Astana: 'Chris Froome is not as strong as he was last year'
Fabio Aru's team see weakness in Froome
Chris Froome is not as strong in this 2017 Tour de France as he was in 2016, according to leading figures within Astana.
The Team Sky rider could not stay with his rivals on the steep grades to the Peyragudes summit finish on stage 12. He lost 22 seconds to the stage winner and slipped out of the yellow jersey, six seconds back on new leader Fabio Aru (Astana).
>>> Chris Froome loses yellow jersey to Fabio Aru as Romain Bardet wins Tour de France summit finish
"Sky did a great job to try to win the stage today," Astana general manager Alexandre Vinokourov told Cycling Weekly next to the airstrip finish.
"You see that Mikel Landa is very strong, too. Froome should've won the stage for his Tour win, but you saw that he's not as strong as last year. No he’s not, not for me. Because of this, we have more motivation for the next stages."
>>> Fabio Aru: 'I saw Chris out the back... and realised I had the yellow jersey'
Astana won the Tour de France with Vincenzo Nibali in 2014 after Froome abandoned due to crashes. Froome returned in 2015 and 2016 to win his second and third titles.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Some have questioned Froome’s strength leading into the Tour de France given he has yet to win a stage in 2017. In previous seasons, he showed greater domination heading into the Tour.
Watch: Tour de France stage 12 highlights
Sardinian Aru may have the leader's jersey, but his team is much weaker than Sky. Helper Dario Cataldo abandoned after a crash in stage 11 and star captain Jakob Fuglsang continues with a fractured wrist and elbow.
"I hope he continues for the next stages because we really need him for the next mountain stages. We will talk to the doctor, but we face a difficult stage [today]. I hope Jakob recovers," Vinokourov added.
"Why can't Aru win the Tour? We are here to win, but Froome is always strong, and there's also Romain Bardet and Rigoberto Uran."
Froome moved into the yellow jersey on stage five after Sky's Geraint Thomas held it for the opening four days.
>>> Chris Froome: 'No excuses' for losing Tour de France lead on stage 12 summit finish
"We thought that Froome was going for the stage given how he was having his team work, maybe he just lacked the legs in the final, but you can't take anything away from him as a rider," Astana team manager Giuseppe Martinelli said.
"[The final kick was] more adapted for the climbers than Froome, who paid more than the others, but for me, Froome remains the number one. Froome and Bardet are the strongest, we have to take advantage of them.
"But we need to keep our feet our on the ground. We lost a rider and a half, Jakob is bad off. We have Bardet who's strong, and Froome's still strong."
Aru already counts a Vuelta a España win from 2015. Also in 2015, he finished second to Alberto Contador in the Giro d’Italia.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
Why are more UK cyclists killed on rural lanes than on busy city streets?
More UK cyclists are killed on rural lanes than on busy city streets. Rob Kemp investigates why and what can be done to keep us safe while riding in the countryside
By Rob Kemp Published
-
400km a day for a month: Lachlan Morton sets "mind blowing" round-Australia record
EF Education rider completes astounding feat to reduce the record by nearly 25%
By James Shrubsall Published
-
Chris Froome misses out on Tour de France selection
39-year-old absent from Israel-Premier Tech's eight-rider roster
By Tom Davidson Published
-
A complete history of Ineos Grenadiers kits, from Adidas to Gobik, via Rapha
The British team switch to Gobik in 2024 after two years with Bioracer
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Chris Froome's boss rubbishes claims bike fit is behind lack of results
'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' says Israel-Premier Tech team owner Sylvan Adams
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Chris Froome, rim brake evangelist, 'warms to' disc brakes
The Israel-Premier Tech rider, also an investor at Factor Bikes, says that he has "way less problems" with discs these days
By Adam Becket Published
-
Is Chris Froome - in 2023 - a professional cyclist, or an influencer?
The seven-time Grand Tour winner hasn't raced since July, but has taken to being interesting on social media
By Adam Becket Published
-
Chris Froome 'absolutely not' worth multi-million euro salary says his team boss
The four-time Tour de France winner was not selected for this year's Tour de France for performance reasons, Israel-Premier Tech boss Sylvan Adams says
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Chris Froome not selected for Tour de France 2023
38-year-old misses out on 'ultimate goal' as Israel-Premier Tech confirm eight-man squad
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Back to Africa: Chris Froome on going back to his roots, his future and cycling's new generation
He’s come full circle, but is there time for another loop? We talk to the four-time Tour champ about his and African cycling’s future
By Adam Becket Published