gutted wiggins fanboy

[perico]

Wiggo was the beneficiary of circumstance last year. The course suited him, but he also benefitted from the fact that his team's GC leader was injured and not at his top shape. Had VdV been 100%, Wiggo would've been working for VdV. And though VdV wasn't 100%, he was always there for Wiggo in the high mtns... and paced him over the next to last mtn. stage.

Lokquist is good, but he ain't VdV, who even though was injured, was still among the final 10 riders left in the lead group with Wiggy last year.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Menchov also looked like he was having a relaxed sunday ride when he replied to the Sastre attack on Alpe d'Huez. Yet a few minutes later he parked spectacularly.

Menchov's face doesn't say anything about how he feels at that moment. I thought people would know by now, he's been around for years.

But that just goes to show you, many people don't pay attention to details.

 

[Christian]

Menchov also looked like he was having a relaxed sunday ride when he replied to the Sastre attack on Alpe d'Huez. Yet a few minutes later he parked spectacularly.

Menchov's face doesn't say anything about how he feels at that moment. I thought people would know by now, he's been around for years.

But that just goes to show you, many people don't pay attention to details.

Yeah facial expressions don't really tell you all that much. Look at Chris Anker Sorensen, he always looks like he is about to fall off his bike from exhaustion, that's just his style

 

[Cerberus]

Yeah facial expressions don't really tell you all that much. Look at Chris Anker Sorensen, he always looks like he is about to fall off his bike from exhaustion, that's just his style

I remember that from the Giro, he looked 5 minutes from death for at least 30 minutes while he dropped all his breakaway companions, it was surreal.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yea, Menchov is all about the poker. It's only after the stage finishes that you see any expression on his face. There's a great piece of Sporza commentary on the Fedaia stage of the '08 Giro, where the camera zooms in on Menchov as he's struggling to stay with Riccò and Contador, and sees that Menchov's face looks totally blank. Wuyts responds "ah, Mensjov. Ja, Mensjov met dit typische Mensjov-blik"... ("Ah, Menchov. Yup, Menchov with that typical Menchov expression")

 

[Thee_chisa]

Yea, Menchov is all about the poker. It's only after the stage finishes that you see any expression on his face. There's a great piece of Sporza commentary on the Fedaia stage of the '08 Giro, where the camera zooms in on Menchov as he's struggling to stay with Riccò and Contador, and sees that Menchov's face looks totally blank. Wuyts responds "ah, Mensjov. Ja, Mensjov met dit typische Mensjov-blik"... ("Ah, Menchov. Yup, Menchov with that typical Menchov expression")

i remember menchov on the tour in 2007 when he cracked, he didn't have much of a poker face then

 

[Thee_chisa]

i think someone mentioned earlier in this thread that wiggins needs to look at how indurain rode. i totally agree with this, and you could add ullrich to that too, and maybe roche.

he needs to follow wheels, have the legs to go when necessary and not lose much time in the hills and make it back up in the TTs.

 

[Anonymous]

rest day press conference from wiggins
http://bit.ly/cANWKA

 

[theyoungest]

Yea, Menchov is all about the poker. It's only after the stage finishes that you see any expression on his face. There's a great piece of Sporza commentary on the Fedaia stage of the '08 Giro, where the camera zooms in on Menchov as he's struggling to stay with Riccò and Contador, and sees that Menchov's face looks totally blank. Wuyts responds "ah, Mensjov. Ja, Mensjov met dit typische Mensjov-blik"... ("Ah, Menchov. Yup, Menchov with that typical Menchov expression")

Almost correct... you're a linguist, I believe? It's "die typische blik".

I think the Menchov-Gesink combination is quite funny in a way, Menchov with the poker face and Gesink who, in his own words, has the Chris Anker Sörensen face.

 

[stefrees]

rest day press conference from wiggins
http://bit.ly/cANWKA

Interesting quotes from wiggins. Right attitude, doesn't sound to worried although interesting comment on wanting to do Paris roubaix again

 

[Thee_chisa]

L'Equipe today was quite dismissive saying 'oh, bye-bye podium'.
Yeah, maybe but that's L'Equipe. Whatever. They're a bunch of wankers aren't they. [laughter] No, I mean, whatever.

hahaha, i hope the french realise he is making a joke

 

[offbyone]

hahaha, i hope the french realise he is making a joke

So is Wiggins/Sky still shooting for a podium?

At this point would it be smarter for Sky to be realistic and bag their overall goals and start targeting stage wins instead?

 

[Thee_chisa]

So is Wiggins/Sky still shooting for a podium?

At this point would it be smarter for Sky to be realistic and bag their overall goals and start targeting stage wins instead?

well, only the first mountain stage, i think he is going to see how he goes and try to ride the best he can. that may have been his jour sans (i hope)

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

But this was one of the easiest mountain stages. The first one, where the favorites only look to eachother and only attack really close to the line.
I think it's a real bad omen if you have to let go there and almost lose 2 minutes.

It might have been the heat, or just a bad day. Yet I still think Wiggins just doesn't have it at the moment

 

[oncehadhair]

Wiggins only has himself to blame. His team rode up the mountain as if wiggins was in yellow and everyone else were also rans. There was no need for that sort of pace.
His director must think wiggins can climb like AC.
Crazy decision in hindsight but still dumb at the time.

 

[Mambo95]

So is Wiggins/Sky still shooting for a podium?

At this point would it be smarter for Sky to be realistic and bag their overall goals and start targeting stage wins instead?

Why abandon your goals after one below par stage? Maybe it was just a bad day, maybe it was the heat, maybe he's not that good. Who really knows? He's about the same amount down as Gesink, Basso and Sastre and no-one's saying they should abandon hope.

Many a time has a rider been under par one day and great another. Often riders who are great on stage 8 aren't so great on stage 18 and vice versa.

Internet pundits tend to make knee-jerk reactions - just look at Wednesday's 'What should HTC do next' thread for an example.

 

[Thee_chisa]

still gutted. on the bright side (being very optimistic) if he can hang on in the pyrenees and take a couple of places the TT will boost him into about 5-7th considering what the other riders are like at tts

 

[Angliru]

Why abandon your goals after one below par stage? Maybe it was just a bad day, maybe it was the heat, maybe he's not that good. Who really knows? He's about the same amount down as Gesink, Basso and Sastre and no-one's saying they should abandon hope.

Many a time has a rider been under par one day and great another. Often riders who are great on stage 8 aren't so great on stage 18 and vice versa.

Internet pundits tend to make knee-jerk reactions - just look at Wednesday's 'What should HTC do next' thread for an example.

Ignoring the results of Tuesday's stage, comparing Wiggins plight to actual Tour gc veterans like Basso and Sastre isn't quite right. While they are going up in the gc standings Wiggins is going in reverse. His high position in the gc had nothing at all to do with his ability to climb with the elite and his slide in the standings reflects that. He got his big pay day, now it's back to reality and trying to win prologues and time trials.

 

[ingsve]

Looking at the stage today he and Löfkvist did ride basically alone up the madeleine after they were dropped and it wasn't until the decent and flat that they got caught by the group that featured Sastre, Rogers, Hesjedal, Roche etc so there is a possibility that he can have a good chance of being better than them going forward. Then it's just a matter of taking a few more guys to get the top 10.