Wiggins Discussion thread.

[offbyone]

In retrospect, knowing what we now know. do you think he really saw himself doing the double? Or was it just bullsh*t for the media to amuse himself?

Well supposedly wiggins hates media attention so with that in mind, I can't imagine why would he stir up this mess unless he meant it. Also, it wasn't like it was a single comment, he made the point multiple times.

 

[Angliru]

In retrospect, knowing what we now know. do you think he really saw himself doing the double? Or was it just bullsh*t for the media to amuse himself?

I think he thought that he, on ego overload, would skate through the Giro, recover and then use his first-British-Tour-winner-on-British-team leverage to handcuff Froome at the Tour by getting in yellow early. The weather in Italy had other ideas as did his willingness to sacrifice as needed to meet his lofty ambitions. His lack of 2013 results and lack of the necessary intestinal fortitude to overcome adversity when things didn't follow the script is a further example, along with his admission that he considered pulling out of the Tour when, once again the script wasn't being followed (Froome's "attack). For a "musician" he has a real problem with improvisation.

 

[BroDeal]

pursuit and team pursuit world championships, Olympic
Gold Medals and Olympic and world records; madison
world championship, Olympic medal, and six-day win
and podium; seven Olympic medals in four different
events on road and track.

LOL. I'm sorry to break this to you, but no one but Brits and a few Aussies give a damn about track. Does anyone really think that if Cancellara was not making big bucks on the road and chose to ride track instead that Wiggums would not be crying in his beer at the local pub with zero medals?

 

[Pricey_sky]

LOL. I'm sorry to break this to you, but no one but Brits and a few Aussies give a damn about track. Does anyone really think that if Cancellara was not making big bucks on the road and chose to ride track instead that Wiggums would not be crying in his beer at the local pub with zero medals?

Yes because Cancellara would have made a huge difference considering some of Wiggins medals were from team pursuit, where GB have had a super strong team for years. Plus even if Cancellara hadn't crashed in the RR a few days before the olympic TT there is no way he would have beaten Wiggins in the form he was in.

Im not a massive Wiggo fan but to say he was lucky that Fabian wasn't on the track is one of the most laughable post's I have read on here in months.

 

[oldcrank]

Im not a massive Wiggo fan but to say he was lucky that Fabian wasn't on the track is one of the most laughable post's I have read on here in months.

Exactly, FabCan is in fact one of several road riders
that are known to have run tests before either the
2000, 2004 or 2008 Olympics with an eye to get an "easy
medal" in the pursuit...as we also know, none of them
followed through with an actual Olympic appearance.
On the other hand Ekimov and Wiggins, both former
pursuit champs, did win Olympic Gold time-trial medals.

 

[BroDeal]

Im not a massive Wiggo fan but to say he was lucky that Fabian wasn't on the track is one of the most laughable post's I have read on here in months.

Not just Cancellara. Dozens of road riders. They all went to where the money, where they could compete against the best in the world. Being a big fish in a very small pond is just not worth much acclaim. It is worth so little that the best in the world did not even think it was worth their time to temporarily switch disciplines.

 

[MatParker117]

Froome lost the Vuelta on Manzeneda when he was told to work, whilst in the leader's jersey, when it simply wasn't necessary - there was no-one dangerous up the road and there were never going to be big gaps that day. 27s thrown away.

To say Froome couldn't have won a Vuelta that he finished in 2nd on GC @ 13", having spent the first two weeks hamstrung riding for a weaker teammate, is laughable.

You could point to several points had SKy not ridden such a horrendous TTT at the start Froome would of won.

 

[The Hitch]

LOL. I'm sorry to break this to you, but no one but Brits and a few Aussies give a damn about track. Does anyone really think that if Cancellara was not making big bucks on the road and chose to ride track instead that Wiggums would not be crying in his beer at the local pub with zero medals?

just because Wiggins is scum as a human being, who like lance gets kicks out of making other people feel small, does not mean he is a failure in every aspect of life. To mock his accomplishments is ridiculous if not pathetic. Competition on the track is not as weak as you make it out to be, and small as the pool may be he was still by far the best. That cancellara would have beaten Wiggins is at his event is far from certain considering recently it's Wiggins who is destroying cancellara at his. You'll never be able to take away wiggos accomplishments, which he won far more impressively than you give him credit for. He won golds in 3 different Olympics at different events + a tour in one of the most convincing fashions in recent tdf history. I know it's easier to believe it was all a fluke, but when someone wins that much chances are it isn't.

When someone has as many faults as Wiggins it probably isn't wise to constantly attack them over their biggest strenght. If your attacks on wggins continue to take the form of challenging his ability as a rider, then his fans will always be able to wind you up by pointing to his accomplishments.

 

[King Boonen]

Not just Cancellara. Dozens of road riders. They all went to where the money, where they could compete against the best in the world. Being a big fish in a very small pond is just not worth much acclaim. It is worth so little that the best in the world did not even think it was worth their time to temporarily switch disciplines.

Did you even read the post above yours? I don't know if it's true but reading it first and then yours just makes you look silly.

 

[del1962]

just because Wiggins is scum as a human being, who like lance gets kicks out of making other people feel small, does not mean he is a failure in every aspect of life. To mock his accomplishments is ridiculous if not pathetic. Competition on the track is not as weak as you make it out to be, and small as the pool may be he was still by far the best. That cancellara would have beaten Wiggins is at his event is far from certain considering recently it's Wiggins who is destroying cancellara at his. You'll never be able to take away wiggos accomplishments, which he won far more impressively than you give him credit for. He won golds in 3 different Olympics at different events + a tour in one of the most convincing fashions in recent tdf history. I know it's easier to believe it was all a fluke, but when someone wins that much chances are it isn't.

When someone has as many faults as Wiggins it probably isn't wise to constantly attack them over their biggest strenght. If your attacks on wggins continue to take the form of challenging his ability as a rider, then his fans will always be able to wind you up by pointing to his accomplishments.

Your going to have to explain how you come to the conclusion he gets a kick out of making ppl small

 

[oldcrank]

You'll never be able to take away wiggos accomplishments, which he won far more impressively than you give him credit for. He won golds in 3 different Olympics at different events + a tour in one of the most convincing fashions in recent tdf history. I know it's easier to believe it was all a fluke, but when someone wins that much chances are it isn't.

Mr. Wiggins record of seven Olympic medals in four disciplines
at four different Games shows his amazing versatility as well
as astonishing longevity on the biggest, most competitive
and pressure-packed sporting stage there is, the Olympic
Games. If he were to continue and qualify for the 2016 Rio
Olympics and once there, win another medal of any colour,
Mr. Wiggins would achieve undisputed sporting legend status.
Of course, qualifying for the Great Britain & Northern Ireland
Olympic cycling team is extremely difficult and I have no idea
if he has the desire to subject himself and his family to that
arduous process one more time. Best of luck to him whatever
path he chooses for the rest of his career.

 

[oldcrank]

Not just Cancellara. Dozens of road riders. They all went to where the money, where they could compete against the best in the world. Being a big fish in a very small pond is just not worth much acclaim. It is worth so little that the best in the world did not even think it was worth their time to temporarily switch disciplines.

Not sure if you noticed or not, but Mr. Wiggins went to where
the big money was and beat all the big fish in the big pond
and did so very consistently and convincingly for a whole
season. Too bad the injuries he suffered when being knocked
off his bike by a reckless driver turned out to be more serious
than originally thought/reported or he may have dominated the
big pond in a fashion never seen before for another year.

 

[Angliru]

Not sure if you noticed or not, but Mr. Wiggins went to where
the big money was and beat all the big fish in the big pond
and did so very consistently and convincingly for a whole
season. Too bad the injuries he suffered when being knocked
off his bike by a reckless driver turned out to be more serious
than originally thought/reported or he may have dominated the
big pond in a fashion never seen before for another year.

It's my understanding that the reason for Wiggins' inability to recreate the success of 2012 was him not being willing to make the sacrifices in his life that he made in 2012 that allowed him to dedicate the necessary time and effort to his training. He's admitted that it's not likely that he will ever be able to reach that level again because he's not willing to make those types of sacrifices again.

 

[Pricey_sky]

It's my understanding that the reason for Wiggins' inability to recreate the success of 2012 was him not being willing to make the sacrifices in his life that he made in 2012 that allowed him to dedicate the necessary time and effort to his training. He's admitted that it's not likely that he will ever be able to reach that level again because he's not willing to make those types of sacrifices again.

Yes I believe this is the main reason. It took a huge effort not just last season but also the season before when he was unfortunate to crash and break his collar bone. He just didn't have the motivation to do all that again this season especially as he needed to start earlier and harder due to the Giro.

As hitch pointed out in his very reasoned post above you cannot slate Wiggins' strengths. Especially when most things he has achieved in cycling he has done so with a great deal of class, certainly on the bike anyway if not so much off it.

I believe others had tried to turn to the track in Olympic years to win what they presumed would be an 'easy' medal. They quickly found out how far riders like Wiggins were ahead of them and chose to keep focus on the road.

 

[The Hitch]

Yates said on eurosport that if froome had been allowed to ride against Wiggins last year he thinks froome would have won.

Also says that the deal was Wiggins would win last year and froome would get this year. If true it puts Wiggins comments on wanting to win the tour this year in a different context

 

[wwabbit]

I've done the maths, and even taking into account the mechanical Froome had in Stage 1 and if he had dropped Wiggins on Stage 11 and 17, Froome would still have lost the GC to Wiggins....



...unless he had remembered to remove the cotton buds from his nose for the prologue.

 

[SeriousSam]

have you also accounted for the fact that froomey riding for himself would've meant froomey not allowing bradley to sit in his wheels 24/7?

 

[William H]

2012 Wiggins probably wouldn't have won anything prior to the Giro with the set of TTless races he was given by Sky. Certainly not if he got the same mechanical that Wiggins got at Trentino.

 

[wwabbit]

have you also accounted for the fact that froomey riding for himself would've meant froomey not allowing bradley to sit in his wheels 24/7?

Yes, I've accounted for everything except for those cotton buds.










(You know I was joking, right?)

 

[TheBean]

As soon as a rider mentiones something about not wanting to make the sacrifices necessary to perform at a top level and talks about wanting to spend more time with his family and play with his kids, it's close to a retirement announcement.

If he retires, I wish him the best. What an incredible career he's had complete with Olympic medals on the road and the track, world championships, and a TdF victory. AND, he was knighted, which is pretty cool even though the concept of it is confusing to me as an American.

I'll miss him calling his detractors "****ing ****ers" and his other less-than-printable but brutally honest remarks to the media.

I hope he's kicking back with his family and enjoying himself while watching his protege this July.

 

[Cyivel]

Any more on his schedule for the rest of the season?

 

[JRanton]

Any more on his schedule for the rest of the season?

Poland, Colorado, Britain, Worlds TT.

 

[Cyivel]

Thanks ...

 

[darwin553]

If Wiggins was in the race and had the same race fitness and health as this time last year, he would have finished with Contador IMO.

 

[rzombie1988]

Wiggins made a good move in not coming to the Tour. Had Froome dropped him he would have been quite embarrassed and may have thrown a hissy fit. Wiggins owed Froome a tour though. Froome was way too nice to him by helping him out twice.