Grasschopper

Ok so I could have cared less about Froome before yesterday but that finale rubbed me the wrong way. Is the Green Jersey in the Vuelta really that big of an accomplishment that Froome felt he needed to defend it in both the intermediate sprint (which didn't work) and the final sprint? He denied Trentin the Green Jersey and all of what may go along with it (standing on the podium to receive it, any cash from the race for winning it, any bonus from his team for winning it, the ability to put that on his palmares and thus boost future contract negotiations). It seemed to me that there were several instances where Froome/Team Sky could have let certain things happen and yet they pressed unnecessarily in order to stomp on the field. I've heard it speculated that they let Contador go on Angliru but IMO that chase at the end was pretty serious and for no reason other than to win the stage. All Froome had to do to win was not let Contador get a 4 min lead and stay with the other challengers...but he attacked and was reeling Alberto in at the end of stage 20. Then he goes out to contest a sprint he has no chance at winning in order to secure the Green Jersey and prevent Trentin from winning it.

Seemed rather unsportsmanlike to me. Am I just looking at this wrong?

markjenn

I'm not a CF fan, but if a competitor is in the position of winning both the yellow and green, I don't see why they have to back off and let someone else win the green. I'd rather have every jersey be fully contested by anyone in the position to win it. To do otherwise dilutes the competition and makes the jersey seem more of a pre-arranged ceremonial thing.

Now the dominance of CF/Sky is a problem but that needs to be solved by other teams becoming more competitive, not by brow-beating Sky to take it easy and be charitable.

- Mark

Kevindale

I think it's the nature of the sport. Riders want to win, period. If Froome could have won both points and KOM jerseys, he would have done it. He said he wanted Poels to win stage 20, on Angliru. That's as much of a "gift" as any of these guys give, and often they won't even give the gift to a teammate. Froome and Poels weren't concerned about Contrador having his fairly tale ending, and I don't think Contrador would have wanted it that way.

Remember when Armstrong "gave" Pantani a gift in the TdF? It was actually an unforgivable insult to Pantani, and Pantani took it that way.

And Trentin won 4 stages, and had two seconds. He had a few minutes on some podiums in this race.

MinnMan

Even if none of the charges you level are true, Froome is probably not a lovable generous soul. Few of the people who have that kind of drive and achievement are. I admire his abilities, though I root against him, and I hope he's not a criminal cheat, but it's too much to ask to expect our sports heroes also to be model citizens and good will ambassadors.

Yeah, it would be nice if our champions were heroes in every way, but it's quite something to be that kind of winner, and few who win like that also manage to be well-adjusted and humble.

jimincalif

Racing should be exciting to watch, that's what the teams need to deliver to their sponsors. If everyone always does the predictable least risky thing, then not so exciting. Good for Froome.

Caretaker

Unsportsmanlike?

Defending a jersey you hold isn't unsportsmanlike, it's being competitive.

San Pedro

I just don't like that he is dominant and boring to watch (when he has a lead).

esskay1000

This. Contador, love him or hate him, shook that race up and made it exciting. But can't blame Froome for wanting to win as much and as many jerseys as possible

Grasschopper

Ok so I guess it's just me...thanks for the feedback.

bikecrate

Well, it is a race between very competitive people. As the Eurosports commentators were pointing out, it is the way that the green jersey points are awarded that causes the problem.

Grasschopper

Well right. I get the US commentary (so Bob Roll and Paul Sherwin) and while they didn't specifically have my take on it they both seemed to think that it was crazy for Froome to contest it. They also were commenting on how the points worked thus causing the potential for the situation. I'm not sure how the Vuelta works but what if Froome crashed out on the intermediate sprint (i.e. before 3k to go)? He then not only loses the green jersey but also the red. Now I believe I remember something from the TdF back in the Lance days where the final overall standings were taken when they entered the Champs de Elysees so that the GC guys didn't have to race the sprinters and possibly crash out.

Just shocked me that the green jersey meant enough to Froome that he'd potentially risk the overall to get it. SO I know the 3k rule...but you still have to finish right? What if Froome crashed so badly in the sprint that he couldn't cross the line?

Rollfast

That's the breaks. It's a sport.

markjenn

Hey Bud, this is Bike Forums! You can't say something like this. You need to argue, harangue, distort, make up statistics, etc. - whatever it takes to stick to your guns. The nerve of some people.

- Mark

atbman

I imagine that Trentin would have loved headlines like "Froome gifts Trentin with points jersey!"