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Froome vs Everybody Else


Patchelicious

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Posted

Any case does it really matter.?

 

More a personal preference. . I think we all said after last year's tour.. me included that it was a good smart win.

Posted

No... his worst crime is those freaking elbows and his stem.. that bloody stem..

 

He cycles like Paula Radcliff runs, the looking down thing is a secret British breathing technique

Posted

Had a TUE for that. Ok it was issued retrospectively.

Was that the one where he "donated" $100 k to the UCI for anti doping or something. .
Posted

He cycles like Paula Radcliff runs, the looking down thing is a secret British breathing technique

 

http://www.53x12.com/#!improve-breathing---part-ii/j2hjy

 

What do Paula Radcliffe and Chris Froome have in common, in addition to being British? 

Both adopt a special breathing technique, very similar to each other. 

 

Looking Froome in action on the Mont Ventoux during the TdF 2013, one can't help but notice that the English cyclist rhythmically lowers his head, with a frequency that tends to increase along with the pace of the riding: every 5-7 seconds when the effort is moderate, every 2-4 seconds when he attacks, as he did 5-6 km from the finish line on the French mountain. 

 

Some observers have attributed these movements of the head to the obsessive need of "robo-athlete" to check watts and heart rate from the SRM mounted on the handlebar. 

I disagree: any lowering of the head by Froome corresponds to a forced expiration, implemented with a special technique. 

Bowing the head facilitates the elevation of the diaphragm, further encouraging the complete emptying of the lungs: the anterior myofascial tension (from the jaw to the symphysis pubis), proper of the position in hyperextension of the head of the rider looking forward, is in fact reduced, thus facilitating the full expiration. 

 

A complete elevation of the diaphragm reduces the intra-abdominal pressure, effectively promoting the venous and lymphatic return from the lower limbs, whose action, relieved from toxic elements, becomes "lighter". 

 

The next deep breath, made ​​through the nose and mouth and with the head in hyperextension (looking forward for the cyclist, up slightly for the runner), in addition to oxygenate the air in the lungs, reduces the endothoracic pressure by increasing diastolic filling and cardiac output and therefore the amount of oxygen that gets to the muscles. 

 

When the effort is moderate forced expiration-inspiration occurs every 3-4 breaths (as suggested by Obree), when the effort is high every 1-2 breaths (as done by Froome during his attack on the Ventoux). 

 

I tried this technique on myself in the past few weeks: I noticed that lowering the head the full diaphragmatic expiration is easier, and if you ride at high RPM (like Froome... ), each exhalation is accompanied by a 15-20% increase in instantaneous watts (better venous return? Less myofascial tension?). 

 

I believe that this breathing technique, adequately trained and associated with a strengthening of the respiratory muscles, may bring advantages over an "uncontrolled" breathing , so frequent even among top athletes.

Posted

http://www.53x12.com/#!improve-breathing---part-ii/j2hjy

 

What do Paula Radcliffe and Chris Froome have in common, in addition to being British?

Both adopt a special breathing technique, very similar to each other.

 

Looking Froome in action on the Mont Ventoux during the TdF 2013, one can't help but notice that the English cyclist rhythmically lowers his head, with a frequency that tends to increase along with the pace of the riding: every 5-7 seconds when the effort is moderate, every 2-4 seconds when he attacks, as he did 5-6 km from the finish line on the French mountain.

 

Some observers have attributed these movements of the head to the obsessive need of "robo-athlete" to check watts and heart rate from the SRM mounted on the handlebar.

I disagree: any lowering of the head by Froome corresponds to a forced expiration, implemented with a special technique.

Bowing the head facilitates the elevation of the diaphragm, further encouraging the complete emptying of the lungs: the anterior myofascial tension (from the jaw to the symphysis pubis), proper of the position in hyperextension of the head of the rider looking forward, is in fact reduced, thus facilitating the full expiration.

 

A complete elevation of the diaphragm reduces the intra-abdominal pressure, effectively promoting the venous and lymphatic return from the lower limbs, whose action, relieved from toxic elements, becomes "lighter".

 

The next deep breath, made ​​through the nose and mouth and with the head in hyperextension (looking forward for the cyclist, up slightly for the runner), in addition to oxygenate the air in the lungs, reduces the endothoracic pressure by increasing diastolic filling and cardiac output and therefore the amount of oxygen that gets to the muscles.

 

When the effort is moderate forced expiration-inspiration occurs every 3-4 breaths (as suggested by Obree), when the effort is high every 1-2 breaths (as done by Froome during his attack on the Ventoux).

 

I tried this technique on myself in the past few weeks: I noticed that lowering the head the full diaphragmatic expiration is easier, and if you ride at high RPM (like Froome... ), each exhalation is accompanied by a 15-20% increase in instantaneous watts (better venous return? Less myofascial tension?).

 

I believe that this breathing technique, adequately trained and associated with a strengthening of the respiratory muscles, may bring advantages over an "uncontrolled" breathing , so frequent even among top athletes.

Didn't he say it was just habit?

 

What race was it.. it was a climb and he was struggling a big and he was stem watching so much he cut off another rider cause he ended up going off his line lol

Posted

OK, so here's the full list of his current crimes:

 

1. 'Caught' using an asthma inhaler during stage 2 of the 2014 Criterium du Dauphine.

 

2. An apparently 'rushed' TUE for the use of oral Prednisone for an acute chest infection in the 2014 Tour de Romandie.

 

3. Missed doping controls

 

 

Note on the rushed TUE story:

 

Normally the TUE has to be applied for 21 days ahead of use. But it can be fast-tracked or even retroactively applied for if the condition is ‘acute’. UCI’s chief medic, Doctor Mario Zorzoli fast-tracked the TUE for him “based on duly documented medical history and in compliance with the applicable UCI Regulations and the relevant WADA guidelines”. The allegations were made by a French newspaper (Le Journal du Dimanche) that was then rebutted by the UCI, who basically said they were playing games with snippets of truth to try and dig up a story and that it’s “… an unfounded allegation which will be dealt with seriously.” Another case of your standard tabloid gutter journalism?

 

Note on the missed doping controls:

 

I only know of one: when he was staying in an exclusive hotel in Italy and the hotel sent the testers away without notifying him until he came down for breakfast later. Remember that it was Froome who called for the press conference to announce he’d missed the controls, and to express his frustration that the Hotel he was staying at sent the testers away without notifying him. Basically said, while the hotel meant well, they’ve put me in the dwang and I’m not happy.

 

Someone help me out with the second missed control, please?

Posted

Didn't he say it was just habit?

 

What race was it.. it was a climb and he was struggling a big and he was stem watching so much he cut off another rider cause he ended up going off his line lol

 

Probably, but If you practise it enough it will become a habit

[inserting nodding head emoticon]

and if the Dr F says it has potential benefits.... then i believe

 

 

 

 

 

I agree its not the safest thing to do for pro cyclist

Posted

I think (generally speaking) there are 3 things that lead people to point fingers at Froome:

1. He was not especially pedigree in his early years. When you look at many other tour winners they were really prolific as juniors and everyone tipped them as future greats. Relative to this, Froome kinda came out of nowhere.

2. He is beating other riders who are doping. That's impressive if he is clean. A more extreme example of this is Miguel Indurain. Never caught for EPO, but he regularly beat a peloton where clean riders were so rare that they even had a phrase for it: "Pan y Agua".

3. He can come across as a whiney b1tch. He complains a lot, and often in very public forums like twitter, his autobiography, via his wife, etc. It makes him hard to like, which (rightly or wrongly) makes people more inclined to same lousy things about him and, draw conclusions that he may be a doper (see points 1 and 2).

 

I'm not saying I agree with these points, I'm just trying to offer an explanation. I actually like the guy tbh.

Posted

Lance never tested positive 

 

He didn't also have multiple testimonies from people going back to 1995 from former teammates, close friends, etc (many, many people) who had given witness testimony to his PED use.

 

He didn't make large donations to the president of the UCI.

 

He didn't have a heamocrit count consistently at 47 - 49, no matter the season or what stage of a grand tour.

 

He wasn't a monsterous bully of anyone asking simple questions, trying to destroy their lives, actively targeting the known 'clean' pro riders for some very special attention.

 

He didn't have very tight & personal links with the biggest convicted medical specialist doper in the world.

 

He didn't test positive for cortisone in a 1999 urine sample, and they didn't find EPO from a sample taken back in the 2001 Tour of Switzerland.

 

No wait, in fact, he did. And much more.

 

 

Having typed all that out, yes I can see why people are comparing Froome's long list of crimes (!) to Armstrong's. Yip, two peas in a pod.

Posted

He didn't also have multiple testimonies from people going back to 1995 from former teammates, close friends, etc (many, many people) who had given witness testimony to his PED use.

 

He didn't make large donations to the president of the UCI.

 

He didn't have a heamocrit count consistently at 47 - 49, no matter the season or what stage of a grand tour.

 

He wasn't a monsterous bully of anyone asking simple questions, trying to destroy their lives, actively targeting the known 'clean' pro riders for some very special attention.

 

He didn't have very tight & personal links with the biggest convicted medical specialist doper in the world.

 

He didn't test positive for cortisone in a 1999 urine sample, and they didn't find EPO from a sample taken back in the 2001 Tour of Switzerland.

 

No wait, in fact, he did. And much more.

 

 

Having typed all that out, yes I can see why people are comparing Froome's long list of crimes (!) to Armstrong's. Yip, two peas in a pod.

 

Didn't know being a bully was a crime. 

I don't believe in miracles. 

Leinders and Ferrari are cut from the same cloth. 

Time will tell. 

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