Cycling legends!

So I optimisticly had been preparing this post since the end of May this year. Hoping to tell the tale of a new Cycling legend. The first since Eddie Merx to win 4 consecutive grand tours.

Sadly I can't tell that story, but the one I can tell is perhaps a just as good. So forgive the long paragraphs where I talk about bike racing. Forgive the cliches if no one reads this far I don't mind. I just want to share a tale from my perspective.

But first some points to clear: Yes I know he has been accused of cheating but at present all cases against him are dropped. If you want to claim salbutamol / Ventolin is a PED please show me a scientific paper that lists the performance enhancing effects achieved by a a dosage double the standard permissable limit (I have checked and there arent any) Also I agree that dominance of this kind is a little dull and the man himself can be a bit dull in interviews but im still a fan.

Ok so heres the story, This first picture here shows Chris Froome wearing the Yellow Jersey (Maillot Jaune) at the 2017 Tour De France, Froome would win this tour despite never winning a stage, he would win by being consistent and by displaying impressive time trial abilities. infact in this tour save for a two day period team sky carried this Jersey from day one, His teamate Geraint Thomas (more on him later) held if for the first four days before Froome would take it. Froome would lose it in a dramatic mountain finish where he cracked while other riders had the legs to keep going. But two days later a strong effort by team sky saw the Jersey safely returned to Froome where he would keep it for the remainder of the tour.

But Froome wasn't finished with a single Grand Tour... oh no, he was going to make history and despite previous attempts at the Tour Vuelta Double this year he was going to do it. on the 19th of August The Vuelta a Espania started in Nimes (ironicly starting in the country where Froome had just won a tour). Over the next 21 stages Froome dominated the competition for the Maillot Rojo. Taking it from the third stage and never relinquishing it. In a rutheless display of skill Froome forced his rivals one by one to surrender. First Estaban Chaves who Froome raced to the line of Stage 9 taking his first stage win of the 2017 calendar. Then Vincenzo Nibali who dogged Froome for most of the tour before sucumbing to the feared Alto De L'Angliru on stage 20 the final day of racing. but Froome was unstoppable, on what many have described as the hardest climb in cycling he rode away from his rivals up the steep slopes led along by his faithful Domestique Wout Poels. Froome would Finish 3rd on this stage allowing retiring ledgend Alberto Contador the stage and his domestique the honnors of second place on the stage.

Froome at this point seemed unstoppable. Many wondering if he could follow up his double with a win at the UCI world championships and thus earn the fabled tripple crown of cycling. (Strictly speaking the Tripple Crown is occurs when a rider wins the Giro, Tour and then the Road race at the UCI world championships but since only Eddie Merx has acheived this feat the jury was out on what actually constitues a tripple crown). Unfortunatly the best Froome could manage was a 3rd place finish in the Team and Individual Time Trial having elected not to challenge the road race.

But 2018 was the Year where big things could happen, if a tripple crown was not to be could Froome win the Giro D'Italia and become the first cyclist since Bernard Hinault to win Three Consecutive grand tours? With the Giro starting in Israel and Froome crashing before it even began the answer looked to be no.

Indeed it wasn't until stage 14 that Froome managed to do anything remarkable at all. Winning the stage on Monte Zoncolan pushed Froome from nowhere at all in the overal standings (He wasn't even in the top 10) up to 5th. But a somewhat lackluster performance in the following stage for many dashed hopes of Froome even managing a Podium. The stage 16 Individual time was where things began to look up. A strong performance to finish 5th saw Froome elevated to 4th in the General Classsification standings and Stage 18 saw the first signs of weakness in current leader Simon Yates (who had ridden faultlessly up until then) Froome still in 4th had 3 minutes 22 seconds to make up on Yates. with only two racing stages left most would hope for a podium. Froome however wanted first or not at all, and stage 19 saw one of the most audacious agressive and incredible rides ever in the history of cycling.

A long stage 196km in Length with 3 hard climbs everyone expected the General Classification to be decided on these climbs... but no one really expected what happened. An early breakaway was quickly chased down by Michelton Scott, Simon Yates' team hoping to close the door on further attacks against the race leader and secure Yates in Pink for another day. Sky had sent riders up the road clearly hoping to get another stage win for the team, but sky had bigger plans and no one saw what would happen next. Into the base of the first climb up the Colle delle Finestre still 90km from the finish line Sky hit the front of the race and set a brutal pace through 27 hairpins the peloton was shattered Yates fell of the back his team rallying around him to coax him up the hill. Domestiques from all the big teams were dropping left and right with 85km to go the Group at the front was down to just a handful of General classification riders and many were falling back as sky set a brutal and unrelenting pace. Soon even Sky had shed the majority of its domestiques only Kenny Ellisonde remaind at the front. And Kenny was sprinting. Pedaling flat out as the tarmac ended turning into a gravel track up the remainder of the slopes. at 80km Ellisonde was spent and pulled to the side and then Froome went. With 80km no one saw it comming, Froome accelerated away leaving his rivals behind climbing faster and harder eating out 10 seconds advantage then 20 then 25. It was madness no way could a rider solo for 80km and hope to keep a time gap. But Froome did. He rode hard and crested the Finestre with not even a wave for the highest point of the race. He attacked the downhill pushing his bike harder and faster than any would dare go. Meanwhile behind the chase was forming. Tom Dumoulin the defending Champion acompanied by three other GC contenders and one Domestique were forming up to chase down the lone Froome. But while they were busy organising the chase and coaching the slower riders down the slopes Froome was full on attacking. He carved out more time. Across an intermediate sprint he stole bonus seconds and still took more and more time. Soon the comentary was no longer about how Yates had Cracked and Dumoulin would now be leading the race, but how if Froome could maintain this attack he would have ridden himself into the Pink of race leader. Froome would finish 3 minutes ahead of anyone else and with bonus seconds counted would take a lead over Dumoulin of 40 seconds.

Stage 20 the Final day of Racing would see Dumoulin attack hard in the final climb to try and take victory. but it was not to be. Froome drew in all of Dumoulins attacks and even threw in one of his own. at the end of the stage 20 Froome would have secured his 6th Grand Tour win in a style that no one would have predicted back when the race started.

Which brings me here. I had hoped to tell the story here of a spectacular rider by Froome to secure this years Tour De France and with it his fourth grand tour. Sadly it was too much to ask of Froome. Perhaps one race too many. Perhaps the pressure of his Salbutamol case, resolved only a few days before the race had been too much. Perhaps the outright hostility of the "fans" to Froome. (Not for the first time, but Froome was subjected to verbal abuse, and worse outright physical assault being shoved at one point and having an unidentified liquid thrown at him at another). Froome would only manage a 3rd place finish in this Tour. but that is not the most amazing thing about this story. What is perhaps more amazing is what Froome did in defeat.

The tour started badly for Froome a crash on stage one saw him lose nearly a minute before the race for Yellow had really even begun, whilst further setbacks would help to even the playingfield Froome found himself in a strange positon, Geraint Thomas his friend and teamate for the last 10 years was leading him in the race for Yellow. Now last year Thomas had taken the Yellow in an impressive win on Stage 1. This Year Thomas would take it at Stage 11 with an impressive ride up La Rosiere to finish first on the stage. Thomas would state in interviews that it was just a temporay thing and that securing Yellow within the team was important and outright saying he would continue to support Froome. The next day saw that leading out Froome up Alpe d'Huez Thomas stayed the faithful servant but when the race reached the final kilometer and with Froome the weakest sprinter in the group Thomas took over and powered Through to a second stage victory making a little history while doing so. The First Brit to win a stage up the famous Alp and the first rider to ever do so in the leaders Jersey. But even with such dominant display the story never changed. Froome was the man and he would work for him. And this remained true, right up to stage 17. When Froome cracked. Froome lost time while Thomas was able to ride strong, but this is where Froome showed class and quality of something beyond just a champion. Without question or complaint Froome rode in service of Thomas taking the role of Domestique. On stage 19 Froome led Thomas up the final climb, responded to attacks and kept Thomas safe. eventualy Froome was dropped but his efforts had helped Thomas. But Froome was not finished yet, he called for the services of Egan Bernal the youngest rider in the race and with his help rode back to the GC group in time to follow it on the final descent to the finish. Froome chased down the mountain passing some of the greatest riders in the peloton at blistering speeds. He reached Thomas and then he took over the lead pushing faster and faster in clear pursuit of setting Thomas up for third Stage win (Thomas being the favourite for a sprint to the line in the leaders group). Thomas would call Froome back not wishing him to risk himself and the other riders and Froome again without question eased off dropped back and remained in support. Stage 20 the individual time trial was perhaps the last chance for Froome to take a stage at the Tour. He rode hard and fast in the time trial passing every checkpoint fastest. and according to TV he even beat Tom Dumoulin by a second at the finish. But some checking of the replay would reval a police officer had stepped on the timer a couple seconds before Froome crossed the line. Dumoulin would win the stage by a second and Froome with a smile would congratulate him on a stage well ridden.

Why do I think this is perhaps Froome's best display yet? For the simple fact that Froome had every right to order Thomas as his Domestique to return and ride in his service, he could have held Thomas back on mountain stages to support him. He did not he cheered and smiled as his teammate took glory and well deserved glory at that. Thomas has been there for Froome for every single one of Froomes Tour victories. Riding on a broken pelvis for the first and in last years race riding himself to a broken collar bone. Thomas the ever faithful second to Froome deserved the honors in Paris, and Froome gave it to him allowed him the freedom to race and chase and at the very end of it all rode with him into Paris to celebrate his victory.

Thomas is a Champion but Froome with his actions over the past 12 months has shown that he is the titan who will carry the Champion.

Fun fact, it is a tradition for the race winner to finish the tour on a bike in the leaders Jersey colors, here is Froome's 2017 Tour de France bike.

Many would assume that these bikes are premade and the team keep them carefully hidden and wrapped up to avoid tempting fate. But in actuallity as soon as the final racing stage is finished an order is placed for the bike. It is painted and finished and then freighted overnight to the location of the Final stage.

Here is Froomes bike from the 2017 Vuelta Espania

And His Bike from the 2018 Giro d'Italia

Discalimer: If you have read this far... WOW you are awesome! I apologise my grammer and spelling suck and if I missed accents or punctuation im sorry!

If you are a cyclist, Good Job Bikes are awesome!