Would love to see Geraint Thomas lead the tour team for Sky one day. Dan Martin is another rider I got a lot of time for. Pure racer. Shame he's out after that collar bone fracture sustained in Giro.
Tour de France 2014
- Thread starter Flying Fox
- Start date
That was probably the most unsettling passage. Stealing rabbits from children is almost a parody of a typical comic book serial killer in the making. I have no idea why he'd have to put anything like that in the book. In addition to that there's parts filled with delusions of grandeur, expecting to be given as much of a captain's role as Wiggins during the 2012 Tour despite being sick for the entire build-up to it while Wiggins was smashing everyone in pretty much every race he entered. He also talks shite about other competitors and former team-mates for really insignificant stuff they supposedly did to him at some point. To be honest, it reads like something Michelle Cound could have written during one of her Twitter tirades, but Froome has never shown that side of himself in interviews or on social media, where he always seems shy and soft-spoken. The contrast between the Froome portrayed in the book and the Froome who does press before and after races is massive. A lot of it just seems like PR suicide, and I know for a fact that he's made enemies in the peloton because of it, with Gregory Henderson being the most vocal about it on Twitter. Alberto Contador has also taken a few sly digs* at Froome in the last couple of weeks, which makes me think that he's feeling very confident about the Tour.
*The sly digs:
Backstory (from Froome's book):
Contador on Twitter:
Contador on Instagram:
Contador on Twitter:
Contador on Instagram:
forgot about van garderen as well. id say froome and contador will dominate, but next year quintana and other younger rider should come to the fore.
Pity wiggens has been dropped. Would have loved to have seen a lemond/hinault rivarly
The one to watch out for apart from Froome and Bertie is Valverde. I have a feeling he's going to light it up. Nibali will be in the running too. I can't see anyone finishing in front of those four in Paris unless one of them has an accident or a mechanical at a crucial moment and loses minutes. Or gets busted for doping. You never know in this sport.
Talansky, van den Broeck and Van Garderen also have it in them to do very well. Interested in seeing how fit Horner and Rodriguez are too. This Tour has the most world class climbers the Tour has had in at least 10 years, so it should be pretty epic.
Talansky, van den Broeck and Van Garderen also have it in them to do very well. Interested in seeing how fit Horner and Rodriguez are too. This Tour has the most world class climbers the Tour has had in at least 10 years, so it should be pretty epic.
I hope Van Gardeneren does well. Looked so good couple of years ago but had a wretched tour last year. It's a pity Quintana isn't in. He was the only who looked like he could compete with Froome in the mountains.
Not sure Valverde and Rodriguez will maintain their form from last year as they are now in their mid-30's. Nibali is not quite top class in time trials and climbing. Froome has a stronger team than Contador and would appear to be the favourite.
Rodriguez has had some injuries lately, I think he wasn't even meant to do the Tour but is in it because he abandoned the Giro. Don't think he's in form to challenge and he said himself he wants to put the miles in ahead of the Vuelta.
Telecast just came on here. What a night of sport lined up aha
Was on the Leeds headrow for the grand depart. Was absolutely packed though, waited for about an hour and then there was 20 frantic seconds of trying to catch glimpses of the cyclists flying past. Good atmosphere about still.
Anyone watching this today?
England seems to be a beautiful country.
Sure I'm watching.
I hope Contador or Nibali thump the Sky train. Shame Rodriguez is riding this as a warm up.
Nasty crash for Cavendish!
Cancellara almost pulled it off as well.
Cancellara almost pulled it off as well.
Way he's holding it, looks like a collarbone for Cavendish
Oh shit Cav doesn't look good, I hope he hasn't done his collar bone. Massive shame for him. We only have 4 Brits in the race in the first place. Also Chris Froome sprinting to 6th place wtf?
I hope he can recover. He needs to have a chance to have a crack at the tour.
Surely broken collarbone, gutting for Cav
No broken bones apparently and the team doctor expects him to start tomorrow
This is coming right past my house tomorrow.
Amazing day in Yorkshire....this is going up the Buttertubs Pass from Wensleydale to Swaledale. Unbelievable crowds.
Anyone else think Cavendish should get a ban for that today? I'm a fan of his but he took it too far today.
That is a great photo.
That is a great photo.
Cavendish is out now anyway.
Unlucky for Cav but it was his fault! I tipped Kittel to win yesterday for the main reason that Cav wants to win so much and he will do anything to make it happen whilst sometimes getting quite hot headed, this was all just gonna be heightened with it being in his home country. We've seen him do it before and I'm sure he'll do it again.
I like Cavendish but I'm finding it hard to feel sorry for him after it was his fault.
I like Cavendish but I'm finding it hard to feel sorry for him after it was his fault.
Great reception by fans.
Was up on Blackstone Edge. Fantastic crowds there considering it is a good hour uphill walk from Littleborough to get there.
A fantastic stage. And Yorkshire seems beautiful.
Froome can't stay on his bike for some reason lol Seriously, though, I hope he's wrist is ok for the cobbles tomorrow.
Froome abandoned
Just saw that, not sure if it's correct or not, didn't he fall off earlier on too?
15:43Chris Froome quits
Chris Froome is injured. He calls it a quit.
15:42Froome crashes again!
Chris Froome has crashed again. He looks like giving up at km 85.
Yes, he felt 3 times in 2 days
I imagine Wiggins with a smile on his face after seeing this.
Its a pity for the tour that he is out.
Its a pity for the tour that he is out.
He shouldn't, Froome gave him his Tour de France.
This disaster is Brailsford's making. Never liked the guy for shooting his mouth off about Lance and getting a lot of spotlight purely for commanding some extremely talented personnel both on the track and now on the road. You pick your best riders for the tour because you need every advantage you can get. Wiggins' technical ability on the bike and experience would've been a huge asset, especially in a tour with cobblestone sections. Froome wouldn't have crashed 3 times behind a rider like Wiggins. No justification for not taking Wiggins. It was purely a personal decision and was the coward's way out of the potential problem of both Wiggins and Froome being in contention for the yellow jersey.
Sky winner's curse strikes again. Wiggins in the Giro and Froome here.
Reckon Froome will go to the Vuelta now..
Froome vs Quintana!
Reckon Froome will go to the Vuelta now..
Froome vs Quintana!
Have to agree with that, although for some reason I had the idea it was Wiggins who had thrown his toys out of the pram (if I'm not top dog, I'm not playing), so I stand corrected.
Be serious a second, you are belgium you have to know a little bit about cyclism, you know how it works, Wiggins isn't a team player and Froome is the strongest, the good choice was to let Wiggins out because of his mentality, he wants to be the big fish in the pond and it was impossible with Froome.
The fact that Froome abandoned doesn't change anything. In cyclism there is only one leader not 2, not 1.5, only 1.
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Wiggins had given assurances he would ride for Froome. Brailsford and Froome didn't trust him to completely sacrifice himself for Froome and so left him out. The thing is though, Froome would have been the official leader regardless of whether Wiggins rode or not and Wiggins getting the best out of himself would've 100% been to the protection of Froome as things like bike handling and positioning are just things you cannot buy in cycling. Wiggins has it, Froome doesn't. You can accept a rider like Wiggins holding the idea in his head that the opportunity to win the race might open up for him. It costs you nothing.
Would Wiggins ride himself into the ground for Froome in the mountains, no, but then the Schleck brothers didn't do that either, they just played cat and mouse with everybody else by launching attack after attack while the other brother would follow in the wheels of the chasers. Wiggins would still be more useful for Froome, keeping a bit in reserve for himself, than any number of super domestiques. You have to understand bike racing to get it and as the director sportif, it's Brailsford's job to manage his options. Instead he decided to disarm himself of one of his strongest cards just to avoid a rift between Wiggins and Froome. To relate it to football, it was a Moyesesque decision.
I know cycling like you seems to do.
And you are right he could have been instrumental for the Sky, but honestly i don't trust him and i don't trust Froome either. I fear that the strengh of the team would have been divided to protect both.
I know cycling like you seems to do.
And you are right he could have been instrumental for the Sky, but honestly i don't trust him and i don't trust Froome either. I fear that the strengh of the team would have been divided to protect both.
Let's be honest though, Brailsford isn't a good director sportif. Doesn't know the road scene as well as guys who have been doing it for donkey's years.