are we gonna have to change Wigans name?

[richtea]

We are relying on unprovable numbers but it if BW was 75-76 at Tour 2006 did he put on an extra 3kg for the track?

No doubt he is super skinny - but as I said earlier the 7 kg weight loss looks to be an exaggeration.

I think this is perhaps overstating the extent to which the Cycling Weekly article casts any doubt on those claims - the article doesn't even state that BWs actual weight was 75/76 for the TdF06 but suggests it as a target weight. I think the most you can say is that there is a possibility that the claims were exaggerated, but the evidence is far from conclusive here.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

I think this is perhaps overstating the extent to which the Cycling Weekly article casts any doubt on those claims - the article doesn't even state that BWs actual weight was 75/76 for the TdF06 but suggests it as a target weight. I think the most you can say is that there is a possibility that the claims were exaggerated, but the evidence is far from conclusive here.

Which is what I said, twice:

...
The 'adaption' is put down to things like his weight, that he lost 7 to 8kg. But that appears somewhat exaggerated - as in this piece the aim for 2006 was to be at 75 or 76kg.

....
No doubt he is super skinny - but as I said earlier the 7 kg weight loss looks to be an exaggeration.

 

[richtea]

Sorry, to clarify:

My interpretation of what you said was that your evaluation of the evidence leads you to believe that BWs weight loss has been exaggerated. Hence, 'as I said earlier the 7 kg weight loss looks to be an exaggeration.'

I was proposing a weaker claim that while the evidence raises the possibility that BW exaggerated his weight loss, the evidence isn't sufficiently strong to say one way or another. As such, the statement 'the 7 kg weight loss looks to be an exaggeration' is pushing the evidence too far, given the scope for debate.

This is just a semantic quibble, but hopefully you can see what I mean.

 

[Benotti69]

Well if Wigan's exaggerated his weight loss as a claim for his big improvement, why? what is he hiding with the weight loss exaggeration?

 

[Non Grimpeur]

In my opinion, Wiggins is not riding like a doper. His climbing is not suspicious and is very similar to many successful time trialists of the past in that they ride their own tempo and are not capable of big accelerations on the mountains. If he was blowing people away on the climbs then I would be more concerned.

There's no doubt that he has tremendous power. My only concern is that his power to weight ratio may be very fragile. At the moment he looks like he's got the balance right. Another kg less may tip him over the edge.

He reminds me a little of Urs Zimmerman in the 1986 TDF. He seemed to not eat for a year and was very good and then virtually nothing afterwards. Wiggins Dauphine performance suggests a podium is possible, I just hope his body can survive three weeks