Tdf Stage 17

Froome breaks off to wait for Wiggins

Ride on Froomey ffs.

Just go ffs

chance gone?

should just let him go Wiggins would only lose a few seconds to him anyway.

Froome sacrifices another stage win

Why doesn't Wiggins let him go? This loos worse on him than if Froome went and won the stage

They have still got it , have backed both of them as they have gone out come the **** on

Wiggins supporters spitting feathers

Woeful tactical showing

Thought they might just

Who's to say it was Wiggins saying he should stay? Post race interview will be interesting.

Would have easily had him

the amount of time Froome was looking over his shoulder Wiggins was saying something, and it didn't look like 'go on'

this makes me miserable to be honest, I like Wiggins but seeing Froome get held back repeatedly..

Sky sacrificed the stage for no reason there. Froome would easily have made up the required 20 seconds on that climb and caught Valverde.

****s.

I'm absolutely raging. 3 times Froome sat up waiting for Wiggo. Froome should have won this stage easy.

Tactically...it's like they're all on drugs.

dont understand why frome didnt go for it,wiggins was not going to lose any time,funny decision.

Cadel supporters seething!!

probably should have let him go, at worst Wiggins would have lost 20 seconds to Froome.

That is bullsh1t really. Fcuking joke there by Sky.

Froom might have won that stage and it would have made little difference to the GC. Really very strange.

Makes Wiggins look worse imo

doesnt make much sense as you say would have had no bearing on the GC Wiggins would have got that time back and more in the time trial anyway.

lost a hundred thanks to betfair, my webpage decided to revert to beta for no reason when i was trading.. and took a minute to load back to the tour page

If anything, it would have made Sky's position stronger if Froome had attacked as it would have strengthened his position over Nibali and VDB.

not sure how its bad for Wiggins he was still the 3rd strongest man out there today, will be interesting to hear what was said between them.

Think Brad clearly gave him the green light to go.
A bizzare decision to wait whether it be Froomes or team orders

If Froome was told to wait by Wiggo or Brailsford I will be seething. But if he did it off his own back then more fool him

Not the first time

considering what Froomes said I can't see why he'd make the decision to stay himself, especially if given the green light

Froome will be on the radio for the individual time trial to make sure he is behind Wiggins

That's just really pissed me off

JustWinBaby
Froome will be on the radio for the individual time trial to make sure he is behind Wiggins

More likely to just wait the 2 minutes and pace Wiggins to the finish

lol

Anyone who thinks Froome wouldn't have won today wants locking up!!! Valverde out on his feet. And won by 19 seconds after Froome sat up 3 times waiting for Wiggo

Are they trying to make Wiggins look bad?

And Froome signed a 3 year deal with Sky last October. So that means another 2 years for him to be Wiggins' b*tch

I was on a big win on Froome but rather sanguine about it. I think Froome didn't want to leave Wiggins completely isolated. Had there been a bunch it might have been different.

Will wait for the interviews. I can't imagine Wiggins told him to stay. It makes no sense and Froome was allowed to go in the first week.

makes far less sense for Froome to stay if he was told he could go

He was probably confused

at why Sky keep screwing him?

Just think it could of been a stage win for Sky, Wiggins being 'selfless', showing he could do it alone, now we're all be saying Wiggins needs babysitting to win, can't see what the danger was in letting him go, more damaging him staying imo

Froome will get his chance next year and we'll see how good he is.

When did Froome lose his time?

apart from TT

lost 1min 30 to  a mechanical failure and 30 sec plus in the time trial.

He had a mechanical on stage 3 (I think) that cost him over a min

we can see that Froome is good enough already

so if it's a more mountainous Tour next year will Sky switch to Froome or try and defend with Wiggins?

think Wiggins has already said hed ride for Froome next year.

Brits Kings of the Tour

yeah I read that, nice sound bite but I wonder what the reality will be

Wiggins might not be on the team but im pretty sure Froome will get his chance next year.

Be surprised if Wiggo is back to defend next year. He won't win. Not sure he'd want to ride for someone else

if he is not going to try and repeat he should just steer clear of the tour

Wiggins will start out as #1 for Sky again next year barring injury or illness. He's got the biggest say on that team

A 3 way battle between Contador, Andy Schleck and Froome next year will be highly anticipated

No guarantee Froome will be in this form again

so Froome wanted more from Wiggins...? Wiggins knew he didn't have to which translates as couldn't go with him...?

Wiggo virtually admitting Froome was held back today

was that in question Clay??

Eh when they finish 19 secs behind stage winner then yes I think it was. Makes Brad look bad I feel. Froome should have won easily today

think people just have to accept that cycling is a team sport and Sky have chosen Wiggins as their leader, with over a 2min lead when they hit the mountains why would you risk all that planning and preperation when the man you've chosen to lead is in such a strong position. For all his criticism he's been very strong in the mountains its only being talked about because the 1 man stronger is his team mate. Froome will get his chance next year.

Eh when they finish 19 secs behind stage winner then yes I think it was. Makes Brad look bad I feel. Froome should have won easily today

think it was pretty obvious Froome was held back at the end whether it was his own choice or a team choice i didn't think that was in question??

Wiggins said Froome was asking him for more but he didn't think they needed to push so clearly he was told to stay with him

definitely makes for a hollow victory imo

But we could have come away from that stage thinking "Wow, Froome's good, a second stage win. Wiggins is still the main man for this year but Froome will be great for next year"

Now we're thinking

"What the f**k was that, why has Wiggins got to be shepherded up the hill?"

im guessing that was a team decision marychain that close to the end im sure Wiggins would have been fine. Lets not forget hes proven himself to be among the strongest in the mountains it just so happens he has a team mate thats stronger.

yep, difference in what we're left thinking, what he headlines will be etc is big, although losing to Froome wouldn't of been great this is more damaging I feel

If it was Brad telling him to hold back thats a sad situation.
If it was Froome or managements decision not sad just plain stupidity.
A great oppourtunity to win the stage take more time out of Nibali & make naff all difference to Brads lead.

Would have been great PR for Froome to have won stage and for Brad to say after the race "I said go win it"

has Froome been interviewed yet or are Sky still writing his script?

pmsl if Froome beats Wiggins in the time trial. What bOllOcks will they come out with then.

Looks like it was Froome's decision to stay with Brad. Brad says he stopped concentrating and went into daydream mode and Froome was trying to get him to speed up, Brad dreaming of a gust free Paris!

Thats not how I heard it

From whom? And what did they say?

Brailsford and Wiggins interviews on ITV4 .... Brailsford said he did not speak with Froome and the riders would have to be asked what had happened. Wiggins then said that Froome was asking Brad to go quicker rather than Brad asking Froome to go slower. Brad said he was daydreaming and had lost concentration as the job had been done.

lol, same difference isn't it, Froome wasn't allowed to go quicker as Wiggins couldn't follow

Froome was asked of Brad told him to go win the stage and he said "No"

From letour:

The race leader had to manage the enthusiasm of a team-mate who believed it might have been possible to win the stage. But Brad Wiggins admitted after the 17th stage that he allowed his mind to wander and that he lost some concentration. He finished third in the stage, one place behind a phenomenal domestique, Chris Froome, who the rider in the yellow believes will one day win the Tour de France.

“We were talking about Nibali [in the last few kilometres] because we knew he was on his limit. Chris said he wanted to go for the stage and I said, ‘Yeah... ah... pff'. You know. I wasn't too sure on the time gap at that point but from the moment I crossed the Peyresourde [1.5km from the finish] I allowed myself to drift; at that point it was the first time I allowed myself to think that I've won the Tour. All the way up the last bit my concentration had gone. Everything about performance had gone and Chris was egging me on to take time and, ah, I was just in another world really.
“Today it was more a case of everyone faltering around us and us just continuing what we were doing. That's very much how it was today as opposed to yesterday when we were taking on the attacks of Nibali and all that...
“Once we saw that Nibali had cracked at the top of the Peyresourde, we knew we didn't have the danger of him attacking in the final so it was at that point that I knew it was pretty much over.
“We rode away from the rest of the field and I lost concentration. I was thinking of lots of different things at that time. Chris wanted more but the fight had gone from me at that point.
“The nature of the Tour is that people fall by the wayside as the race goes on. That's the affect of the length of the race and how hard it is; it's the nature of the Tour de France. I said at the start in Liège that it's about being good for 21 days and never really having any super days or any bad days. I think we saw that today: Nibali was super strong yesterday and perhaps didn't back it up today. It's about consistency really.
“It was an ideal situation. As soon as we went of the Peyresourde, I knew that that was the climbing done, really. It was an incredible feeling because that's where everyone said that I was at my weakest – in the mountains – so it was good to go over the last summit. All the way up the last climb I almost had tears in my eyes. It's a really nice feeling.
“Chris was super strong again today. He's super excited. He's been a fantastic team-mate during this Tour de France. For sure, one day, he'll win the Tour and I'll be there beside him to do it.”

Clay ... it's a team sport.

HoD - the best rider is finishing 2nd. I hope this helps

The best climber ... maybe, however, the best timetrialer is going to win the TdF.

Disagree Clay. How much quicker do you think that Wiggins will be ahead on the TT?
It is a team sport and there are pressures being team lead. Ullrich and Lemond did the same previously. It is all about progression. This Tour has been dominated by the excellence of the Sky Team. They have destroyed teams by riding at a steady tempo. Chris F will have his day, albeit I think there has been a lack of genuine mountain beasts.
If Contador and Schlek ever come back then it will be a different proposition.

It all makes horse racing appear very straight and logical!

I don'think Wiggins will take more than about 30 secs from Froome on Saturday. But Froome would have taken more than 2 minutes off of Wiggo if he was allowed to attack on ALL mountain stages.
Today told everyone what they need to hear. Froome would have won this Tour had he been allowed.

Lemond LET Hinuait win his 5th Tour and everyone knew he LET him win it and he regrets it to this day. No one argued that Hinuait won it on merit.

Without a doubt the best time-trialler is going to win the Tour. Unfortunately we do not know if the best climber (and arguably the 2nd or 3rd best TTer in the field) would have won because he has been stifled by team orders

Yes a Sky rider will win the Tour but who really remembers what team the winners rode for and who remembers the winner's team-mates. The record books will show that Bradley Wiggins won the 2012 TdF but they will not show that he was dragged over the finish-line on more than one mountain stage by a clearly superior team-mate (at that discipline)

The plaudits have already started for Wiggins while Froome is already the forgotten man (and probably completely unknown among people who haven't watched any of the race at all). You only have the read all the crap on Twitter from even Chris Hoy saying that Wiggins winning the Tour will be the "Greatest ever achievement by a British sportsperson" to show that no-one really regards the Tour as a team sport anymore than anyone cares who wins the constructors championship in F1.

If anyone deserves "sportsman-of-the-year" for his performance in the TdF 2012 it's Chris Froome

Dunno about that. I am pashed off as I backed Froome to win today, but still think Wiggins would have won no matter what.
Let's just admit it is great for British cycling. Although the days that Robert Miller rode were a lot harder

I'm well aware this is a team sport. I had a decent bet on Froome to win today's stage and was backing him in running also. I stood to in 10 grand all in all if Froome had won today's stage/ He should have won it. Wiggo would still win the Tour if he had let Froome go with 6k to go. This is what p!ssed me off the most. The other GC riders were cooked so there was no threat to Wiggo from any of them. Couldn't believe what I was seeing. Valverde was out on his feet. 19 secs from a guy that sat up 3 times and waited for his team leader! You bet I'm raging

i have backed Froome in every mountain stage and went into day, only as I had Voekler at 100-1 yesterday. Sky are a team and not bothered about the 6k winner's prize. It has ruined betting from the halcyon days of Pantani and Virenque where you knew you were getting a  good run for your money. Took the last two days off work as well

i have backed Froome in every mountain stage and went into day, only as I had Voekler at 100-1 yesterday. Sky are a team and not bothered about the 6k winner's prize. It has ruined betting from the halcyon days of Pantani and Virenque where you knew you were getting a  good run for your money. Took the last two days off work as well

i have backed Froome in every mountain stage and went into day, only as I had Voekler at 100-1 yesterday. Sky are a team and not bothered about the 6k winner's prize. It has ruined betting from the halcyon days of Pantani and Virenque where you knew you were getting a  good run for your money. Took the last two days off work as well

sorry about that

Yup, gotta miss the juiced up days of Pantani and Virenque and Landis

yep, everyone was on EPO then.

Froome should have won today's stage but it is impossible to say what would have happened if they'd both had their head for the whole race. For one thing, if Froome had been in yellow for large parts of the race he'd have been dealing with a whole new set of pressures.

Can't remember Armstrong or Indurain ever losing concentration when they realised they had won the tour.....not what I would expect of a so-called champion.  He will win but he is dead lucky to have had Froome as a team-mate and a compliant one at that!

Anyone remember juiced up Riis climbing Hautacam dropped to the back of the lead group to look @ Indurain said look @ me im as high as a kite & im off.

Lost alot of respect for Brad yesterday .Clearly should have given Froome the green light & could have still enjoyed his moment of his head being all over the place.

Good post db1974