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If Wiggins doesn't ride the tour, why would that be?

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If Wiggins doesn't ride the tour, why would that be?

  • (Most likely) Not enough TT km in the tour

    Votes: 0 0.0%

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  • Poll closed .
Aug 16, 2011
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Libertine Seguros said:
This could be very interesting if Wiggins goes for the win in the Vuelta. I foresee Unipublic looking at how the 2012 Vuelta was perceived as a success (probably because of how dull the GC mix was at the Tour, and how dull the GC racing was at the Giro) and aping that, so we get Ézaro HTF! Valdepeñas de Jaén HTF! Peña Cabarga MTF! Xorret del Catí "MTF"! Aia HTF! Angliru MTF! Costiña de Canedo HTF! Cuitu Negru MTF! San Lorenzo de El Escorial HTF! Acebo MTF from its hardest side! Gamoniteiro MTF! Picón Blanco MTF! Urkiola MTF!

All on otherwise flat stages, of course.

Maybe we will get that climb of El Peñón de Gibraltar that I wanted before long. Javier Guillén will surely not let something trivial like politics get in the way of making the riders tackle 25%+ gradients.

Maybe the're take a detour into Germany and have them climb the Nebelhorn, with its 38-40% sections :eek:.

Or even the Scanuppia / Malga Palazzo in Italy :D.
 
Angliru said:
+1000
Wiggins talked of the supreme sacrifices he made to get to the level to win the Tour. According to him he gave up virtually all his vices and strictly followed his coach's training program without deviation. His tone was such that it was a monumental task for him to undertake. I can't see him maintaining the same discipline and motivation after having reached his ultimate goal. This is the same problem that many veteran professional athletes encounter. While they still love their sport, the training camps and the sacrifices needed to maintain their high level of performance gets harder and harder as the years go by. He may still surprise me but with Wiggins I get the impression that he likes the limelight and the benefits that go with it and he is certain to be lovingly basking in all the adulation that comes with his successful season such that getting back into the same form for 2013 that propelled him to his big wins in 2012 will be a challenge.

He also said that he was loving the life as a 'cycling recluse'. I agree with the sentiment though. He's a pretty complex character and he's not going to be doing this for too much longer.
 
Jul 30, 2009
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I agree with all the training/beers/motivation stuff plus I think he likes seeing his kids and wife. Winning one TdF is epic - is winning two much more of a deal - worth spending months away from your kids for? That is time you never get back.

But... surely he will have to train that hard to win the Giro? Maybe they have analysed it and think it needs a lot less condition, I mean Hesjedal...

As to the 'scared of Contador' haha I guess the guys saying this think this the same Contador from 2009...

I like the 2012 human, tactical Contador much more, but he is a shadow of old Contador on TT.

I doubt Sky have bribed the Giro organisers, but it looks like their needs were a consideration in the course design. Looks like a pretty course to me tbh, pretty good balance of everything, and friendly enough to Sky/Wiggo without being a sellout.

I look forward to lots of UK media coverage next year on why winning the Giro is more epic than the Tour, and it is the true fan's preferred GT etc etc:rolleyes:
 
Winterfold said:
I agree with all the training/beers/motivation stuff plus I think he likes seeing his kids and wife. Winning one TdF is epic - is winning two much more of a deal - worth spending months away from your kids for? That is time you never get back.

But... surely he will have to train that hard to win the Giro? Maybe they have analysed it and think it needs a lot less condition, I mean Hesjedal...

As to the 'scared of Contador' haha I guess the guys saying this think this the same Contador from 2009...

I like the 2012 human, tactical Contador much more, but he is a shadow of old Contador on TT.

I doubt Sky have bribed the Giro organisers, but it looks like their needs were a consideration in the course design. Looks like a pretty course to me tbh, pretty good balance of everything, and friendly enough to Sky/Wiggo without being a sellout.

I look forward to lots of UK media coverage next year on why winning the Giro is more epic than the Tour, and it is the true fan's preferred GT etc etc:rolleyes:

So do you honestly believe Wiggins would have been competitive in Giro 2011? Now that really is Ha Ha:eek:
 
Jul 19, 2011
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I don't think Froome will come into it too much. And probably not the rivals either. Wiggins will do what he wants or what Sky want him to do, or a combination of the two. I suspect he'll probably do the Tour, but I do remember him saying 2 or 3 years ago, before he was taken seriously as a potential GT winner by most, that actually as a kid growing up it was the maglia rosa he always wanted and not the maillot jaune. Kids' dreams don't translate into media exposure for rider and sponsor alike that play a factor in these decisions, of course, but it shows he does have some attraction to the Giro anyway.
 
Aug 16, 2011
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Winterfold said:
I agree with all the training/beers/motivation stuff plus I think he likes seeing his kids and wife. Winning one TdF is epic - is winning two much more of a deal - worth spending months away from your kids for? That is time you never get back.

But... surely he will have to train that hard to win the Giro? Maybe they have analysed it and think it needs a lot less condition, I mean Hesjedal...

As to the 'scared of Contador' haha I guess the guys saying this think this the same Contador from 2009...

I like the 2012 human, tactical Contador much more, but he is a shadow of old Contador on TT.

I doubt Sky have bribed the Giro organisers, but it looks like their needs were a consideration in the course design. Looks like a pretty course to me tbh, pretty good balance of everything, and friendly enough to Sky/Wiggo without being a sellout.

I look forward to lots of UK media coverage next year on why winning the Giro is more epic than the Tour, and it is the true fan's preferred GT etc etc:rolleyes:

Nah, we just want to see a attacking climber bring Wiggins down a notch ;).
 
Winterfold said:
I agree with all the training/beers/motivation stuff plus I think he likes seeing his kids and wife. Winning one TdF is epic - is winning two much more of a deal - worth spending months away from your kids for? That is time you never get back.

But... surely he will have to train that hard to win the Giro? Maybe they have analysed it and think it needs a lot less condition, I mean Hesjedal...

As to the 'scared of Contador' haha I guess the guys saying this think this the same Contador from 2009...

I like the 2012 human, tactical Contador much more, but he is a shadow of old Contador on TT.

I doubt Sky have bribed the Giro organisers, but it looks like their needs were a consideration in the course design. Looks like a pretty course to me tbh, pretty good balance of everything, and friendly enough to Sky/Wiggo without being a sellout.

I look forward to lots of UK media coverage next year on why winning the Giro is more epic than the Tour, and it is the true fan's preferred GT etc etc:rolleyes:

And Sky at the peak of there powers are significantly better at controlling a race than Katusha.
 
Cult Classics said:
but I do remember him saying 2 or 3 years ago, before he was taken seriously as a potential GT winner by most, that actually as a kid growing up it was the maglia rosa he always wanted and not the maillot jaune. .

Really?

He always says that it was watching the Tour and Inudrain (well since 2009 anyway). And he never seemed to care much for the giro. He said when asked if it interested him that no tour was what he cared about. Even when interviewed by Rai after putting on the pink in 2010 he said - its one of the most important jerseys in all the gts.
 
I think since he won the Tour without Alberto and Andy, he is under sporting obligation, also for the fans, to line up at the start next July. Wiggo needs to confront himself with the very creme dela creme of the sport if he has any honor in him and wants to be looked on by conscience fans with respect. This also goes for Bradsford and Sky.

They want to dominate the sport and have the best rider in the world? Well then, they need to gets some damn balls and confront an Alberto in top form at the Tour on a more ballanced, harder mountains course, such as next year's will likely be.

If he and Sky doesn't, then they will look like cowards no matter what.
 
rhubroma said:
I think since he won the Tour without Alberto and Andy, he is under sporting obligation, also for the fans, to line up at the start next July. Wiggo needs to confront himself with the very creme dela creme the sport of if he has any honor in him and wants to be looked on by conscience fans with respect. This also goes for Bradsford and Sky.
+1 He must return as the defending champion, that's the bottom line.
 
Jun 4, 2011
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I don't thik it will be a Wiggins decision, it's just that sky think that Froome will be more suited with a harder route than this year.
 
Jul 29, 2012
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rhubroma said:
I think since he won the Tour without Alberto and Andy, he is under sporting obligation, also for the fans, to line up at the start next July. Wiggo needs to confront himself with the very creme dela creme the sport of if he has any honor in him and wants to be looked on by conscience fans with respect. This also goes for Bradsford and Sky.

They want to dominate the sport and have the best rider in the world? Well then, they need to gets some damn balls and confront an Alberto in top form at the Tour on a more ballanced, harder mountains course, such as next year's will likely be.

If he and Sky doesn't, then they will look like cowards no matter what.

+1

Exactly but I don't know if they'll be bothered by that. I hope they will but i'm not sure.

What would you do? Be called a coward by some people because you didn't do it or lose with 10 minutes, become 3th and don't win a gt that year and now everyone knows that he was just lucky AC didn't participate?

I can't blame him if he doesn't
 
Miburo said:
+1

Exactly but I don't know if they'll be bothered by that. I hope they will but i'm not sure.

What would you do? Be called a coward by some people because you didn't do it or lose with 10 minutes, become 3th and don't win a gt that year and now everyone knows that he was just lucky AC didn't participate?

I can't blame him if he doesn't

I think an in form Wiggins, such as at this years Tour, would not loose to Contador by 10 minutes. If there is a couple of long TTs then he can even dream of winning. On the other hand, Alberto will surely drop him in the mountains. Would it be by several minutes, or just a couple? On the top of his game and on the right course it would be by the former.

Bottom line, Alberto is still the best cyclist on the world and is up there with the all time greats of the sport, though Wiggins prooved himself a real champion this year and perhaps the sports all time greatest time trialest.

But Alberto is a fuori classe and if Wiggins is to be considered a legend, he needs to beat him man to man.
 
Im very suprised none of the wise forumers have said the following yet, should be a option on the poll.

If Wiggins rides the Giro it will be because of all of the above reasons. Aggregation of Marginal reasoning innit ;)

I hope he does ride the Giro, where many write cowardice I read Intelligence.

Everyone knows AC will own it especially if a extra mountanous parcours.

Like people thought A Shleck should have ridden the Giro this year, only he was to stupid/proud/tour obsessed to do so...

Just sayin...:cool:
 
How do they repeat this year? A crowing British public new to cycling will want to see a repeat. They have no idea the pancors were softened for a Wiggins win.

Contador is not only better but he did a number tactically on Froome in the Vuelta and I don't think Wiggins has any tactical smarts to handle such a race.

The other problem being when Contador attacks Froome will follow and will be able to follow for the most part. Wiggins doesn't have that ability. He needs to keep everything at the same pace the entire time. Then what does he do? He'll then be a in support role.

No doubt there will be comments about Alberto's eligibility from Sky in the lead up to the Tour.
 
Wiggo dominated this season, winning everything he
attempted. I fully expect him to attempt another set
of races next year to show his versatility. Who wants
to be a one-trick pony? He will be showing his respect
for the sport by not just focusing on the same event
year after year. Cycling would not survive if there was
only one race a year.
 
If Sky and Wiggins turn up to any GT in the same shape as July 2012 I doubt they have much to fear from anybody - unfortunately they are well capable of strangling the life out of any race based on what I have seen this year. They never even got into a situation where Wiggins and Froome had to ride together to limit losses. Cavendish and Eisel out, Kiryienka (who will probably turn out to be the best diesel of all) and Thomas in. They've probably only scratched the surface so far

Gradients, altitudes - none of this will really make much difference in a 3 week race. They could probably kill off most of the opposiiton on a breezy flat stage if they chose to. It's going to get pretty ugly
 
Aug 16, 2011
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The Hitch said:
Someone help me out here. Obviously im not a fan of wiggins, so am i just being biased against him, or do others see a wee bit wrong with the above too?

Agree, you can't be considered the greatest time trialist in the sport when your 2 other competitors had seasons plagued by injury making it easy for you to win all the TT's.
 
Jul 19, 2011
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The Hitch said:
Really?

He always says that it was watching the Tour and Indurain (well since 2009 anyway). And he never seemed to care much for the giro. He said when asked if it interested him that no tour was what he cared about. Even when interviewed by Rai after putting on the pink in 2010 he said - its one of the most important jerseys in all the gts.

Can't find it exactly from searching on Google, but I got this from Gazzetta from the morning of the Giro prologue in 2010. (page 10)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/31072945/ILP-Gds-8-Maggio-2010

<<Adoro la maglia rosa. Penso a Pantani, Indurain, Bugno e a tutti i grandi che l’hanno indossata. Ma non è solo questo. E’ la storia che ha, è il colore-Gazzetta, ed è la più riconoscibile ditutte le maglie, più di quella gialla del Tour>>
 

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