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news
Velon data for Chris Froome at 2018 Ruta del Sol.jpgChris Froome power data from Ruta del Sol as Team Sky defends his decision to race
As debate continued over whether or not he should be racing, Chris Froome got his season underway at the Ruta del Sol in southern Spain yesterday. He was tracked by Velon, which has published power data from his ride.
The stage ended with a sprint finish and a win for Frenchman Thomas Boudat (Direct Energie), but all the attention was on Froome in what was his first race since his adverse analytical finding for salbutamol became public knowledge in December.
The Team Sky man finished in the peloton in 57th place.
There were six categorised climbs. The Puerto de Mijas right at the start meant Froome began his day riding just short of 400 watts for almost 20 minutes.
The longest and hardest climb was the first category Puerto de Zafarraya, the summit of which came with 80km to go. There’s also data for the fifth of the day’s six climbs, the Alto del Lucero, which came with 40km to go.
A summary of the data from @TeamSky's @chrisfroome on Stage 1 of the Ruta del Sol in southern Spain (@VCANDALUCIA) #64RdS pic.twitter.com/ZTFh9oeiOx
— Velon CC (@VelonCC) February 14, 2018
Velon also provided a comparison with two other riders for the Alto del Lucero.
Comparing @TeamSky's @chrisfroome, @Movistar_Team's @BarberoCbc and @Lotto_Soudal's @maxmonfort on Alto del Lucero on Stage 1 of the Ruta del Sol (@VCANDALUCIA) #64RdS ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/96I7bNcFme
— Velon CC (@VelonCC) February 14, 2018
The lack of progress regarding Froome’s adverse analytical finding is a source of frustration for many.
The rider himself told the Guardian he hoped his case wouldn’t still be dragging on come the start of the Giro d’Italia in May, but confirmed that he would still take part even if it was. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, but I’m still allowed to race now and I don’t see why not.”
He added: “There are a lot of other athletes and riders who have been through this process and I’m not asking for the benefit of the doubt here. I’m just asking for a fair process, to be treated the same as other people.”
Some have suggested that Team Sky should have suspended Froome and there have also been reports that the UCI may impose a provisional suspension.
Team principal Dave Brailsford expressed his belief that all involved should adhere to ‘the process’.
“Nobody’s denying it’s a challenging situation but equally I think it’s only fair at this point that everybody abides by the process, and the process totally allows him to race in this situation and that’s what we’re doing.
“I’m not going to go into great detail about it, but 100% we’re behind him and 100% backing him.
“We’ve got full knowledge of the situation and we’re working closely to resolve the situation. The violation itself is all about the number of puffs [Froome took on his inhaler], it’s not about the urine. Has he taken more than 16 puffs in that allowable period? No, no. I’m confident he didn’t break the rules – 100% confident.”
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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8 comments
what calculator are you using to give required power ?
I'm 6ft 14st4. I couldn't stay with the pace either because of my weight, but the numbers are not stratospheric. I can hold 235w for 4 hours. That is what makes a Pro rider, a lightweight with the power of a heavyweight. W/kg is king for these guys.
Just to depress you, you'd have needed to bang out 504 watts to have stayed with the bunch at the start.
W/KG is really not that relevant at pro level (well it is absolutely relevant, but the bigger determining factor as to whether someone can or can't turn pro is merely weight).
No one has an FTP over say 450w which means the maximum pro weight is realistically 81Kg based on a 5.5W/KG FTP requirement. And thats if you are freakishly talented.
I have been up against guys where I've had to put out those numbers, only for me to redline after a minute or so and then be blown away.
I assume these results are taken from the rider's own power meter, ie Froome's Stages, how likely is it that riders would have power meters fitted that would give amended readings for situations like this, so that anyone trying to analyse his data from an opposing team would get a lower figure than he's actually capable of sustaining etc? I guess with a lot of the analysis nowadays and knowing their own riders it wouldn't make much difference, but I know some riders argue about not giving away their power data because it would allow others to target how to attack them.
I could never hold those numbers. I’d be out of puff in no time.
Perfectly normal numbers, I know because I can hit those figures. Albeit I weigh a chunk more than Froome and the rest of the peleton, but still I can hold 400W for 5 mins, even at my age-50's
Just how heavy / tall are you, as 400w for 5 mins plus is very impressive no matter what. My best 5min power is about 445w and I am fairly high up the overall performance charts.
Funnily enough, I looked at the posted numbers and I was horrified. I wouldn't have lasted 20minutes of that race. Not even 20minutes! To have kept up during that first climb, I'd have needed to have smashed out 432w for 20 mins. There really aren't too many in the world that can do that.
We all focus on power to weight, but the reality is that it actually comes down to little more than weight... the power is very much of a muchness.
I'm depressed.