Wiggins Discussion thread.

[icefire]

Sky were very full of themselves going into the race. Lots of talk about their scientific numbers approach to training and the lack of proper structured training by the other teams.

Seems Wiggins arrived in poor shape, perhaps over trained, with a shade too little body fat and a weak immune system.

There is more to training than power numbers and data analysis.

Team doctors and coaches are hired for dealing with those issues but it looks they can't event prevent/cure a simple cold

 

[Wiggo Warrior]

And it's an illness he's had for "several days" (according to the Guardian).

Oh, and let's not forget his sore knee...

It's hard to believe what's coming out of Sky.

Maybe he's ill and the power figures story from the TT was just bluff?

Or maybe the illness and injury stories are a smokescreen to let him walk?

Who knows? But I think it's one or the other, otherwise is an amazing sequence of unrelated bad luck.

He first mentioned the chest infection and tendonitis on the rest day but insisted they hadn't affected him on the bike.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gir...kes-vicioso-hospitalised-no-surgery-for-basso

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

Maybe he's ill and the power figures story from the TT was just bluff?

No, that was no bluff, he took 'virtually' 1 minute 30/maybe 1 minute 45 on 18K of relative flatlands on Nibali in that TT. His climb was also 3 seconds faster than Nibali.

He just chickened out on the descending and the rain. Thats whats wrong with Wiggo, he has no confidence on the bike anymore. And, to be true, then he should abandon imho, he would be a danger to the rest of the peloton, and himself of course.

“We monitored Bradley overnight and this morning we’ve withdrawn him from the Giro after consulting the team doctor. His chest infection has been getting worse and our primary concern is always the health of our riders," he said.

“Bradley will return to the UK today for treatment and to rest and we hope to have him back on the road as soon as possible. As a passionate racer he wanted to continue but he is simply unable to do so on medical grounds.”

They keep on spinning in camp Sky, please explain to me why Cataldo was allowed to start last week.

He looked terrible too, really red in the face.

Riding in the rain all day tends to do so.

 

[BroDeal]

 

[Wiggo Warrior]

I presume the illness that has been in the Sky camp is the same one that hit Cataldo. He was able to recover in around a week whilst still riding.

All this nonsense about Wiggins faking an illness because he was ok a few days ago... look at the way Cataldo performed the day after he was excellent in the TTT.

Its the right decision for him to quit... lets hope Uran isn't the next to become infected.

I don't think it can be the same, Dario couldn't eat anything for two days and ended in the Maglia Nera temporarily if I remember correctly, even getting dropped by the grupetto.

Knees had a cold, which he is now over, took about four days to work through.

Brad's words were 'most of the team' so maybe Uran has already had it too but earlier in the race? Not all colds become chest infections.

 

[Retro Trev]

Sky might have done a little bragging about their scientific approach. but I'm pretty sure they never commented on other teams training approaches leave alone judging them.

You might be right regarding Wiggins not being robust enough for such weather conditions.

In his three years in cycling, Kerrison, a former swimming coach at the Queensland Academy of Sport, said he has been "massively" surprised by what he has found in terms of coaching, or the lack of it.

"It's still a shock how unstructured a lot of other riders and teams are. Swimmers very rarely do anything without a coach, rowing a bit more, but in cycling a huge amount of training is done without a coach. The concept of coaching seems to be hit and miss: some teams have a coach; some teams leave their riders to their own devices; in some the directeurs sportifs oversee what they do between races but we know it's hard for them."

Kerrison says he believes Sky are the only professional team that offers dedicated one-to-one coaching to all its riders – they have four full-time coaches at present – and notes that other teams are looking to the British squad, whether it be warming down after stages, or sending whole detachments to train at altitude in Tenerife. "Everyone is now following our lead in things like warm-downs; more and more teams have coaching staff. I genuinely hope it's the start of a new era in cycling."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/apr/27/tim-kerrison-bradley-wiggins-team-sky

 

[King Boonen]

Team doctors and coaches are hired for dealing with those issues but it looks they can't event prevent/cure a simple cold

No doctors can, the cold is a self-limiting condition and very little which actually cure it.

Also, he has a chest infection, not a cold, something very different and much more serious.

 

[armchairclimber]

Any upper respiratory tract infection like that is going to have a considerable impact on performance. Apart from the discomfort and the drop in aerobic efficiency, it's a virus, so tiring for the body to fight.

I don't believe that Wiggins was in better shape than last year...certainly not mentally. Less motivated and driven. Even so, a fully motivated athlete can't peak when suffering from a virus. Withdrawal was the sensible option. In truth, they should have pulled him out earlier.

It will be interesting to see how he reacts. Either "fiddlesticks, I can't be bothered any more" or "Right, I'll show 'em". I hope pride wins out...for the sake of the summer's racing. We had too many absentees/below par last year.

Interesting to see some of the clinic detractors "enjoying themselves" so much on this thread. It says a lot (the more savvy...Hitch etc, I exempt from that remark)

Edit: If he has a bacterial infection as a complication of the virus then it's even more serious. An athlete friend of mine is currently recovering from pneumonia as a result of training through a "cold".

 

[JimPanzen]

In his three years in cycling, Kerrison, a former swimming coach at the Queensland Academy of Sport, said he has been "massively" surprised by what he has found in terms of coaching, or the lack of it.

"It's still a shock how unstructured a lot of other riders and teams are. Swimmers very rarely do anything without a coach, rowing a bit more, but in cycling a huge amount of training is done without a coach. The concept of coaching seems to be hit and miss: some teams have a coach; some teams leave their riders to their own devices; in some the directeurs sportifs oversee what they do between races but we know it's hard for them."

Kerrison says he believes Sky are the only professional team that offers dedicated one-to-one coaching to all its riders – they have four full-time coaches at present – and notes that other teams are looking to the British squad, whether it be warming down after stages, or sending whole detachments to train at altitude in Tenerife. "Everyone is now following our lead in things like warm-downs; more and more teams have coaching staff. I genuinely hope it's the start of a new era in cycling."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/apr/27/tim-kerrison-bradley-wiggins-team-sky

He critizised the general state of training, not certain teams. Either way, a more scientific approach in training can do no harm. Like he said, other teams follow their example.

What's more concerning is Sky's clinical way of racing. Fortunately didn't work in the Giro...the race was pretty open and dynamic.

 

[clipperton]

apparently only wiggums will be riding the dogma from now on, with early models of pinarello's new domestique machine currently in the trialling phase.

 

[Miburo]

Wiggins will have his worst day ever if there's one rainy day in the tour. I suspect destruction.

Anyway get ready for a lot of drama in july. A LOT

I bet Contador is liking this. I don't believe wiggins will help Froome, just like LA never helped contador.

 

[airstream]

Wiggins will have his worst day ever if there's one rainy day in the tour. I suspect destruction.

Anyway get ready for a lot of drama in july. A LOT

I bet Contador is liking this. I don't believe wiggins will help Froome, just like LA never helped contador.

Do not kid yourself. Froome doesn't need Wiggins to win. He's #1 favourite even if it will be decided in TTs mostly.

 

[InterestedSpectator]

Team doctors and coaches are hired for dealing with those issues but it looks they can't event prevent/cure a simple cold

Indeed, nor a severe crash, nor punctures. In the lottery of a GT, a team needs a rider sitting on the immediate rear of their front man (or alongside). Sky has that man in Uran but some other teams are one man bands, ISTM.

 

[Miburo]

Do not kid yourself. Froome doesn't need Wiggins to win. He's #1 favourite even if it will be decided in TTs mostly.

Well that's true.

But Contador also didn't need LA, still there was drama and i expect the same here.

 

[cineteq]

Where are the fanboys who called me a troll for saying that Sir Wiggo was unfit from the start and he will DNF?

 

[Miburo]

Where are the fanboys who called me a troll for saying that Sir Wiggo was unfit from the start and he will DNF?

He wasn't unfit. He's not going be 2nd in the ITT and finish only 30 sec down on the MTF if he's unfit.

No one can do it in a GT being 'unfit'.

 

[ElDepo]

When was the last time a Tour de France winner was just a good rider not a great one? Enter Bradley Wiggin’s or Wiggo. If you take away Wiggin’s’ support riders, including Froome, he becomes just an average climber. Take way flat time trials and he is hopelessly lost. Through in some rain and you can forget about it. It appears to me that Team Sky won the Tour last year not Wiggin’s. Why did everybody including Uran wait for this guy early in the Giro, what a fail by Team Sky. I hope Wiggo apologizes to his teammates. If Wiggin’s wants Tour selection determined by real European road racing (rather than training on an island) his destined for domestique duties. I wonder if Team Sky can figure this one out?

 

[Netserk]

He wasn't unfit. He's not going be 2nd in the ITT and finish only 30 sec down on the MTF if he's unfit.

No one can do it in a GT being 'unfit'.

There's degrees of unfit

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

He wasn't unfit. He's not going be 2nd in the ITT and finish only 30 sec down on the MTF if he's unfit.

No one can do it in a GT being 'unfit'.

These guys are top athletes, "unfit" means something else for them and you know it . especially if we talk about Wiggo, Froome, AC, nibbles etc.

 

[Morbius]

What could be a realistic plan for Wiggins for the rest of the year? A complete rest for recovery followed by Vuelta might be ideal, but the parcours isn't suitable for him, so what else?

If he is going to ride the Tour, does he ride Dauphine as well, or train in Tenariffe?
Does he target the Worlds (presumably time trial), and if so does he need to do the Vuelta or is ToB enough?

 

[cineteq]

There's degrees of unfit

Yeah, people are always trying to find excuses when the truth was their before their eyes.

 

[Netserk]

Yeah, people are always trying to find excuses when the truth was their before their eyes.

Nice call BTW with the DNF of Wiggo!

 

[Miburo]

There's degrees of unfit

So you mean with unfit "very good level but not tour 2012 level".

If so fair enough, that makes sense.

I would give it a different term but that's personal i guess.

 

[JRanton]

Sky might have done a little bragging about their scientific approach. but I'm pretty sure they never commented on other teams training approaches leave alone judging them.

You might be right regarding Wiggins not being robust enough for such weather conditions.

Doctor Ferrari nailed it after last year's Tour:

As if the lack of a really challenging uphill finish was not enough, even the weather has not proposed a single day of rain or the stifling heat typical of many past editions of the TdF.
The only time that there was a partly wet descent, the stage was "neutralized" due to the nails on the road.

Tall and skinny seems to be the prototype of the upcoming generation of riders, all around 190 cm, very performing but also probably rather weak when confronted with the many contingencies that may arise in a three-week stage race.

http://53x12.com/do/show?page=indepth.view&id=132

 

[JRanton]

Ferrari also commented on the spring races. Here's what he said about Wiggins before the Giro:

WIGGINS: often a bit "nervous", the Baronet has given way to his companions Froome and Porte in leading Team Sky, with an easy and quiet first part of the season in terms of competitive profile, focusing on "special" training for the Giro.

At the Giro del Trentino, mechanical issues aside, he has shown some limitations on his climbing still: in Sega di Ala he failed to close a gap of 25" over the group of the best riders pulled only by Tiralongo, and when Nibali accelerated, Wiggo lost an additional minute in about 4 km.

http://53x12.com/do/show?page=indepth.view&id=134