Chris Froome’s recent, rather controversial claims that his bike set-up at Israel-Premier Tech was “centimetres” apart from his Team Sky-issue Pinarello, contributing to his poor form and struggles with back pain over the last few seasons, have been slated by team co-owner Sylvan Adams, who branded the four-time Tour de France winner’s complaints “illogical” and said he “can talk about his bike position until the cows come home – that’s still not going to earn him a position on a Grand Tour team”.
Earlier this month, Froome revealed that, during a period of reflection after being omitted from Israel-Premier Tech’s Tour line-up, he noticed “very big discrepancies” between his positioning on his Team Sky-era Pinarello and his current Factor set-up, which he believes were the source of the lower back pain he’d experience at the tail end of longer races.
“At first I thought it was age starting to catch up with me but then I started questioning my position actually on the bike and then started comparing it,” the 38-year-old said, before going on to describe what he termed an “oversight” concerning the way his bike was set up since joining Israel-Premier Tech from Ineos in 2021.
“I had one of my old bikes from the Team Sky/Ineos days so I was able to compare the position on the two different bikes. I found that my reach, so from saddle to the handlebars, was over three centimetres of difference between the two bikes, longer on the current bike,” the two-time Vuelta winner said.
“I took my old bike and went to a specialist and found very big discrepancies between my positions. But now we’ve made some big changes, more than centimetres in terms of saddle height, in terms of the reach, it’s really a lot, we’re not talking millimetres.
“It’s a positive thing for me. I’ve found it’s given me a lot of added motivation now because it might be part of the puzzle, missing pieces, as to why I haven’t quite found the level that I’ve wanted to get to.”
However, Froome’s comments – which appeared to link the “huge discrepancies” in his current bike set-up compared to his grand tour-laden days at Team Sky with his recent poor form – were the subject of scorn from many cycling fans, pundits, and former pros.
Describing Froome’s claims that he failed to notice the changes in his position as a “load of BS”, former Tour de France contender-turned-journalist Michael Rasmussen said: “Any pro cyclist who has done thousands of hours on a bike will instantly feel a change in the set-up.
“Froome could ride his Pinarello from 2015 and he still wouldn’t crack top 20 in Tour du Rwanda with his current level.”
And this week, speaking to the Radio Cycling podcast, Froome’s own boss, Israel-Premier Tech owner Sylvan Adams, joined in the chorus of scepticism, and questioned the credibility of his marquee rider’s claims.
Adams, who asserted earlier this year that Froome “was absolutely not” representing “value for money” after the British rider failed to make the team’s Tour de France line-up, told the podcast: “Does it sound logical that somebody who was winning seven grand tours, including four Tours de France, is claiming that his saddle position is off by a centimetre, or whatever he’s saying?
“Does that sound credible for a guy who’s getting dropped, not even on the last climbs of races, but on the early climbs of races? That’s for the cycling public to judge.”
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
He continued: “We’ve been very generous with Chris in terms of trying to help him, trying to give him the best possible equipment, the best possible conditions. But if he wants to race in a grand tour next season, he has to meet certain criteria and be one of the best eight members of our team.
“Right now, I haven’t seen any results from Chris that indicate that he’s at that level, but he’s very determined. If he’s able to get into races and prove himself to be a relevant force in a race, and a useful member of a grand tour team, if he’s able to demonstrate that he has that level, he’ll have every opportunity.
“If he doesn’t meet that level, well he can talk about his bike position until the cows come home – that’s still not going to earn him a position on a grand tour team, his legs will have to do that.”
> Chris Froome’s bike set-up mystery explained on the road.cc Podcast
Adams’ comments this week aren’t the first time that the Israel-Premier Tech chief has refused to mince his words in public when it comes to Froome’s arguably subpar performances since joining his team in 2021.
The 38-year-old’s claim during the summer that he had been “let down” by the team over his non-selection for the Tour, and that his only chance to prove himself had been hampered once again by “frustrating” mechanical issues, prompted Adams to hit out at the grand tour specialist, saying he was not offering “value for money” and was currently riding like a “pedestrian domestique”.
“This is not a PR exercise,” Adams said. “Chris isn’t a symbol, he isn’t a PR tool, he’s supposed to be our leader at the Tour de France and he’s not even here, so no, I couldn’t say he’s value for money, no.”
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
However, Froome has recently claimed that there are “no hard feelings” between him and his team manager.
“I mean his frustrations are understandable but, yeah, that’s how it is,” he said. “I’m contracted for another two years. I signed a five-year contract when I joined. I still feel like there’s more in the legs and I want to go out having given it my all. I’m not going to give up on it. I’ve had much worse said about me.
“If I can get back to the Tour de France and be there when the race gets selective, when there are fewer guys left on the climbs, whether it’s fighting for a stage win again or even trying to ride whatever position on GC again – to me, just to be back in the race, when the race gets selective, that for me would be the dream.”
12 thoughts on ““He can talk about his bike position until the cows come home”: Chris Froome’s bike set-up “oversight” claims slammed as “illogical” by team boss”
He’s looking porky in the
He’s looking porky in the photo of him on the bike. I think that’s the main problem.
He’s been photographed at
He’s been photographed at point of diaphragm fully contracted and chest open and belly pushed out. Cyclists take massive breaths when working and even the skinniest can be made to look like they have a pot belly if photographed at the right time. But it’s just the the abdomen bulging out cause of maximum lung expansion.
Big Mig on his TT bike always
Big Mig on his TT bike always looked as though he had been overdoing the cerveza in the off season, in fact it was just his stomach moving out of the way to accomodate his incredible eight litre lungs.
Here he is winning the Tour
Here he is winning the Tour de France, looking similarly “porky”. As Paul says, it’s just breathing, quite a useful skill for a cyclist.
The boss actually seems quite
The boss actually seems quite reasonable.
Imagine what Patrick Leferve would be spouting….
It wouldn’t be pretty!
It wouldn’t be pretty!
did sylvan Adams really think
did sylvan Adams really think Froome was going to be great in GTs after he broke his leg badly? Chris seems to be trying his hardest and Adams’ gamble on a big star for big money on a 5 year contract didn’t work, and that’s on Adams, not Chris
Froome didn’t just break his
Froome didn’t just break his leg, he had a complex femoral fracture with massive internal bleeding. He nearly died, laying in the road for two hours while medics battled to stabilise him sufficiently to allow an ambulance ride to a hospital.
After a huge physical shock like that your top athlete’s body is unlikely ever to be the same, especially as Froome was already well into his 30s. Basically, Adams bought a dud when he signed Froome.
I also well remember the first big training rides Froome did down in SA after he’d been back on his bike for a while, posted up on his public Strava. One was a crazy one of something like 250km, with 1000s of metres of climbing, with some ludicrous average speed of 35km/h or something, with Froome proclaiming these were his best numbers in training, ever. I would go as far as to say he faked the ride, with a motor in the bike, whatever. I thought at the time, this cannot be real.
Ever since Froome came back to the peloton it’s been smoke and mirrors, with very few signs at all of getting anywhere near his former self.
The disc brakes business was farcical, guys were winning Classics and Grand Tours with Dura-Ace Disc groupsets, Froome was moaning about “lost Watts” with his own bike.
I feel sorry for what happened to Froome, but it seems like there’s been much deception here on Froome’s part, way beyond wishful thinking. All Adams got was a figurehead and a mentor for younger guys, not a rider called Chris Froome.
Well he did come third on
Well he did come third on Stage 12 of the Tour De France 2022, Briancon to L’Alpe d’Huez, taking in Col du Galibier and Col de la Croix, so he clearly ‘still has it’, as this wasn’t a walk in the park.
Yep I remember those epic strava rides, he also posted many other rides from Tenerife and other places with similarly stunning stats.
As a 7xGT winner I think we should give him a pass, and I do agree with other commenters whoi say it Adam’s fault for trying to buy success, rather than developing it as IPT have done so recently with Gee and Strong.
As for the disc brakes, he never used it as an excuse for his performance just that they enevitably rubbed, which may have been a frame specific issue.
Anyway, let’s see what happens next season. It’s clear he isn’t going to win another GT however I’m looking forward to seeing him in breakaways and possibly winning a stage in a GT.
About ten years ago a famous
About ten years ago a famous UK, bike builder told me how he built a TT bike for a gifted rider who won the national championship on it. After the win the bike was returned for some upgrade parts. Mr X, who built the bike noted that the saddle and bars were in completely the wrong position. He asked the national TT champion about this and he said that he had left everything exactly as it had been built. This was never the builders intention, assuming such a great rider would be able to set things up how he liked them. I doubt that Chris has much practical bike setup ability.
Does anyone suspect the
Does anyone suspect the impending end of his career is causing more issues than bike fit? His big salary and identity as a person is about to stop and from a mental perspective that must be scary and worrying as hell.
Indeed. Not the first top
Indeed. Not the first top sports person to do badly at accepting the end of his career. And you can understand why.
I’m not much of a Froome fan (and I’m hugely suspicious of his vertiginous rise from “not very good domestique who was about to be dropped by Sky” to “GT contender” in the space of… just a few months – and then the equally vertiginous drop from “dominant GT rider” to “not very good domestique”, even taking the crash and recovery into consideration) but you have to feel a bit sorry for him.
He should have called it quits earlier, with more grace. He maybe lacks good advice from a close confidant.