tombeej Posted December 4, 2015 Posted December 4, 2015 OK so Sky have released his numbers from the physiological testing results from mid-August this year, a couple of weeks after winning the TDF. Two key attack points from the Froome skeptics have been: 1. How did he just suddenly appear from nowhere as a world class cyclist at the relatively old age of 26? He could only have done that by doping.2. How can he be so fast now - his power to weight ratio, etc. is off the charts, so he must be doping. As this nice summary on Velonews points out, we can argue quite reasonably that Point 1. has now been debunked. He always had an exceptional engine - he's just improved on it. However, there's still room for the dedicated skeptics to hold on to their Point 2 (there's just not enough historical data to prove to them otherwise). Re. Point 1, from the article: Froome underwent a VO2 test as a fresh-faced recruit to the World Cycling Center in 2007, scoring an incredible 80.2 mL/kg*min (milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of bodyweight per minute), at a weight of 75.6 kilograms (166.7 pounds). The test in August 2015 revealed a VO2 of 84.6, at 69.9 kg (154.1 lbs). Readjusted for his Tour de France weight of 67 kg (147.7 lbs), this puts him at 88.2. “Off the charts,” said Phillip Bell, one of the sports scientists who conducted the testing. The VO2 figure marks Froome as an outlier, with among the highest figures recorded by a cyclist. That he is exceptional should surprise nobody; only one man on earth wins the Tour de France every year, so the feat requires outlier physiology by definition. His excellent 2007 VO2 figure, at a much higher weight, shows that most of his improvement came from weight loss, not power increase. This is backed up by the power tests, which were also performed in 2007. His peak power figure of 525 watts and a sustained power of 419 watts in 2015 are lower than his 2007 figures of 540 watts and 420 watts, respectively. Donkey to racehorse? Not at all. The engine was there; its chassis was just a bit chubby. Doper or not? You decide....
tombeej Posted December 4, 2015 Author Posted December 4, 2015 Froome's VO2 max compared to a few other big-name cyclists from the past: Greg LeMond: 92.5Chris Froome: 88.2Miguel Indurain: 88Edvald Boasson Hagen: 86.4Thor Hushovd: 86Lance Armstrong: 84 Source.
Patchelicious Posted December 4, 2015 Posted December 4, 2015 No amount of evidence will ever change a mind that wants to believe something else.
'Dale Posted December 4, 2015 Posted December 4, 2015 Thank, TombeejHmmm... Interesting and contemplative stuff Wonder what 'Berto and Quintana looks like on a VO doux Max
tombeej Posted December 4, 2015 Author Posted December 4, 2015 Thank, TombeejHmmm... Interesting and contemplative stuff Wonder what 'Berto and Quintana looks like on a VO doux Max I've been looking online for any reference to his current rivals numbers, but haven't found anything yet. Back to the Velonews article:Froome should be commended for releasing such information. His rivals have not. 100% agreed.
Martin PJ Posted December 4, 2015 Posted December 4, 2015 There are many questions which a lab test can't answer. Like how do you maintain power whilst being so thin, how do you stop yourself from having a bad day (think Richie Porte), how do you stop those red blood cells from dropping in a three week race. This being said, I am a Froome supporter.
SwissVan Posted December 4, 2015 Posted December 4, 2015 Blah blah Doper or not? You decide.... Non doper, finished and klaar.
'Dale Posted December 4, 2015 Posted December 4, 2015 What interests me is his capability to translate that VO2 Max into results.He must have one helluva diet and trainingto maintain strength while being so ultra leanHis lung and chest issues have been an ongoing challenge for him. He reported afterwards how he kept his breath in, to avoid being overhead coughing at the start of the last few TdF stages, and being viewed as vulnerable.Even avoid a TUE to diminish further skepticism by wearing yellow to Paris. GO FROOME DAWG
Guest Lancesball Posted December 4, 2015 Posted December 4, 2015 "I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles" 2.0
SwissVan Posted December 4, 2015 Posted December 4, 2015 "I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles" 2.0 Just for the record: That's an Oom LAnce quote not the Vroomer
raptor-22 Posted December 4, 2015 Posted December 4, 2015 Even so, Pharmstrong still came back from cancerto win the tour amongst fellow dopers.He was the king of the turbo-hybrid era
Andrew Steer Posted December 4, 2015 Posted December 4, 2015 It's more transparency than any other cyclist out there at the moment... would I put my house on him, no! Do I believe he deserves as much/or more respect than most of his peers... absolutely. One day somebody is going to win the Tour de France clean - maybe that day has already been. We will never know for sure, but like I said... I'd believe in Chris long before any of his challengers
Patchelicious Posted December 4, 2015 Posted December 4, 2015 It's more transparency than any other cyclist out there at the moment... would I put my house on him, no! Do I believe he deserves as much/or more respect than most of his peers... absolutely. One day somebody is going to win the Tour de France clean - maybe that day has already been. We will never know for sure, but like I said... I'd believe in Chris long before any of his challengers This is exactly it! He gets more flack for testing negative than others who actually test postive.
Pure Savage Posted December 4, 2015 Posted December 4, 2015 This is exactly it! He gets more flack for testing negative than others who actually test postive.Breathe, it's not July [emoji12]
Patchelicious Posted December 4, 2015 Posted December 4, 2015 Breathe, it's not July [emoji12]I try to get worked up early on... so that by the time it hits July, I am more in a "meh who cares" mood. Peak early, go into July in a recovered state....
tombeej Posted December 4, 2015 Author Posted December 4, 2015 I try to get worked up early on... so that by the time it hits July, I am more in a "meh who cares" mood. Peak early, go into July in a recovered state.... Following the reverse periodisation technique, I see
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