st Century Fox is the ultimate Team Sky sponsor. It owns all the Murdoch TV/Movie assets including a 39.1% stake in BSkyB, 54% of Sky Deutschland and 100% of Sky Italia.

    "New" News Corp now owns all the print/publishing assets (including the UK newspapers) but as far as I know has nothing to do with sponsoring Team Sky.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    Pross wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    However, having said that he will definitely do the Tour, that was with a solely sporting view.

    From a commercial point of view Sky will want to be big in Italy next season. They have just bought Sky Italia from Fox and have the Serie A football rights from next season, so they are on a big commercial push there. A visible Giro is important

    Aren't Sky and Fox more or less the same company (and both sponsors of the team)?
    Sort of. 21st Century Fox own around 40% of Sky (which itself is a publicly limited company).
    dish_dash wrote:
    21st Century Fox is the ultimate Team Sky sponsor. It owns all the Murdoch TV/Movie assets including a 39.1% stake in BSkyB, 54% of Sky Deutschland and 100% of Sky Italia.
    This bit is a bit out of date. The Fox sold Sky Italia and the stake in Sky Deutschland to BSkyB over the summer (they are expected to rebrand as Sky Europe). Hence why, from a commerical point of view, Froome doing the Giro actual could make sense.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,881
    http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/10/kelly ... miss-tour/

    “We saw that the race was so nervous on that day, with riders fighting for position. Froome crashed very early in the stage. It is not surprising that he decided, or hinted, that he might not do the Tour next year.

    “That’s the reason I would say I am really surprised that the Tour de France went down the road again. It was always going to be a risky one if you put cobbles in again. Froome was perhaps always going to say ‘I am not going to that f**king race.’”
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,719
    Be interesting if he and Quintana do opt to ride the Giro. Personally I can't see it though - Quintana looks pretty fearless to me and having missed the Tour this year after a decent showing in 2013 must be very keen to ride it next.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    Be interesting if he and Quintana do opt to ride the Giro. Personally I can't see it though - Quintana looks pretty fearless to me and having missed the Tour this year after a decent showing in 2013 must be very keen to ride it next.
    There's no way Quintana does anything other than focus on the Tour. He's done the Giro, is gagging to do the Tour and won't see this little TTing again.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,249
    http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/10/kelly-cobbles-rather-than-lack-of-time-trials-are-why-froome-might-miss-tour/

    “We saw that the race was so nervous on that day, with riders fighting for position. Froome crashed very early in the stage. It is not surprising that he decided, or hinted, that he might not do the Tour next year.

    “That’s the reason I would say I am really surprised that the Tour de France went down the road again. It was always going to be a risky one if you put cobbles in again. Froome was perhaps always going to say ‘I am not going to that f**king race.’”

    Bike handling (IMO) is chronically under valued when talking about GC contenders and one which is overlooked.

    We chastised Andy Schleck for whinging about that finishing descent which cost him the 2011 Tour but seem happy for GC riders moaning that the Tour of France visits roads in France with cobbles.

    The Tour isn't just a test of power and weight. You're racing bikes, learn to handle them.

    If Froome can't handle it and bails then he loses out for his lack of handling not the Tour. Blame Froome not the ASO

    Nibs won more time on the cobbled stage than on any other this year and that ride was easily one of the standout rides of the year and rightly so. We should reward more of this.

    (Appreciate Froome hasn't made a big comment re cobbles but I'm taking some licence from the above quote)
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    It's funny. Sky have been criticised for focusing too much on the Tour and now their star rider is thinking of diversifying that's wrong too.

    (And he gets criticism for being scared of the cobbles somehow, despite him specifically pointing to the lack of time trialling as the problem)
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,881
    Froome "Well if Bradley doesn't want the Tour any more I don't want it either"








    this quote is made up
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,249
    RichN95 wrote:
    It's funny. Sky have been criticised for focusing too much on the Tour and now their star rider is thinking of diversifying that's wrong too.

    (And he gets criticism for being scared of the cobbles somehow, despite him specifically pointing to the lack of time trialling as the problem)

    Read my disclaimer :P

    In fairness, the people criticising sky for focussing too much on the Tour are not the same people criticising them for, potentially, leaving their best GC rider out of the Tour.

    I have no problem with sky focussing on the Tour. I find their tactics tedious and boring but that's not their fault.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,719
    RichN95 wrote:
    It's funny. Sky have been criticised for focusing too much on the Tour and now their star rider is thinking of diversifying that's wrong too.

    (And he gets criticism for being scared of the cobbles somehow, despite him specifically pointing to the lack of time trialling as the problem)

    But a neutral looking at that parcours is probably going to pick out the cobbles as a bigger obstacle to him winning than the lack of a TT.

    He can protest all he likes and maybe what he says is true, we can't know his thought processes, but it's not unreasonable to assume that he's running scared because of the cobbles. After all in previous years Sky have been all about the Tour, Froome has been all about the Tour - now suddenly because of the lack of a TT which wouldn't guarantee him time over Contador (the man he names as his main rival) anyway he's going to do the Giro ?
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784

    But a neutral looking at that parcours is probably going to pick out the cobbles as a bigger obstacle to him winning than the lack of a TT.

    Yeah, but based on what? Some belief he's got a problem with cobbles based on his being knocked off by someone else and then having difficulty controlling his bike the next day?

    If he's scared of cobbles, why not unpaved roads in the Giro? Or those slippery roads they're bound to have in Italy again?
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • iainf72 wrote:
    If he's scared of cobbles, why not unpaved roads in the Giro? Or those slippery roads they're bound to have in Italy again?

    You mean the climb of col delle Finestre? It's uphill, the downhill is paved... hope it rains... hope it rains in northern France too for the pave'
    left the forum March 2023
  • norvernrob
    norvernrob Posts: 1,447
    Froome never even got to the cobbles, I'm unsure where the idea he is scared of them comes from. He had broken hands and fell off on wet roads.

    I doubt anyone would handle a bike too well in the wet in the same circumstances.
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,881
    edited October 2014
    Froome won't ride the Giro.

    The weather is too unpredictable and he's poor in bad weather.

    Cobbles won't worry him, he knows Bertie isn't great either.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,249
    NorvernRob wrote:
    Froome never even got to the cobbles, I'm unsure where the idea he is scared of them comes from. He had broken hands and fell off on wet roads.

    I doubt anyone would handle a bike too well in the wet in the same circumstances.


    Nibs, Westra and Boom did alright.
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    NorvernRob wrote:
    Froome never even got to the cobbles, I'm unsure where the idea he is scared of them comes from. He had broken hands and fell off on wet roads.

    I doubt anyone would handle a bike too well in the wet in the same circumstances.


    Nibs, Westra and Boom did alright.

    Did they have broken hands as well? Then they did more than alright

    :wink:
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • Contador would have done better had he not been stuck in a wrong gear. He handled the cobbles very well and did not panic.
    It was quite clear that Froome never reached the cobbles due to crashes. He just could not ride with his injured wrist. I think had both riders had better luck then the cobbles would not have been an issue. Nibs had no bike problems and rode very well.

    Back on topic. Froome has realised this year that he cannot match Contador in the mountains. Froomes form towards the end of the Vuelta was about as good as it gets and he could not drop Contador. He also takes into consideration the bad days he has at grand tours and if there was some cooperation between Contador ,Valverde etc he would have lost minutes on a couple of stages.

    Looking at Contadors early season form and his TT this year , in my view even with a long TT Froome would not gain much time if any over an in form Contador. If you want to be the best you have to beat your main rivals and Froomes climbing is just not good enough. I think a GT with a Long TT and no Contador will give him and Sky a chance for a victory.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,249
    Schmolke? Didn't I ban you already?
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    I hadn't realized that Froome actually rode (part of) Paris-Roubaix in 2008. I don't think he loved it, but he certainly has seen the cobbles before. I also thought he mentioned somewhere that he wasn't looking forward to the cobble stage in the 2014 Tour (well before he crashed).
  • Bo Duke
    Bo Duke Posts: 1,058
    Schmolke? Didn't I ban you already?

    It's funny how some people are desperate to express their views on cycling eh? :mrgreen:
    '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
  • Pokerface wrote:
    I hadn't realized that Froome actually rode (part of) Paris-Roubaix in 2008. I don't think he loved it, but he certainly has seen the cobbles before. I also thought he mentioned somewhere that he wasn't looking forward to the cobble stage in the 2014 Tour (well before he crashed).


    He probs also saw them on the extensive recon ride Sky did last spring.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent
  • spadve71
    spadve71 Posts: 353
    http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/10/kelly-cobbles-rather-than-lack-of-time-trials-are-why-froome-might-miss-tour/

    “We saw that the race was so nervous on that day, with riders fighting for position. Froome crashed very early in the stage. It is not surprising that he decided, or hinted, that he might not do the Tour next year.

    “That’s the reason I would say I am really surprised that the Tour de France went down the road again. It was always going to be a risky one if you put cobbles in again. Froome was perhaps always going to say ‘I am not going to that f**king race.’”

    Bike handling (IMO) is chronically under valued when talking about GC contenders and one which is overlooked.

    We chastised Andy Schleck for whinging about that finishing descent which cost him the 2011 Tour but seem happy for GC riders moaning that the Tour of France visits roads in France with cobbles.

    The Tour isn't just a test of power and weight. You're racing bikes, learn to handle them.

    If Froome can't handle it and bails then he loses out for his lack of handling not the Tour. Blame Froome not the ASO

    Nibs won more time on the cobbled stage than on any other this year and that ride was easily one of the standout rides of the year and rightly so. We should reward more of this.

    (Appreciate Froome hasn't made a big comment re cobbles but I'm taking some licence from the above quote)

    +1
  • nic_77
    nic_77 Posts: 929
    Salsiccia1 wrote:
    NorvernRob wrote:
    Froome never even got to the cobbles, I'm unsure where the idea he is scared of them comes from. He had broken hands and fell off on wet roads.

    I doubt anyone would handle a bike too well in the wet in the same circumstances.


    Nibs, Westra and Boom did alright.

    Did they have broken hands as well? Then they did more than alright

    :wink:

    Where did Froome get his broken hand from? That's right, falling off!

    You can't really excuse not being able to ride by saying 'I only couldn't stay upright today because I fell off yesterday'... it's like train / flight operators who blame poor punctuality on the late arrival of the train / plane - hmm, who's train / plane was it that was late! (That 'excuse' drives me nuts).
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    off topic here - but I've just found out that the local rivals of my hockey club have got a new player in their first team called Froome. A couple of years ago we had a player called Wiggins. Maybe it's time to bring him back.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    nic_77 wrote:

    Where did Froome get his broken hand from? That's right, falling off!

    You can't really excuse not being able to ride by saying 'I only couldn't stay upright today because I fell off yesterday'... it's like train / flight operators who blame poor punctuality on the late arrival of the train / plane - hmm, who's train / plane was it that was late! (That 'excuse' drives me nuts).
    Someone crashed right in front of him. There was sod all he could do about it.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,551
    RichN95 wrote:
    nic_77 wrote:

    Where did Froome get his broken hand from? That's right, falling off!

    You can't really excuse not being able to ride by saying 'I only couldn't stay upright today because I fell off yesterday'... it's like train / flight operators who blame poor punctuality on the late arrival of the train / plane - hmm, who's train / plane was it that was late! (That 'excuse' drives me nuts).
    Someone crashed right in front of him. There was sod all he could do about it.

    Oh I dunno, he could have bunny hopped them...
  • I love the knee jerk reactions across the internet when Team Sky do or don't do something or nothing.

    Keep the entertainment coming :) it brightens my day.

    From my viewpoint I think Froome will ride Le Tour, he is just looking to divert some pressure and attention away after a pretty bad year for crashing.

    If he did want to ride the Tour and did go for the overall, I think Poels and Konig will be much better support for him than the ever over-rated Richie Porte.