Should we take Chris Froome to the Tour de France?

• Christopher Froome, very behind in these back-to-school races, is not sure whether he will be selected for the Tour de France.
• The Briton plays his head on the Dauphiné, where he must prove that he is capable of playing the role of model teammate
• Not retained by Ineos at the end of the season, Froome will wait until 2021 to regain a leading role on the Grande Boucle. 

"Go shit, asshole", in French, please. These sweet words are pretty much the only ones that have come out of Christopher Froome's mouth since the cycling season resumed in early August. It was on the slopes of the Col de Beyrède, in our beautiful Occitan region, and the four-time winner of the Tour had a little time to devote to the drunken fanatics of the roadside, since he finished at the pace of the Cyclo du Sunday in the wheel of Bruno Armirail, a good half-day after the victory of his colleague Bernal.

Same country walk the following week in the Grand Colombier, on the Tour de l'Ain, where another Groupama-FDJ rider, Simon Guglielmi, completed the stage with the white Kenyan. He recounts this lunar meeting to three brones of the arrival.

Thank you @chrisfroome for this beautiful moment!
(He is absolutely right) #RouteDOccitanie pic.twitter.com/NMQPJr1NKA

"He asked me if the Tour was going to take place"

“I picked it up when it was ending quiet. Some don't even look at you, but he started the conversation in a very nice way. whereas I had never seen it except on TV ”. And let's chat before going to the bakery for bread. “He asked me if I lived in the area, since I was French, and luckily it was the case, besides I passed in front of a group of friends from the school with him, I was Super happy ". What else ? “We also talked about the Covid, he wanted to know if we had had a lot of cases in the area, because he said that in Nice it had been more tense. He even asked me if I thought the Tour de France was going to take place ”.

We are there, therefore. Chris Froome on the French roads, who asks in the playful tone of conversation if the Tour he has won four times will take place. As if the matter no longer concerned him, basically? Simon Guglielmi does not want to be misinterpreted: "Maybe he gave himself for the collective and that he was in line with his preparation, or that could mean that he is not in great shape and that 'he will just do the Tour as a teammate, it's hard to know ”. It seems that Ineos does not really know either, since his presence at the start in Nice on August 29 is tossing more or less unfavorable to the latest news. It is said to be in balance with a Dunbar, a Rowe, or an Amador for a seat in the baggage hold, and the Dauphiné, which launches tomorrow from Clermont-Ferrand, would be his last chance to book his ticket.

Big day out @RouteOccitanie 📸 @GettyImages pic.twitter.com/Bpi1CyprEE

Insignificant on the Tour de l'Ain

Clarification at this stage that the question of the status of leader has only arisen in the mind of the Briton lately: "I look forward to new and exciting challenges in the rest of my career, but in the meantime I remain focused on my goal of winning a fifth Tour de France with Ineos, ”the rider had announced in the press release published by Ineos to record the divorce between the two parties, in July.

A brave promise that no longer fools anyone, and especially not Bernard Thévenet, who saw the rascal up close on the Tour de l'Ain, also finished in limbo in the standings (41st). “He is very late in his preparation, we haven't seen the real Froome. He's not going to turn into a podium contender in such a short time. But He didn't run for almost a year, maybe he needs more time ”.

Reference to the terrible fall of the Briton on the Dauphiné in May 2019, when he broke just about all the recorded bones of the human body and said goodbye to his dreams of quintuplet. The Dauphiné, here we are again, precisely. Five days to prove to Dave Brailsford that he is not just a picture to be hung up to remember the good times. His best card, the only one? Play the role of the model little teammate for Egan Bernal, the new capo of the box. The reserves exist, to put it kindly.

🇫🇷 # Dauphiné

Our team for Criterium du Dauphiné⤵️ pic.twitter.com/PABvcEgMzu

Bernal's teammate or nothing

Take the pedal kick. Considering how the Jumbo team builds muscles in the mountains, Ineos can't afford to give anyone a favor. It seems that Froome gave two screws in the Col de Beyrède and that of the Grand Colombier which impressed the peloton and even some velixes in the comments under the papers of the Team. Bernard Thévenet's opinion:

“He took over at a time when the race was pretty tough, and he held it for a long time, that's true. But he has to refine his condition to be able to do the job that is asked of him well. For example that he shows himself capable of bringing Bernal on a big train for ten terminals in a large pass without weakening, even if it means taking 10 minutes later. Otherwise it is better to take someone else "

So let's say that Froome puts a little more into the Dauphiné, if the Dutch Robocops let the children have a little fun. Should we take the risk of selecting such a distinguished rider, starting at the end of the season, who has already shown in the past that he could bump into collective instructions with ostentation? Remember la Toussuire in 2012, when he attacks his leader Wiggins to shame him in mondiovision, before returning to the ranks with a stick in the atrium. “Would a Froome who has won the race four times and who wants to join Anquetil, Indurain, Mercks, and Hinault on the prize list, make a good teammate on the Tour, 100% dedicated to this task for three weeks? Ineos must ask the question ”, and Thévenet with it.

🚴‍♂️ Here is the final entry list for the 7⃣2⃣nd edition of # Dauphiné.

🚴‍♂️ Here the final list of riders for the 7⃣2⃣nd edition of the # Dauphiné. pic.twitter.com/9ya3Maiu0e

"He has no interest in playing it personal"

The winner of Tours 75 and 77 therefore advises the future leader of Israel Start Up nation not to play smart during the Dauphiné by trying to seek a stage in the form of protest against its lack of importance at the moment. "It is more in his interest to show that he is playing the game and that he can do it rather than playing it personally, that would risk going badly with Brailsford".

The boss of Ineos, who does not indulge, has regularly blown hot and cold this summer. A blow "his presence is almost certain", a blow "we will wait for the Dauphiné to make serious decisions" (in the Team ). We are there, and Froome, has the right to tell himself that so far, he has not done much worse than Geraint Thomas, taken very discouraged to pedal lately. There is room, as Atalanta would say before PSG.

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