You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
hi all
not sure this has been done (but apologies if it has).
Froome is racing for a place in history - if he wins the Giro he would join Merckx and Hainault as the only riders to hold 3 grand tours at once.
Although Froome is a great athlete - and may be the modern era is different - but in my mind he's not even in the same league as the Cannibal or the Badger.
What do you think?
woody
You can't compare different eras. It's impossible today for someone to dominate across a season and different types of races like Merckx and Hinault. How many riders can you think of today who are genuine contenders in both one day races and 3 week tours? Nibali is the only one who springs to my mind.
Agree the eras are different and difficult to compare but there is also the "Sky effect" that seems to have sterilised racing plus Merckx and Hinault had real big characters.
Sky haven't had it all their own way and there were powerful teams that neutralised racing somewhat long before them.
I think the big difference is specialisation into different types of rider. Obviously there were always guys that went better in classics or three week tours but in Merckx's era it was possible for a (very!) talented rider to do well in both. Now it isn't really as the demands are too different.
I also think the general standard is much higher so it's more difficult to dominate like riders might have done in the past.
Here's a question for you, who was the last rider to have a cobbled classic and a 3 week tour tour on his palmares?
And in the same season too. Can you imagine that today?
Too much science not enough art these days
(got my rose tinted specs on I think)
I think you do.
Here’s a question for you, who was the last rider to have a cobbled classic and a 3 week tour tour on his palmares?
Kelly I would imagine.
Yes, Kelly. I was looking at the Wikipedia entry on him. He really did have a remarkable career and an era of cycling ended with him.
I haven't had a chance to look but I can't imagine there are many riders to have won a GT and a cobbled classic. Merckx, Hinault, Kelly and Moser are the only ones to spring to mind.
Jalabert and Fondriest sort of carried on that role of riding everything for a little longer but yes it pretty much died out with Kelly. He really was a beast.
I haven’t had a chance to look but I can’t imagine there are many riders to have won a GT and a cobbled classic. Merckx, Hinault, Kelly and Moser are the only ones to spring to mind.
Actually there's more than I thought. I'm not great on the early history but a quick search turns up these: Jan Janssen, Freddy Maertens, Jacques Anquetil, Louison Bobet, Rudi Altig and Felice Gimondi. I imagine there would be more GT winners to have the likes of LBL or Lombardi on their palmares.
Froome isn’t a great rider, he owes it all to chemistry! he has only joined riders from other eras in “winning” with lots of extra help, drugs or otherwise!
Even ignoring all that, he doesn’t compare well with several current or recently retired riders unlike Nibali, Valverde, Boonen or Cancellara he’s just a one trick pony
Hinault winning the final stage of Tour de France, from a two man break away, in 1979 whilst wearing the yellow jersey.
Things were different in those days.
Paul Sherwen contesting the bunch sprint.
Froome isn’t a great rider, he owes it all to chemistry! he has only joined riders from other eras in “winning” with lots of extra help, drugs or otherwise!
Alternatively you could argue that he’s a fantastic all-round rider who’s chosen to specialise in grand tours.
1982 final stage Tour de France
http://www.ina.fr/video/I00009985
Hinault wins bunch sprint whilst wearing yellow jersey
Hinault winning Paris Roubaix
“Froome isn’t a great rider, he owes it all to chemistry!“
b’lox. They’re all on the sauce, especially those from past eras. Here is a shrine halfway up Ventoux for a legend of the sport who was so sauced up his heart basically exploded in his chest, so you can’t assume the likes of Merxx and Hinnault were not also on it too, especially given their gargantuan superhuman achievements. It was a lot easier to abuse it back in those days too due to lack of testing methods.
at least Froome is only abusing his asthma puffer which doesn’t enhance performance especially if you actually suffer from asthma like Froome does.
Racing probably has become more sterile and proceduralised, but that’s how all professional sports have gone, cycling is. I different. The challenge for the riders are now much more complicated, so very different from that of other eras so impossible to compare. It’s a different sport altogether.
And your post is b'lox as well, wobbliscott. Yes, earlier riders were all doped but every thing I've ever read acknowledged that EPO was a game changer. Hinault, Lemond, Fignon all talk about how suddenly they were being out-ridden by mid-pack domestiques. Doping from the late 80s on was very different from earlier.
What can I say! Froome has risen in my estimation
He just needs a chest wig to roll with the Cannibal and the Badger.
He could call himself “the spider” on account of his riding style