[Closed] Chris Froome

Dude! no talking about today's race outside the official TDF thread, some of us are waiting to watch the highlights.

Sorry hatter. Enjoy the highlights, was a great days racing.

Dude! no talking about today's race outside the official TDF thread, some of us are waiting to watch the highlights.

Yes, you should be safe from spoilers in a thread titled 'Chris Froome' on a cycling website...

I've got a lot of time for Froome - he's a competitor and a far more exciting racer than Wiggins (despite his style being painful to watch). Makes no difference to me where he was raised. For me, Wiggins came across as a knob (as his wife noted), and it seems teammates at his former teams shared that opinion.

In a carbon copy of the previous day’s final phase, Van Garderen slipped gradually backwards as Froome pulled away in his ungainly but efficient climbing style, like a praying mantis in its death throes, arms akimbo, legs spinning wildly and his head constantly flicking up and down.

Will Fotheringham in The Guardian on Froome winning the Dauphinee - genius 🙂

My take would be that it's like modern politics. He's not pretty enough - looks like an alien, like one from outer space rather than outta the UK - and has a less than gainly riding style, but actually seems like a nice enough young man. More The Walcott than Wayne Rooney. People seem bothered about what they think he is or should be than anything else. But ultimately he's paid to ride a bike fast not win beauty contests.

Zero personality (as have many of today's pros)
Awful riding style

Froone has spent less than 10 days in the UK in the last 5 years, at least Wiggo lives here.

Froone has spent less than 10 days in the UK in the last 5 years, at least Wiggo lives here.

Not sure what your point is here. How many days would someone need to live in the UK for you to like them? 😕

Zero personality

I'm not sure what you are basing that on, but it's a bit harsh. Having read and seen many an interview, and watched a few documentaries, that certainly doesn't appear to be the case.

Anyway, stupid discussion. You either take a liking to someone or you don't. Most of the time it's not based on any sort of sensible logic. And once people's minds are made up they are seldom changed.

[quote=mrblobby ]Not sure what your point is here. How many days would someone need to live in the UK for you to like them?

I like Tony Martin. I'm not sure why I should support Froome any more than Nibali or Contador though.

I like them both, I like Cav too, and plenty of others. But then, I seem to be a bit more generous of spirit than some people on this thread.

[quote=molgrips ]I like Cav too

Yeah - and how many days has he spent in the UK recently? 😈

Don't be silly now,chaps. You all know that there are plenty of sports fans out there who base their support on nationality v johnny foreigner. Look at the huge influx of US fans when Armstrong started winning - they knew absolutely nothing about cycling, they only knew about Lance. Of course, us Brits would never be that shallow, would we? 😆

(C'mon G and Luke!!)

Hmm claims to be British but not resident in the UK, has a bit of a funny accent, looks like he might not be from around here... sounds disappointingly like another thread on here. hora will probably be along in a minute to claim he's "always had a feeling about him" soon too I suspect 🙄

I'm not sure why I should support Froome any more than Nibali or Contador though.

I don't think anyone suggested you should, did they?

Hard to get behind any of the four favourites wholeheartedly IMO, but that doesn't make it any less of an awesome race.

crashtestmonkey - Member
FAR more exciting to watch than an overpaid over-hyped Prima Donna who did nothing for 2 of the last 3 years other than beat a couple of espoirs in a second rate US race, and get beaten in Classics by his domestiques...

Wiggins deserves the hype tbf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_Wiggins#Career_achievements

Brads record is superb, across a range of disciplines - so although he might have been lucky to get a tailor-made course for him in 2012...it was just part of a long list of achievements...which he's gone on to add to. Personality - I love him but I can see why folk might think him a bit of a knob - as his own wife says ^^
As for Froome - far more exciting rider in the tours, but a more reserved fella. I like his grit and determination, his attack on Ventoux in 2013...but just wish he'd stop posting pics of his cat on Twitter / Facebook! That's not right for a bloke!

Wiggins makes better gutter press and has achieved more. Maybe better or more interested in creating a personality for the press. What ever he make news but so do other less pleasant "personalities" . they may both be fakes but Frome comes across "nice" whereas Wiggins comes across as a stroppy got. Both have their virtues.

[quote=chakaping ]I don't think anyone suggested you should, did they?

Well the question was why people supported Wiggo more than Froome, and one possible answer is that for those people who support Brits, he's not very British.

People may become more inclined to see him as the first 'Brit' to win Le Tour twice if he pulls it off. Though I think to really get British sporting sainthood he'd have to do it three times.

Is Froome the one that dropped his country of birth?

but because I'm not a fair weather road cycling fan and have followed it at all levels for 25 years. I remember Wiggo coming through the system as a junior before he was even famous for winning Olympic medals. Froome doesn't have that background.

Is Froome the one that dropped his country of birth?

Most imbicilic comment of this thread... and there's been a fair few candidates. Assume you're trolling hora.

[quote=surroundedbyhills ]to you he doesn't, but if don't like him cause he's a bit "Furrin" then fair enough that's your prerogative. You can't dismiss his palmares any more than Nibbles, Quintana or the cheating Spanish shitehawk.

You're still completely missing the point. I'm not dismissing his palmares at all. I simply had no idea at all what they were before 2011, and I'll bet you didn't either before you looked them up.

However I have followed Wiggo for a long time, hence he has something extra for me, and I'm sure I'm far from alone. Pretty relevant when asking why Froome doesn't have something that Wiggo does.

or the cheating Spanish shitehawk.

You mean the "greatest stage racer of his generation"?

[i]@ nickc "Calm down, dear! It's only a bike race" [/i]

😆

ohhh I know, but look at 'im, he's all angles...

You mean the "greatest stage racer of his generation"?

You mean the "greatest stage racer of his generation"?
Stop it. You'll drag Frenchie over from BikeRadar, and we really don't want that"

One for the "true fans"

Don't get that Ioddrik, Wiggins wouldn't have won without his help. OK, he may have made a point, but he still did the job and basically helped the lesser rider to victory - a hard thing for any sportsman to do...

All despite going into the Tour that year under the impression that he'd be joint leader.

Froome's one of the most interesting racers in the peloton. Distinctive style - whether you like it or not, it's different. Takes the opportunity to attack rather than hanging onto everyone's wheel, and rides harder than anyone.

Most of the British public don't care about that though, as they don't watch it. And neither are they going to fill with national pride when the guy's never lived in Britain. Difficult one for the media to push really.

Wiggins made his name as an Olympics legend (multiple golds at different games' is a big deal in the UK press etc.) He then goes onto winning the tour de France which no other Briton has done

Then another rider, who doesn't shoot his mouth off, repeats the trick. Surprisingly the press don't write as many Lines of copy....

As a guy who has watched the tour on telly every year since 1988, I never expected to see a British rider in the yellow Jersey on the Elysées leading out another brit rider in the world champion Jersey to win on the final sprint.

I work with a girl who has an interest in road racing (not years and years, but at least 10 or so)

She utterly despises Froome, goes on into a frothing rage when she talks about him "stabbing Brad in the back" 'n'shit

I don't see it myself. Maybe I don't have enough emotional investment into Wiggo - I mean, it was great when he won the tour but mostly I just saw an awesome team pretty much pull him round in-between TTs

If they'd been in parralel universes with exactly the same teammates against exactly the same opposition, my guess is that Froome would have done better over the last 5 years

As a guy who has watched the tour on telly every year since 1988, I never expected to see a British rider in the yellow Jersey on the Elysées leading out another brit rider in the world champion Jersey to win on the final sprint.

I'm happy to see someone else value that moment. Wiggins took a lot of shit for lack of "panache". forgetting for the moment that a show of panache seems to inevitably presage getting busted for doping, the yellow jersey leading out his teammate in the world champion's jersey for the stage win in Paris is pretty ****ing special. And it wasn't the first time it happened on that tour either (if you exclude the Paris bit)

FFS!!! Not read the thread but seen the title way way earlier and instantly assumed that Froome had either fallen in today's stage or won it, it's nob heads like the OP that make it extremely difficult for me to kill time at work, think about what you've done dude. I had to work, WORK!!!!

Anyway, no matter who you prefer, we should be thankful they aren't the dull little ****er that is Lewis Hamilton...he's so dull he could talk a glass eye to sleep!

Publicity is little to do with ability. Wiggins is generally good for an off the cuff remark, will be a touch outlandish and has proper ups and downs so there's generally something going on with him. Froome is steady eddy off the bike, he's undoubtedly a brilliant bike rider and he may be lovely bloke but there's just less to write about. When Wiggins was leading the tour there was always a possibility that he would blow up massively and just throw the whole thing away, probably tossing his bike off a mountain side in the process that doesn't really enter into my thoughts when Froome challenging for the win.

Purely as a rider I prefer Wiggins because he looks as slick as a slippery eel on the bike, beautiful technique and position as if he was born to ride a bike. Whereas Froome looks like a triumph of sheer bloody mindedness over nature. If they were aircraft Wiggins would be a glider, Froome would be a helicopter.

just wish he'd stop posting pics of his cat on Twitter / Facebook! That's not right for a bloke!

*runs off to friend Chris Froome*

If they were aircraft Wiggins would be a glider, Froome would be a helicopter.

Perfect description, thank you.

Bit cruel this but my mates sent me this last night.. remind you of someone?

[img] [/img]

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

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.

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

http://chrisfroomelookingatstems.tumblr.com/