UKC

Chris Froome for Sport Personality of the Year!

In reply to Richard Smith:

It'll be a close call if Lewis retains his F1 title, or Mo does double at the worlds. Less likely Joe Root scores back to back double centuries in the remaining tests and single handed wins the Ashes! Dream on!

In reply to Richard Smith:

What personality?

Geraint Thomas would get my vote.

In reply to Richard Smith:

It would be good to see the British public give him the recognition he deserves. He's achieved it against a really strong field in the toughest Tour that I can remember. The team did a great job for him and he responded with some great riding.

In reply to Richard Smith:

I was just wondering if he'll get a knighthood - first Briton to win twice.

In reply to Richard Smith:
Great athlete, but a really unsympathetic personality. I used to be glued to TDF for Cav and Wiggo, but haven't watched any this time round.

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:

Born in Kenya, bought up in Kenya and South Africa, never lived in Britain. Nothing wrong with any of that, I just can't relate to him as a 'British' cyclist. You know that Wiggins, Cav, Stannard etc have all trained in British winters, they've put in the wet winter base miles, they've raced in small British club races and have risen to the top. Chris Froome is without doubt a great cyclist, a decent bloke and deserves both his TDF wins.

In reply to yesbutnobutyesbut:


Indeed, and I feel a bit sorry for him re nationality- it's not his fault he doesn't fit into our somewhat out-dated pigeon holes. But he has chosen to live in Monaco for tax reasons, and that don't impress me much !

G gets my vote

In reply to Richard Smith:

You might also have to consider what happens if one of the Home nations wins the Rugby World Cup.

In reply to Richard Smith:

Chris Froome has nothing to prove, he makes all the small minded ignorant bigots look quite foolish, his manner has been impeccable, a proper gentleman, i have the utmost respect for him.

In reply to Andy Clarke1965:

+1

In reply to FactorXXX:


I suspect that won't be an issue!

In reply to Andy Clarke1965:


Couldn't have put it better myself.

Well done Froomey!

In reply to Andy Clarke1965:

I agree about Froome as a cyclist in general, and certainly for the way he has presented himself this year and dealt with the flak and general bullshit. Not so much in 2013 when he cheated on Alp d'Huez and his arrogant, petulant and graceless behaviour in 2012. Your use of 'bigot' is hysterically OTT. I'm quite happy for him to be regarded as British, it helps the lot of cycling and cycling in the UK, otherwise I don't really care about his nationality.

In reply to Richard Smith:

Apparently, he'll win an award for looking at stems:

http://singletrackworld.com/2013/08/looking-at-stems-its-the-new-craze-chri...

So I was wrong after all, this shows that roadies can have a sense of humour...

In reply to ChrisJD:

This is what happens when you try to emulate Chris Froome:

youtube.com/watch?v=MckKqYHoLJI&

In reply to Richard Smith:

Sports achievement rather than personality, with the caveat that you don't get consideration if you don't live in blighty and pay tax here.

In reply to Richard Smith:

Really?
Possibly in the running for "sportsperson of the year", but the whole team have less personality that Steve "interesting" Davis had!

Edit: interesting.

In reply to mwr72:

So what is your definition of personality ? Or are you mistaking personality with being a clown ?

In reply to Andy Clarke1965:


Non stop clips of the Wiggo, sending his congratulations to Froome, all over the airwaves....Not..

In reply to TomPollock:


Except Movistar more or less handed it to him on a plate. He won because Sky had a plan, Contador was tired and none of the other teams could get organised enough to contest it.

In reply to mwr72:




What a dickish thing to say - G and Porte are legends. Great crack and lads I'd love to have a beer with.

Boggy

In reply to ChrisJD:

On the plus side, it means you don't get spat in the face.

In reply to dek:

Don't think Froome will be too upset at that.

Although he had a right to feel the way he did, Wiggins let the 2012 Tdf spat grow into something it shouldn't have.

If he didn't like Froome ? Fair enough.

If he couldn't handle seeing a younger ,better cyclist ,and obvious future Tour winner stealing his mantle as Sky Top Dog? Only natural I suppose .but poor show,all the same.

In reply to mwr72:

anyone into magma and soft machine must be quite interesting?
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2004/mar/07/snooker.features

In reply to andymac:





I agree. After all the furor of Wiggins being the first British TDF winner, he turned into a bit of a cock. I prefer Froome really. He conducts hiself much better.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

Sky have done a brilliant job and Brailsford must be one driven manager but on the nationality question -how come Froome rides for Kenya in the commonwealth games and then is able to switch nationality? (glad he could!)

In reply to robandian:

Froome's about as British as Greg Rusedski.

In reply to Dave the Rave:

Wiggins has congratulated Froome, so maybe you should wind your neck in a bit.

https://instagram.com/p/5nc___TL8e/?taken-by=bradwiggins

In reply to Dave the Rave:


What utter shite.

In reply to Richard Smith:

Why do people think if you like Froome you must hate Wiggins, and vice versa. Why is Wiggins even being brought up on this thread ? They are very different personalities, but neither is right or wrong

In reply to robandian:


Didn't he ride for Kenya in 2006 ? Long time before he rode for GB (2011 Worlds ?). You are allowed to switch allegiance (look up the eligibility criteria yourself) and he had dual nationality. Not hard to see why - he got zero support from Kenya - didn't he have to do some email skullduggery to get his entry through ( and then crashed into a UCI official in the time trial - though what he was doing there is another matter). Shows the sheer determination of the guy if nothing else.

In reply to Chris the Tall:


Agreed. His decorum and tenacity is what impresses me, let alone his ability on the bike.

In reply to Removed User:

One person's 'personality' is another person's 'clown'.

In reply to Chris the Tall:


Odd isn't it ? both great sportsmen and both very different people off the bike but both a real asset and credit to their sport.

In reply to Richard Smith:

Dunno about SPOTY -- depends upon how many column inches he manages to get before December. He might just do it if he manages to do the Double with La Vuelta.

You can't really compare it to Wiggo and the public euphoria of 2012 winning Le Tour and Olympic TT Gold.

On a personal level, I can't see Froomey as the sort of bloke who would rock up at a club evening 10, or the local chainey the way that Wiggo occasionally does - for a start he doesn't have any 'home' ties in the UK as he has homes in Monaco and South Africa - though that shouldn't count against him. He's happy to fly the Union Flag - and he's no less a Brit. Both parents are British and he couldn't help it if he was actually born in Kenya. He's probably more British than many other sportsmen and women.

In reply to Lord of Starkness:


I can't be doing with SPOTY.
It should be renamed Sports Winner OTY, seeing as it seems the successful sportspersons are always the kind of people who get it.
Personality never seems to come into it.

In reply to Lusk:

How can you tell how much personality someone has from their public persona in any case ? so I think its generally accepted that sporting achievement (at least sports as pushed by the BBC) trumps being able to act like a clown on TV

In reply to robandian:


For the same reason Scottish, Welsh, NI and Channel Island competitors do the same thing.

Steve

In reply to GrahamD:

I'm sure it's called Sports Personality of the Year cos Sports Person of the year would be naff and Sports man of the year would be sexist !

Sorry, these days you don't get to the top of any sport unless you are very focused, which unfortunately means you might not be as much of a character as Gazza. Wiggins, Cav, Andy Murray all have character traits which some people despise, but without those traits they wouldn't have risen to the top. And actually, when you give then a chance, they all seem very interesting and you can understand why they sometimes do what they do. Listen to Wiggins on Desert Island Discs for example.

Anyway, here's hoping Jess Ennis wins gold at the worlds !

In reply to SteveD:



Winds of change and all that...