That’s a fantastic post which pretty much sums up the internet these days.

Why thank you! 8)

Just take a look at who’s been doing the big efforts off the front in the last few days.
Rogers
Cav
Porte

all at critical times for their leaders, all 3 were in the Wiggins/Sky team with Froome. That team would have been mad to have attacked everything, and in fairness there wasn’t that much to attack that year. That team together could have decimated the last 3 years but they all went their separate ways for their own reasons. The peleton is much more balanced and the racing shows that.

Whether you like him or not, he has done fantastically well already after 4 days, and looks like he is going to win – it is his to lose now, and I cant see him losing, unless he crashes out – no-one has come close to challening so far, I thought Contador was going for it in Huy, but he faded quickly. Nibali wont be anmywhere near him, it is more likely that a younger rider will be his closest rival.

Not going to get into the big debate here, I actually like and respect them both, and this years Tour is shaping to be one of the finest battles in the 30 odd years I’ve been watching.

But I did want to add my backing to the Wiggo leading Cav out on the Champs as one of the most smiley moments of my cycle race watching history. Makes me smile just thinking about it, everything was good in that moment and it also served as a bit of a poke in the eye to the Team Sky detractors that had been around at the time.

Proper heart…..one of Cavs most dominant wins imo. And for those who can’t resist watching it:

There was the tale from the bus on that one Notter, where Brailsford said nothing stupid just stay out of trouble. Cav said he might like to have a crack having been the bottle carrier for the tour and Brad was the first to put his hand up and say they would get him there.

interesting thread. whilst i love watching the tour I’m actually not sure i like many of the personalities involved at all (or thats its remotely important). froome is a bit blank. never liked cav or boardman. millar is a bit stiff. wiggins had a bit of an edge that made me think slightly differently about him. but ultimately its all pretty humourless. suppose their lifestyles dictate so much discipline, something has to give. total respect and admiration to their skill/fitness/focus though.

But I did want to add my backing to the Wiggo leading Cav out on the Champs as one of the most smiley moments of my cycle race watching history

as one of the vocal wiggins detractors on here I agree, and as mikew says it was Wiggins’ who apparently called “we ride for Cav” on another sprint stage where the team management had planned for an easy day.

Part of what makes cycling great- I’ve really warmed to Griepel having seen him do bottle runs on non-sprint stages, and seeing him absolutely turn himself inside-out on the 20% cobbled gradients of Flanders in support of other team mates was one of my highlights of the Classics.

You mean the “greatest stage racer of his generation”?

you might not like Contador but as Daniel Friebe says it’s a fair moniker. Go back to other multiple GT winners and compare. The revered Merckx failed 3 but how often does that get mentioned.

I love watching Froome in full flail mode, he’s the peter crouch of bikes, you never know if he’s going to smash the stage or headbutt himself in the face.

But yes he is less interesting than Wiggins (and many others), he’s a great rider and worthy champion but I think it’s pretty obvious why he’s not the queen of hearts.

But I did want to add my backing to the Wiggo leading Cav out on the Champs as one of the most smiley moments of my cycle race watching history.

+1

Seems like a good time to post Chris Froome staring at stems:

http://chrisfroomelookingatstems.tumblr.com/

I’ve really warmed to Griepel having seen him do bottle runs on non-sprint stages, and seeing him absolutely turn himself inside-out on the 20% cobbled gradients of Flanders in support of other team mates was

Amen, love his attacking shenanigans in Flanders over the past few years, Lotto Soudal haven’t won that much of late (Monday being a huge turn up for the books) but they’re certainly far from boring.

^^ Yep, watching the Ronde made me warm to Andre the Gorilla. Rode his heart out that day and performed well all Spring. Credit to him for peaking again for the TdF. I can’t see him staying in Green for much longer though.

Getting back to Froome, I find it a bit ironic that MTB website forumites are criticising him for spinning such a high cadence up hills. Given his background, it’s not really surprising is it?

mikewsmith – Member

There was the tale from the bus on that one Notter, where Brailsford said nothing stupid just stay out of trouble. Cav said he might like to have a crack having been the bottle carrier for the tour and Brad was the first to put his hand up and say they would get him there.

Liking that Mike 🙂

Getting back to Froome, I find it a bit ironic that MTB website forumites are criticising him for spinning such a high cadence up hills

I think a few people are just parroting the criticisms they’ve seen elsewhere on the web TBH.

Spinning is his “thing” isn’t it? Don’t knock it if it works.

Getting back to Froome, I find it a bit ironic that MTB website forumites are criticising him for spinning such a high cadence up hills. Given his background, it’s not really surprising is it?

A good proportion of the MTBers I ride with these days dismount at any slight rise and start pushing…

Seems like a good time to post Chris Froome staring at stems:

http://chrisfroomelookingatstems.tumblr.com/

That’s a work of genius, “Looking at Brad’s stem when he’s not looking” is my favourite. 🙂

Ah great.

4 days in and someone on an mtb forum says chris has it sewn up….

Guess ill stop watching now.

Well to be fair you should have expected spoilers on this thread

😀

A good proportion of the MTBers I ride with these days dismount at any slight rise and start pushing…

….bit of load bearing exercise, helps with the osteoporosis

This is a golden era for British cycling having been in the doldrums for so long. A you criticise riding style or someones charisma when being interviewed ? And their nationality is an issue when they choose to be British? Thats a great compliment. Rather shallow people on here.

Wiggins is a fighter and has been a great person to get people into cycling
Froome is a fighter but is quieter. But to be attacking this early on in the flat stages. Sure to get the car at the front for the pave but thats good. So what to his riding style, clearly works for him!
Cav great sprinter and a worker.
Armitstead great sprinter and works hard.
Dani King works hard but a little quieter

Is this fascination with charisma and nationality becoming a little too DM for STW?

If everyone were like Jens Voigt then it would be just as boring.

Wiggins with his quips is ideal modern media material but it’s on record that he wasn’t/isn’t easy with the fame and attention that being the first British rider to win Le Tour brought him. In many ways he’s similar to Neil Armstrong who struggled with (and really didn’t like) the fame of being first man on the moon.

And their nationality is an issue when they choose to be British? Thats a great compliment. Rather shallow people on here.

Only if you think that believing Froome to not be British is a criticism.

I heard the radio 4 Desert Island Disc program with Wiggins and it explained a lot about him. Get it on iplayer, he’s a pretty good guy given the pressures placed on him (by his success).

As I recall from the Froome book, as a kid he stole rabbits from the neighboring school to feed some pet snake (allegedly). Its a wonder his not been lambasted by the RSPCA (cuddle bunnies section).

Both are great bike riders and different just as it was in the Coe Ovett (remember them?).

If you think Froome has the tour in the bag now, you really do not know how much certain other riders want to win. Watch Quintana(s).

Its a compliment he would choose to be British. Not sure how you would read this be a criticism

Its a compliment he would choose to be British. Not sure how you would read this be a criticism

You were suggesting that others are criticising him because he is not British. In my case, I offer it as an explanation as to why he receives less coverage than Wiggins.

Point of order: in any sport the solid pillars of which country you can represent are, place of birth and/or parentage. Given his dad is British, any doubts about his eligibility are made by people who are, dumb.

I thought rugby and cricket were 3 year residence based rules not parentage.

Given his dad is British, any doubts about his eligibility are made by people who are, dumb.

Who is questioning his eligibility?

Back in the days when cycling in the UK was quieter and smaller it was easy enough to support the British riders because, first of all, there’d only be one, and second, chances are, you might know him, have raced against him or know someone who had. Hell, I even bumped into Boardman at one point. I cheered for Julian Winn in the the Brit champions jersey as he rode the Giro, knowing that a year or two before I’d been sprawling in the mud at a cx race while he eased past.

And then you could go and watch them in the big races. Wiggins and Cav climbing Constitution Hill behind me on the pavement. Investing time by standing on deserted roads in mid-Wales cheering these people on.

Even these days you can form attachments to Brit pro-riders because they are local, or you’ve seen them race locally. For me it’s G and Rowe who I keep an eye on.

You can’t do that with Froome. Sorry, rephrase, I can’t do that. I haven’t seen him race, haven’t seen him coming through the ranks of the local cycling club, haven’t parked next to him and chatted while getting ready for a race. I like him. I like his attacking. I hate his ugliness on the bike, but I’ll cheer for him. But not because of his nationality. I’ll also cheer for Teklahaimanot, or Degenkolb. Froome might be British but he’s not local. 😉

(I’m trying to remember the name of the half-British, half-Italian rider from the 90/00s. The one nobody supported because he was Italian.)

I’m trying to remember the name of the half-British, half-Italian rider from the 90/00s. The one nobody supported because he was Italian.

Max Sciandri?

That’s him.

Fantastic ride in Atlanta!
A very British heroic failure!

Froome also didn’t go and ride a 10 together with lots of club riders when preparing for a big event. Just to explain again, this isn’t a criticism of Froome, any more than I’d criticise Nibali for not doing that; it’s just one of the reasons Wiggo is more loved.

he has done fantastically well already after 4 days, and looks like he is going to win – it is his to lose now, and I cant see him losing, unless he crashes out – no-one has come close to challening so far, I thought Contador was going for it in Huy, but he faded quickly. Nibali wont be anmywhere near him, it is more likely that a younger rider will be his closest rival.

4 days in and someone on an mtb forum says chris has it sewn up….
Guess ill stop watching now

See, it wasnt in doubt from Day 4 until the last climb, even then,when he was struggling, he did enough to keep control. All the others lost the race in the first few days, he only had to defend then, so making it so much easier for him and the team.
You cant win the race in one stage, but you can lose it, which all the others did in the frst week.
Geraint Evans showed that on Friday – looking like a top 5 for 7 days, had one bad day, then dropped to 15th.

Geraint Evans? Is that Cadel Evans and Geraint Thomas’ love child???

BBC Article “Chris Froome and the French”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33651540

Evans, Williams, Jones,Thomas they all sound the same to me!
For some reason, I thought I’d put Williams down, but now, just getting mixed with Cadel.

Lets get the British thing sorted, its not like its one of his grandparents is British or claiming under residency, his parents are both English. According to good ol’ wikipedia, they moved out to Kenya to run a farm. We’ve had his aunt in the shop, most of his family still live in and around Tetbury. He has a far better claim to his nationality than certain cricketers playing for England.