What happen to Chris Froome in TDF?

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novetan

Über Member
Ya I know his recovered fr a serious injury not too long. Does he just use TDF as a warm up for tour de spain or his just jaded. Lack of events?
 

yello

Guest
IMHO, he's done. He'll certainly not reach the same level again. That accident was a career ender (if not life) for some; that he's battling on is a credit to his drive/desire.

If he hung up his cleats after the tour, nobody would think the worse of him.
 
And I guess we thought the same Cavendish.

I think Froome has lost his willpower to win Either his fitness is off track or the ££££ in is bank account.

And his body would of took a hammering over the years also.
 

DRM

Guru
Location
West Yorks
I also think he’s now never going to get his previous form back, but he’s done unbelievably well to ride a bike well, never mind stay in the tour and not fall foul of the time cut, it would have been the easiest thing in the world to climb off and jump in the broom wagon, but he’s stuck at it to help the team out.
 
Seems to me that in many sports the older people have come out of the pandemic lockdowns slower than the younger ones

I don't know if it is extra responsibilities - such as kids - or just age - but the reduced traing possibilities plus the reduced chance to compete at teh top level caused all of them problems - but the younger ones came out of the slump faster and better
This has shown in Cycling and Tennis that I have seen
Initially the young one shine but then the older established ones start to come back

Add to this Froome's massive injuries and lack of ability to train and compete before the pandemic then the whole lockdown thing was awesomely bad timing. Just when he might have started to compete again and start to build - he was locked down!

Maybe he would have come back - Cav has!
Maybe not
Maybe the lockdown was just the final straw

Maybe he will win all 3 GTs next year

We don;t know yet

but I think it is over - I just hope he completes the whole tour - which is a massive achievement for anyone and then backs off
He has been GREAT - one of the GREATS
COuld have been the greatest - possibly - even probably

but not anymore


but then - maybe not

personally - if he come back next year and start winning stages - I will be the one yelling at the telly cheering him on!!!
 

steveindenmark

Legendary Member
He can be three hours behind the leader but he will still be picking up a decent pay packet. He could jack it in now and be comfortable for the rest of his days. It makes you wonder what keeps him going.
 
In 2016, I took a seat at a quiet corner of a packed airline lounge at Dubai Airport. The flight was delayed so it was a wait of 3 over hours. There was already a chap bent over his PC in the seat across the table. It was small coffee table with 2 opposing seats. I could comfortably reach out and touch him so it was a very close. The chap looked malnourished. Though he was wearing long sleeved sports top with the collar up I immediately noticed the boney hands, wrist and some portion of his forearm. He had a baseball cap shielding his eyes. His shoulder bones were holding his sports top and not his shoulders. I genuinely thought he was sick.

When he raised his head, I realised it was Chris Froome and he had already picked up 2 TDFs. I then realised he was heading to Melbourne for the Herald Sun Tour which he subsequently won. It was first race of the cycling season for him. I respected his privacy but sight of him in that condition stopped me from saying hi.

In the 3 hours, he did not consume food, just water. I was truly shocked by his body condition. It was skin and bones. I immediately surfed the web to see if there are any reports of he being sick. None. I did read how he dropped significant amount of weight for his first campaign much more than any fit cyclist of his height.

When it was reported that he won the Herald Sun Tour 2 weeks later, I surmised that he was bloody fit but wondered how he sustained himself.

Over the years It became obvious the famous Sky train was not only drafting they were his food on demand train. His body unlike others it seems did not have reserves and he needed to be fed repeatedly. Domestiques ferrying food is part and parcel of multi stage team cycling but the online chatter did indicate that the Sky's well oiled train did much more for Froome food wise. I recall in later years Richie Porte's comment about the Froome "food train" while riding the Tour down under.

The crash did damage him but when he lost the Sky/Ineos contract I did wonder if there are any other well oiled train to meet his demands. I don't think anyone despite the severity of the crash thought his performance would come to the level that we see now.

He is still the highest paid for this season but I wonder if Israel Start Nation, his team understood his needs like Sky did?
 
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