2017 'PRO' cycling discussion.

[petepeterson]

Froome ain't winning the vuelta. I don't think he goes there to win. Why would you after winning the tour 4 times.


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[Rondje]

i think froome secretly did what Quintana wanted to do.... he hasn't even reach his final form before the tour-vuelta double .

came into TDF at 90%, had an insanely strong team and put his beans for taking time in the 2 short ITTs (risky), but now he can go into vuelta and win some stages

I think Quintana's problem was that Tom Dumoulin had to take a dump. With out that incident Tom would have stayed 3 minutes ahead up till the final week and Quintana wouldn't have to go so deep to try to win it because it was a lost cause.

[bruno2000]

He pulled off an incredible ride, but Froome was more incredible.

It's another what if, but if Froome and Uran swapped teams, do y'all think Froome would have won? Froome was better (but not that much better) in the ITTs, and with the Sky train, maybe Uran could have cracked him in the mountains. I'm not convinced, but interesting to consider.

I understand your point.
But take it the other way around.
If Uran was at Sky, his teammates would have been at the same level as they were now.
Uran would have been in second position behind Landa instead of Froome.
Froome would have bene in third or fourth position just following as Uran did now.

The Sky train would not been able to ride harder if it was for Uran or for Froome.
If Landa as teammate of Uran, would have pulled harder as he did now to loose Froome, he would have dropped Uran too.
And still Froome would have been better in the ITT's.

So yes I believe Froome would still be able to win this Tour if he was riding for Cannondale and Uran was riding for Sky.

[wingguy]

Froome ain't winning the vuelta. I don't think he goes there to win. Why would you after winning the tour 4 times.

Why wouldn't you?

Froome's been saying all year that he's adapted his training and workload to come out of the Tour with less fatigue and set up a genuine shot at the Vuelta, and the way he's performed through the Tour would seem to fit with that. Then with Dumoulin pulling out (damn I was looking forward to that showdown), Quintana done for the season, Contador over the hill the field of major contenders isn't going to be crazy strong.

“The Vuelta is a race I love racing,” Froome said. “It’s a vicious race but it’s three weeks that I enjoy. I’ve come second three times now and I’d love to win the Vuelta. To win the Tour and the Vuelta in one year would be absolutely incredible. I’ve got that opportunity now and I’m certainly going to go for it.”

[maquisard]

If it's going to be an easy unchallenged win then why wouldn't Froome go for it.

[ichobi]

Can someone explain how mountain train like sky benefit the team's ace. Am quite noob on this part - okay they are there for spare bikes / wheels if needed. A psychological support, a road block when the ace have a dig, a threat if gc time is good like landa, valverde... but technically if other team aces are strong enough to follow the tempo, how would that hinder them? It only works if your ace is strong enough to follow and surpass the drones' tempo right? (Assuming other team aces arent as strong, but clearly not the case in this tour).


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[wingguy]

If it's going to be an easy unchallenged win then why wouldn't Froome go for it.

Consecutive GTs haven't been won for 18 years - it's pretty self evident that no part of it is easy. Quite the opposite, the major attraction of doing it (for someone who wants to stamp their name on the history of the sport) is because it's so difficult.

[kkibbler]

*relatively easy

Let's play the how are Froome's chances game by looking at Sky's B squad:
Wout
Elissonde
Moscon
Boswell
Thomas?
Stannard
Doull
the other Henao

Still looking pretty strong.

[wingguy]

Let's play the how are Froome's chances game by looking at Sky's B squad:

The team doesn't win it if the legs aren't there. No team in the world could have dragged Contador to his second GT win in 2011 or 2015. Quintana with Sky's squad still wouldn't have been in contention last week.

Quintana won the Vuelta last year after having been seriousy undercooked and underwhelming at the Tour, and having taken it easy while everyone else went to race the olympics. If Froome can win the Vuelta after having peaked high enough to win the Tour it will be one hell of a balancing act.

[nathanong87]

Can someone explain how mountain train like sky benefit the team's ace. Am quite noob on this part - okay they are there for spare bikes / wheels if needed. A psychological support, a road block when the ace have a dig, a threat if gc time is good like landa, valverde... but technically if other team aces are strong enough to follow the tempo, how would that hinder them? It only works if your ace is strong enough to follow and surpass the drones' tempo right? (Assuming other team aces arent as strong, but clearly not the case in this tour).


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because following the tempo wont take time out from froome. Froome was the best TTer out of the lot hands down. Uran really wasn't a threat in a TT. So following the sky train tempo is good and all, but are the other contendors strong enough to attack above that and take time. Froome already had a time advantage on all his competitors for like 90% of the race when he was in yellow. Aru took time with his attack but the sky train dropped him on multiple occasions later. Seeing froome not win a stage and losing some time at the finish lines, leads me to believe that MAYBE he's saving some eggs for the vuelta basket....

*relatively easy

Let's play the how are Froome's chances game by looking at Sky's B squad:

Still looking pretty strong.

nieve was named on the provisional list as well

interestingly orica is bringing chavez, and both* yates brothers

[petepeterson]

I don't even know who else is going for GC and I love watching it but it's an afterthought for froome. My opinion/tin hat theory is that the vuelta is more about training and keeping weight off or effectively shortening the off season because sky send him every yr. The one yr he missed it was followed by his worst season since 2012.


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[Skylark]

He wins the TdF with barely any thighs remaining. Looks like a figure plucked out from 1940s austerity Britain.

[petepeterson]

Don't know if this was written or is fact but I actually think Froome looked a bit heavier at the start of this yrs tour. #dadbod

[bilwit]

Can someone explain how mountain train like sky benefit the team's ace. Am quite noob on this part - okay they are there for spare bikes / wheels if needed. A psychological support, a road block when the ace have a dig, a threat if gc time is good like landa, valverde... but technically if other team aces are strong enough to follow the tempo, how would that hinder them? It only works if your ace is strong enough to follow and surpass the drones' tempo right? (Assuming other team aces arent as strong, but clearly not the case in this tour).


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When the peleton is whittled down in the final 10km and every team is down to their GC guy and Sky still has THREE domestiques driving, it is impossible to attack or gain any time. Froome doesn't have to do any work because his teammates will shut down all the attacks for him. The fact that there are still domestiques left even PREVENTS attacks from happening because no one is going to waste precious energy to try and drop domestiques. They have to wait until the domestiques are spent before they can even try anything, which is why Landa always being there in the end was such a huge advantage for Sky. Froome was guaranteed to take considerable time out of all of them in the TT AND they had time to make up from the first TT. Combined with the fact that there were such few chances to gain any time (summit finishes), it was imperative that they made the most out of them and put time into Froome which they couldn't, largely thanks to Landa & Kwiatkoski. You don't win races by finishing at the same time as your rivals (unless you also happen to be within the top 5 TTers in the world ala Wiggins/Froome/Dumoulin).

[AJS914]

I there any chance that the ASO, who owns the Vuelta, pays Froome an appearance fee for racing the Vuelta?