Blazin' Saddles: Will Chris Froome end Team Sky's Giro intolerance?
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Published 28/10/2016 at 19:33 GMT
The Giro d'Italia organisers have set the bait; even Vincenzo Nibali has thrown down the gauntlet. But will Chris Froome go off-piste and actually enter the fight for pink?
Chris Froome (Sky), Esteban Chaves (Orica)
Image credit: AFP
It was hardly the most dignified way to end his Giro: kicked off the race for holding onto a police motorbike near the summit of the Mortirolo, just three days away from the finish.
Six years on and how times have changed for Chris Froome. Back in 2010 he was a chunky, bilharzia-riddled domestique whose primary job was shepherding sprinter Greg Henderson through the hills ahead of the New Zealander's habitual top-ten place in the bunch sprints (usually seventh, to be fair).
So underwhelming was Froome that a fresh contract with Sky was in doubt. Luckily for him – and Sky – he showed enough promise to stay on for the 2011 season, when he came of age by missing out on the Vuelta crown by just 13 seconds while supposedly riding in support of Bradley Wiggins.
The rest is history. Three yellow jerseys in Paris later, however, and Froome has yet to return to the Giro.
And with more than double the time trial kilometres and two extra summit finishes than the 2017 Tour de France route, could next year's Giro spark Sky and Froome into reconsidering their stance?
Giro organiser RCS Sport unveiled the mountain-heavy 100th edition of the Corsa Rosa on Tuesday night in Milan and it certainly caught Froome's eye.
No doubt still smarting from ASO's decision to reduce the number of summit finishes on the Tour to just three while offering a mere 26km against the clock, Froome was understandably bowled over by an intriguing route that includes 67.2km of time trials and a chance to put things right on the Mortirolo in a queen stage that also includes a double ascent of the mythical Stelvio.
All in all, the 3,572km route is one that will favour strong climbers who can handle both technical descents and time trials too. Plus, with a stage in the Dolmites featuring a string of peaks in excess of 2,000 metres, then an ability to ride at altitude will help as well.
Giro d'Italia 2017 route at a glance
- Starts on Friday 5 May in Alghero, Sardinia
- Finishes in front of the Duomo in Milan with a time trial on Sunday 28 May
- Total of 3,572km through all but four of Italy's 21 regions
- Three stages in Sardinia are followed by two stages in Sicily before the race hits mainland Italy
- Save for a short venture into Switzerland in stage 16, the entire race takes place on Italian soil
- Five flat stages, seven hilly stages, seven mountain stages, two ITTs
- The last of a possible six sprint stages is stage 13 ahead of a mountainous final week (with five mountain stages on the bounce ahead of the final ITT)
- Total of 67.2km against the clock (39.2km in the Sagrento wine region of Umbria for stage 10; 28km from the Monza racing circuit to Milan on the final day)
- Summit finishes on Mount Etna (stage 4), Blockhaus (stage 9), Oropa (stage 14), Ortisei/St Ulrich (stage 18) and Piancavallo (stage 19)
- Longest stage: stage 12 from Forli to Reggio Emilia (237km)
- Shortest stage: stage 14 from Castellania to Santuario di Oropa (131km)
- Legendary climbs include a double ascent of the Stelvio for the Cima Coppi (stage 16), the Passo Pordoi (stage 18) and Monte Grappa (stage 20)
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100th Giro d'Italia to honour past riders
Present at the launch was defending champion Vincenzo Nibali, whose big rival in the race is set to be compatriot Fabio Aru, the 2015 Vuelta winner, in what will be a mouthwatering showdown between the former Astana team-mates.
While neither have formally confirmed their presence at the start it would be unlikely to see either rider turn down the chance to ride in their native Sicily (Nibali) and Sardinia (Aru). But with the 100th edition offering riders the chance to make history, the 2017 Giro should not only appeal to Italy's two top stage racers.
"Whoever doesn't ride will miss out on a special race [and the chance] of adding something special and unique to their palmares," said race organiser Mauro Vegni in an obvious come-and-get-me to the likes of Froome and his big rivals.
But while both Alberto Contador and Nairo Quintana are previous Giro winners, Froome's best result came in 2009 when he finished 36th in his maiden Corsa Rosa for Barloworld.
If Froome's playful tweet last week suggested that he was at least tempted by the prospect of having a stab at the Giro, the likelihood of that actually happening is up there with any sprinter finishing the 100th edition (with five days of mountains and an ITT concluding the race, there's little incentive in hanging around).
The Tour de France is the biggest race in the world and Team Sky is built around delivering this yellow juggernaut to Paris every year. In Froome they have a rider who has a chance to join the pantheon of greats who have won the Tour five times – but with Froome set to turn 32 next spring, his days at the top are numbered. It would be folly to jeopardise this with a flutter at the Giro – even if it's what us fans really want to see.
For while Sky have won the Tour four times in the past five years, the British team have yet to crack the Giro or Vuelta. Three times Froome has finished runner-up in Spain, while the team's best result in Italy has come from Rigoberto Uran, who finished a distant second to Nibali in 2013 following the withdrawal of Wiggins (the team's Plan A following his Tour win a year previously).
Of course, no one has won a Giro-Tour double since Marco Pantani in 1998. Most recently, Contador tried – winning the Giro in 2015 before toiling to fifth place in France six weeks later.
So, Nibali (who next year will ride for the new Bahrain-Merida team) may well try and encourage Froome to throw his hat into the ring by telling reporters that "he needs to come and try to win the Giro once in his life," but it's unlikely that Froome – while the Tour remains his primary target – actually puts his money where his tweets are.
Nibali vs Aru vs Who?
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Vincenzo Nibali triumphierte beim Giro d'Italia 2016
Image credit: AFP
The two Italians should face stiff competition from two Dutchmen in the form of Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin).
Kruijswijk, who looked destined to win the maglia rosa last year until crashing into an ice wall on the Colle dell'Agnello in stage 18, will surely look to build on his breakthrough Giro last year and has already said on his team's Twitter account that it's a route "that suits me".
Dumoulin, winner of the opening time trial last year, said the course looks both "beautiful" and "appealing". Having already admitted that the Tour route "isn't perfect for me," Dumoulin could well be tempted by the prospect of two time trials for which he will be the out-and-out favourite.
Then there's the prospect of two Frenchmen, too. While Ag2R-La Mondiale's Romain Bardet may forego the race for reasons similar to Froome, his compatriot Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) has openly discussed his desire to race the Giro in order to take the pressure off during the Tour, which he could ride in search of stage wins and the polka dot jersey.
Both Pinot (2012) and Bardet (2016) have finished runner-up in the Tour, but while Froome is still in his pomp this Giro presents arguably their best chance at winning a Grand Tour. The same could be said for either of BMC's leaders, Richie Porte and Tejay Van Garderen.
By the same token, Colombia's Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) may actually decide to give the Giro a miss and focus for a first time on a Tour that will not penalise his racing against the clock too much.
Verdict: Froome no-show
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Yellow jersey leader Team Sky rider Chris Froome of Britain rides after a fall during the stage
Image credit: Reuters
This summer Team Sky and Chris Froome showed another side to fans: they didn't merely win by robotically dominating the race but by riding aggressively and opportunistically. Froome showed that he could attack downhill and in the crosswinds; he even ran up Mont Ventoux in search of his third Tour victory.
It would be wonderful for the sport were Froome and Sky to continue this transition by altering their usual programme and having a serious dig at the Tour. With the right preparation and the right team around him, Froome should not struggle to win the Giro. And given Sky's strength in depth and Froome's own calibre, it's not unreasonable to think that they could go on and double up in France.
But it won't happen. It's too much of a gamble, and – mystery packages aside – Sir David Brailsford is hardly one to play roulette.
The grim reality is that Froome won't jeopardise his quest to win five or more Tours by trying to make a slice of history in the Giro – especially ahead of a Tour in which the opportunities for the GC favourites will be limited enough as it is, given fewer time trial kilometres and just the three summit finishes.
After all, he's twice come short of a Tour-Vuelta double – and that is deemed a far more achievable challenge in modern day cycling than the rare Giro-Tour double.
Despite flashing his eyelids at the Giro last week, Froome on Friday played down his chances of being at the start in Sardinia in May.
"It's certainly an interesting route and a more balanced route that you'd expect in a Grand Tour, with a balance in the time trials and the big mountain stages. It's definitely going to be an exciting race," he told reporters in Japan ahead of the Saitama Criterium.
"Whether I'm going to be there who knows. I think that it's unlikely given that my focus is still the Tour but I'm definitely not going to rule it out."
So, it's improbable. But not impossible. More likely is Sky ending their Giro hoodoo through someone like Mikel Landa or Wout Poels, should either be given the chance.
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