Wiggins, Clinic respect?

[Benotti69]

As Roy Batty learned from the Tyrell Corporation, the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. During all those years of riding in the autobus, Wiggins was saving himself for one big effort. Now he is spent. There is nothing left for the GTs, so all he can manage is to target the Tour of Poland.

I know it has not been very long but someone may need to refresh my memory. Is this not the same guy that Brits were crowing about for being the best cyclist in the world? That was some peak, multi year with a downside like the Nordwand of the Eiger.

Wouldn't it be fitting if Woggins were to do to Sky what Batty did to Tyrell.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

I saw Wiggo climbing in Trentino, there was nothing wrong with that. Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pCQgpEl-YYM#t=2431s

Just covering Nibali, with ease. Also in Catalunya he was very, very strong uphill. His second part of the Giro TT was also excellent.

There is something cooking within Team Sky.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Don't think Sir Wiggo is prepared to go back to donkey status just yet.

 

[DirtyWorks]

But it is also highly strange that the comedown has only seemingly affected Wiggins. If it was highly doping up, or having something undetectable eg the GW501516 that has recently started yielding positives and coincides with Wiggins' fall from grace, then you would surely expect the same to have happened to the other Sky guys, instead Porte's better than he's ever been and Froome's continuing to make races unwatchable for all but the hardened Riis fan.

Here I go with the Kremlinology: what if it's the case Pat and Hein are "growing cycling", this time in South Africa, by picking alien froome for the win? It was exactly what happened with Armstrong.

It's absolutely true Wiggo was doing just fine earlier this year. The rest of your post is perfectly legitimate too. I certainly don't have the answers. Crazy though.

What would be awesome is Wiggo doing a spurned Landis.

 

[BYOP88]

Here I go with the Kremlinology: what if it's the case Pat and Hein are "growing cycling", this time in South Africa, by picking alien froome for the win? It was exactly what happened with Armstrong.

It's absolutely true Wiggo was doing just fine earlier this year. The rest of your post is perfectly legitimate too. I certainly don't have the answers. Crazy though.

What would be awesome is Wiggo doing a spurned Landis.

Sadly the only chance of that happening is if Wiggum got busted. Without being busted he's got to much to lose.

 

[Coolair2970]

Sadly the only chance of that happening is if Wiggum got busted. Without being busted he's got to much to lose.

He could always turn in to "The Secret Pro 2" Austin Powers

 

[BroDeal]

He could always turn in to "The Secret Pro 2" Austin Powers

He has the ascots and velvet suits. It might just work.

Yeah, baby, yeah!

 

[workingclasshero]

Here I go with the Kremlinology: what if it's the case Pat and Hein are "growing cycling", this time in South Africa, by picking alien froome for the win? It was exactly what happened with Armstrong.

It's absolutely true Wiggo was doing just fine earlier this year. The rest of your post is perfectly legitimate too. I certainly don't have the answers. Crazy though.

What would be awesome is Wiggo doing a spurned Landis.

i love a conspiracy theory as much as the next man but let's be honest; why would they care about South Africa? A rather small market

 

[JimmyFingers]

I saw Wiggo climbing in Trentino, there was nothing wrong with that. Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pCQgpEl-YYM#t=2431s

Just covering Nibali, with ease. Also in Catalunya he was very, very strong uphill. His second part of the Giro TT was also excellent.

There is something cooking within Team Sky.

Nothing wrong with Wiggins' form, its his head that's the problem. Cutting Yates and moving Sutton upstairs robbed Wiggins of his two main supports. Factor in less motivation following a successful season, and an unwillingness to sacrifice himself as much meant Brailsford looked to safer hands this season. Someone less erratic, someone more pliable.

It could be a case of brinskmanship to force Wiggins back into the fold and back into full on training or it could be a full on freeze out. Who knows what has gone on behind closed doors.

 

[DirtyWorks]

i love a conspiracy theory as much as the next man but let's be honest; why would they care about South Africa? A rather small market

One of Pat's major initiatives is to grow cycling viewers in Africa. To some extent he's been successful as I believe there's more higher ranking (read expensive to produce) races in Africa now than in years past.

Buried in this old article is some references to his efforts in Africa.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...ident-of-the-International-Cycling-Union.html

 

[Benotti69]

One of Pat's major initiatives is to grow cycling viewers in Africa. To some extent he's been successful as I believe there's more higher ranking (read expensive to produce) races in Africa now than in years past.

Buried in this old article is some references to his efforts in Africa.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...ident-of-the-International-Cycling-Union.html

Africa is a continent ripe for plundering. FIFA had no problem making a fortune out of the World cup in SA did they?

 

[Non Grimpeur]

Wiggins has been done over by Froome and his opinionated girlfriend.

For what it's worth, I believe Wiggins is clean and a bloody good cyclist to boot. He also seems to be a manic depressive and needs the likes of Yates and Sutton to keep him on the right track.

If i look at the recent Dauphine, I think a fit Wiggins is the main opposition for Froome. If Wiggins time trials as well as Tony Martin then i think he could take 1.5 secs per km out of Froome. With 55km of TT in this year Tour that gives him 1 mins 22 secs.

As much as I like Bradley as a rider that's probably not enough to beat Froome given the summit finishes on Ax 3 Domaines, Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez and Le Semnoz. But contrary to the belief of many, Wiggins is a good climber and a very believable one too, he just can't cope with steep climbs and fast accelerations.

If Contador and co TT as bad as they did in the Dauphine then a fit Wiggins is a viable challenger to Froome. The Times says he is training very well in Mallorca. This is hardly the symptoms of a man that is injured. The Giro showed that Wiggins was ok physically (before the chest infection) but wrong in the head. Froome and his girlfriend have seen to that.

I will cheer for Cavendish in the Tour and hope that the likes of Quintana and Thibout will make the race interesting.

 

[DirtyWorks]

But contrary to the belief of many, Wiggins is a good climber and a very believable one too,

Yes, like all the other track riders who transitioned to the road waiting years for their dominance to materialize. Ohhhh wait. No they didn't. They got their grand tour podium months after transitioning to the road.

Don't let 50+ years of athletic history get in the way of your enthusiasm for the sport.

 

[martinvickers]

Wiggins has been done over by Froome and his opinionated girlfriend.

For what it's worth, I believe Wiggins is clean and a bloody good cyclist to boot. He also seems to be a manic depressive and needs the likes of Yates and Sutton to keep him on the right track.

If i look at the recent Dauphine, I think a fit Wiggins is the main opposition for Froome. If Wiggins time trials as well as Tony Martin then i think he could take 1.5 secs per km out of Froome. With 55km of TT in this year Tour that gives him 1 mins 22 secs.

As much as I like Bradley as a rider that's probably not enough to beat Froome given the summit finishes on Ax 3 Domaines, Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez and Le Semnoz. But contrary to the belief of many, Wiggins is a good climber and a very believable one too, he just can't cope with steep climbs and fast accelerations.

If Contador and co TT as bad as they did in the Dauphine then a fit Wiggins is a viable challenger to Froome. The Times says he is training very well in Mallorca. This is hardly the symptoms of a man that is injured. The Giro showed that Wiggins was ok physically (before the chest infection) but wrong in the head. Froome and his girlfriend have seen to that.

I will cheer for Cavendish in the Tour and hope that the likes of Quintana and Thibout will make the race interesting.

Have to admit a certain excitement about Quintana - but actually what interests me is, will this be the Tour of the no. 2s - a lot of very strong lieutenants, of which Quintana is one - if Q took a flier, who goes after him, Froome? or Porte? What if a small group of no. 2 s got up the road and none of the big teams chased?

You find hope for an interesting tour where you can...

 

[Non Grimpeur]

@ DirtyWorks

Merckx and Hinault were track riders earlier in their careers. Read their autobiographies.

I hardly see Wiggins as dominating.

It is not unbelievable that a 4k track rider can be a very good time trialist. Chris Boardman is proof of this.

Wiggins has not blown people away in the mountains. He has ridden a steady pace and limited his losses.

He obviously has a lot of power. Your inference is that his loss of weight without losing power is evidence of doping.

You are entitled to your opinion and I respect that.

 

[DirtyWorks]

@ DirtyWorks

Merckx and Hinault were track riders earlier in their careers. Read their autobiographies.

I hardly see Wiggins as dominating.

And you know both Merckx and Hinault transitioned to the road and dominated a wide variety of elite events in mere months. I'll give you another name, Rudy Altig. All quite unlike Wiggins. Nothing like him in fact.

If Wiggins isn't dominating then what was 2012? He was on the same trajectory until the wheels fell off at the Giro this year.

 

[Non Grimpeur]

@ Dirty Works

Wiggins dominated the TT's. A perfectly reasonable result given his background.

Show me where Wiggins blasted people away in the mountains?

Before 2009, Wiggins had the mentality of a track rider. He used the road as endurance training for the track.

2009 was a bit of a fluke for Wiggins. He decided to lose some weight and climbed with the front group in the Giro for a couple of weeks. He then went to the Tour and hung on to the climbers. There was no dominance in the mountains in 2009 or 2012. Wiggins rode like a time trialist in the mould of someone like Eric Breukink.

The big difference between Wiggins and someone like Boardman (who finished 2nd in Dauphine and Romandie) is that some way or another Wiggo could recover and last three weeks. Maybe he was always capable of this but didn't know until he tried. Your inference is that he did it with drugs. I have an opposite view.

 

[gooner]

Have to admit a certain excitement about Quintana - but actually what interests me is, will this be the Tour of the no. 2s - a lot of very strong lieutenants, of which Quintana is one - if Q took a flier, who goes after him, Froome? or Porte? What if a small group of no. 2 s got up the road and none of the big teams chased?

You find hope for an interesting tour where you can...

I posted about this in the RR section. A member of Sky's management team said in this month's Procycling they won't be giving Quintana any leeway and he will be one that is watched closely.

 

[The Hitch]

@ DirtyWorks

Merckx and Hinault were track riders earlier in their careers. Read their autobiographies.

I hardly see Wiggins as dominating.

It is not unbelievable that a 4k track rider can be a very good time trialist. Chris Boardman is proof of this.

Wiggins has not blown people away in the mountains. He has ridden a steady pace and limited his losses.

He obviously has a lot of power. Your inference is that his loss of weight without losing power is evidence of doping.

You are entitled to your opinion and I respect that.

He dropped everyone but froome in the mountains

 

[Benotti69]

@ Dirty Works

Wiggins dominated the TT's. A perfectly reasonable result given his background.

Show me where Wiggins blasted people away in the mountains?

Before 2009, Wiggins had the mentality of a track rider. He used the road as endurance training for the track.

2009 was a bit of a fluke for Wiggins. He decided to lose some weight and climbed with the front group in the Giro for a couple of weeks. He then went to the Tour and hung on to the climbers. There was no dominance in the mountains in 2009 or 2012. Wiggins rode like a time trialist in the mould of someone like Eric Breukink.

The big difference between Wiggins and someone like Boardman (who finished 2nd in Dauphine and Romandie) is that some way or another Wiggo could recover and last three weeks. Maybe he was always capable of this but didn't know until he tried. Your inference is that he did it with drugs. I have an opposite view.

How in the name of a sport that is over a hundred years old did no one think of that one before????????

lose some weight and maybe things will improve!!!! Genius!!!!

 

[Non Grimpeur]

He dropped everyone but froome in the mountains

What, you mean the few seconds that Nibali and a few others lost at Peyragudes. Evans finished with Wiggins at La Planche des Belles Filles. Nibali finished with Wiggins at the other stage in the Alps. It was hardly a bloodbath.

 

[martinvickers]

And you know both Merckx and Hinault transitioned to the road and dominated a wide variety of elite events in mere months. I'll give you another name, Rudy Altig. All quite unlike Wiggins. Nothing like him in fact.

If Wiggins isn't dominating then what was 2012? He was on the same trajectory until the wheels fell off at the Giro this year.

5th in two one weekers, and nowhere in oman is not by any stretch the same trajectory...

 

[Non Grimpeur]

He dropped everyone but froome in the mountains

How in the name of a sport that is over a hundred years old did no one think of that one before????????

lose some weight and maybe things will improve!!!! Genius!!!!

And your point is exactly?

 

[martinvickers]

I posted about this in the RR section. A member of Sky's management team said in this month's Procycling they won't be giving Quintana any leeway and he will be one that is watched closely.

True, but what dio you do if you're down to Froome and porte, and you have both Valverde and Qunitana and Contador and Roche - and suddenly Roche and Quintana shoot up the road - do you burn out Porte knowing both Valverde and Contador, and possibly Purito are lurking?

 

[Non Grimpeur]

True, but what dio you do if you're down to Froome and porte, and you have both Valverde and Qunitana and Contador and Roche - and suddenly Roche and Quintana shoot up the road - do you burn out Porte knowing both Valverde and Contador, and possibly Purito are lurking?

Roche is not a threat. Quintana is. Sky should be worried about him.