Professional Cycling For the Fans - Chris Froome

So...what's this guy's story? First time I ever heard of him was in last years Vuelta...battle with Cobo, two guys who virtually came out of nowhere. He can out-TT a multi-time world TT champion by almost 30 seconds? He's built like Michael Rassmussen, but can power out a massive TT like this and crush Cancellara, finishing second? Wiggins has the TT palmares, but Froome??? And, after his stage 7 win, he claimed he didn't even have to go that deep to win.

What else has he done in his career? He's 27, so he's no spring chicken. Yeah, I'm skeptical, how can you not be?

Save your scepticism. You can google it. He was a world-class mountain biker as long ago as 2006. After turning pro he did well in the TdF and Giro, high up in the young riders category. He was always a specialist climber who could TT. From memory, he was second or third in the UK TT championships two or three years ago. Hence the contract with Sky when they started.

Then he got seriously ill with the tropical disease Bilharzia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilharzia) Unsurprisingly, that arrested his development for a year or so (he may have had it for a while before it was diagnosed). So this is a case of a promising career resumed after a debilitating illness. The guy hasn't come from nowhere, by any means.

No need to Google it, I knew someone would reply :). Sure didn't take long.

OK, I can buy that, but you do see how the same thing was thought of Armstrong after coming back from cancer and "out of nowhere" to win in '99? (Forget any impending charges, I'm speaking purely of the speculation at the time).

This sport has a checkered (recent) past, and it's the same with any sport with a dubious history. Guess I'm just another fu**ing wanker c*nt to Bradley Wiggins hahahaha!

here we go again...

There have been many mountain bikers that have crossed over successfully to the road.
Just take a look at Michael Rasmussen. Now that guy was a top mountain biker, and he
had great success on the road too. So, I totally buy that Froome is clean. :p

lol

Cadel Evans was also a MTBer.




I agree though it seems a bit like Froome came out of nowhere. Good at TTing is one thing. TJ and Menchov are good as well. But second, and above Cancellara in the TdF? Daaang.

Guess I'm just another fu**ing wanker c*nt to Bradley Wiggins hahahaha!

I didn't know Bradley knew you.

One of the problems for any pro cyclist these days is that they aren't allowed to succeed without being accused of cheating. Froome has always shown considerable potential, and were it not for his illness it's reasonable to assume that his results would have given him a much higher profile in 2010 and early 2011.

Believe what you want, of course.