Wiggins Discussion thread.

[martinvickers]

Wiggins pulled from Strade to...assist Porte in TA, WTF ?!
http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,30283_9201346,00.html

Froome's out of TA. Not sure why they've pulled wiggins across. TA squad is very strong anyway; slightly surprised didn't move wiggins to Paris nice to replace Porte.

 

[gooner]

Froome's out of TA. Not sure why they've pulled wiggins across. TA squad is very strong anyway; slightly surprised didn't move wiggins to Paris nice to replace Porte.

I think it's the right choice. The P-N route would be more suited to Thomas's characteristics. Wiggins wouldn't be able to do a tap on that course. Thomas is in good form looking at him in Andalucia and I expect him to go well there. The TTT in T-A would be a big factor in wanting Wiggins to remain there.

 

[arvc40]

Wiggins announces he will do Catalonia (sp.) instead of Gent - Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen.

Paris - Roubaix, my backside.

And now Strada. Hes so good at 1 day classics he does not need to practice. lol

 

[Jelantik]

Wiggins pulled from Strade to...assist Porte in TA, WTF ?!
http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,30283_9201346,00.html

i think henao would be the better lieutenant for Richie. He is flying in Oman. Wiggin got his assre kicked by valverde even in ITT.

 

[VeloHuman]

I think Wiggins is going to take every chance he can get to prove he's still got stage-racing legs this year.

 

[Jelantik]

I think Wiggins is going to take every chance he can get to prove he's still got stage-racing legs this year.

+1. i was thinking the same thing too.

Also, with Froome out, they need wiggin for their TTT more than ever, to give richie as much as time advantage. Last year when Richie was flying high, Quitana put him on earth. So yes, they need their knight to drive their TT train.

 

[Wallenquist]

i think henao would be the better lieutenant for Richie. He is flying in Oman. Wiggin got his assre kicked by valverde even in ITT.

Henao is Froome's lieutenant for this year, Porte has Kennaugh for this role.

 

[webvan]

From the Porte article on CN :

As far as any leadership issues between Porte and the 2012 Olympic time trial gold medallist – reminiscent to those between Wiggins and Froome at the 2012 Tour – Porte assures Cyclingnews that all team roles are understood for Tirreno. He said: "Wiggo has changed his focus this year, in Tirreno he is riding in support of me.

"His goals are more for time trials, and his goal [at Tirreno] will be to have a great team time trial and then finish off the race with a great individual time trial,” added Porte referring to the 16.9km team time trial from Donoratico to San Vincenzo on stage one and the 9.2km individual time trial from San Benedetto del Tronto on the final stage seven.

"For me, I will go there and look at the GC and have a good go at that."

1. It doesn't sound quite "right" for a former TdF champ (and 2012 "overall" stage race champ) to be racing like that
2. Something tells me BW might want try to rise to the occasion ;-)

 

[Grupetto1]

Wiggins to finish behind Porte, Kennaugh, Nieve, Siutsou and Cataldo in GC...

 

[webvan]

Wow, thanks for the insight!

 

[will10]

Wiggins to finish behind Porte, Kennaugh, Nieve, Siutsou and Cataldo in GC...

If four of the five names on your list do their job, they should be nowhere on GC anyway.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

From the Porte article on CN :



1. It doesn't sound quite "right" for a former TdF champ (and 2012 "overall" stage race champ) to be racing like that
2. Something tells me BW might want try to rise to the occasion ;-)

Maybe. Perhaps Porte's performance in Spain earlier this year (Vuelta a Andalucia) have opened up for some back stabbing. Potentially Sir Wiggo will only lose time on stage 5 imo. The MTF suits him very well.

Interesting play.

 

[del1962]

Maybe. Perhaps Porte's performance in Spain earlier this year (Vuelta a Andalucia) have opened up for some back stabbing. Potentially Sir Wiggo will only lose time on stage 5 imo. The MTF suits him very well.

Interesting play.

Did you see Wiggo's performance in Andulicia, for Porte it is a good job Henao is not here

 

[Grupetto1]

Yeah Im not saying that they're all gonna be up their at the end of the race. Just that there's been talk particularly in the british media that wiggins might use froomes absence in this race to show that he can still be a force in world tour stage races. But based on his climbing in andalucia he's gonna be well down in the teams hierarchy

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Did you see Wiggo's performance in Andulicia, for Porte it is a good job Henao is not here

A bit of weight around the waist perhaps. Agree about Henao.

 

[arvc40]

Wiggins to finish behind Porte, Kennaugh, Nieve, Siutsou and Cataldo in GC...

This is spot on.

 

[jens_attacks]

i would love it too if wiggo steps up again. but no, i don't think he will ever climb again, not even for a top 40.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

i would love it too if wiggo steps up again. but no, i don't think he will ever climb again, not even for a top 40.

The PR element is interesting for me, but agree its a rather narrow climbing career.

 

[webvan]

I find it a bit extraordinary that a guy who couldn't (or barely) be dropped by the best climbers in the world in 2009, 2011 and 2012 (didn't do too bad in 2013 either before he quit the Giro, seemed to be at his 2012 level) couldn't do it all anymore to the point of not being a factor in T-A...

So there is the weight issue, but it seems we never got "real" numbers there as he most likely was not 71 kg in 2012, closer to 65 I'm sure and now he's supposed to be 77? Hardly overweight for a 1m90 frame, although admittedly it's going to be a bit of a handicap on long 10% climbs I suppose...

 

[Jelantik]

I find it a bit extraordinary that a guy who couldn't (or barely) be dropped by the best climbers in the world in 2009, 2011 and 2012 (didn't do too bad in 2013 either before he quit the Giro, seemed to be at his 2012 level) couldn't do it all anymore to the point of not being a factor in T-A...

So there is the weight issue, but it seems we never got "real" numbers there as he most likely was not 71 kg in 2012, closer to 65 I'm sure and now he's supposed to be 77? Hardly overweight for a 1m90 frame, although admittedly it's going to be a bit of a handicap on long 10% climbs I suppose...

this is why TA is fascinating!! A lot of speculation about who's winning it. with no Froome around, and this is italian road. So controlling the pace is a lot more difficult for sky. Especially with a lot of explosive climber like contador, quintana, kwiat, horner. Sky can have wiggins and porte as the last men. But if those explosive climbers start attacking each other, it would be hard for wiggins to follow violently changed of tempo. We all know that wiggins is not a bad climber but he prefers a steady tempo. That's why the suspense now. He know that he can smooke everyone in ITT, (with TTT he will for sure have some cushion already), so if he can hang in the mountain, he can have a chance. I'm sure he is thinking, if he can match richie in the mountain, he might have a chance ..(to be sky leader again..)

 

[del1962]

this is why TA is fascinating!! A lot of speculation about who's winning it. with no Froome around, and this is italian road. So controlling the pace is a lot more difficult for sky. Especially with a lot of explosive climber like contador, quintana, kwiat, horner. Sky can have wiggins and porte as the last men. But if those explosive climbers start attacking each other, it would be hard for wiggins to follow violently changed of tempo. We all know that wiggins is not a bad climber but he prefers a steady tempo. That's why the suspense now. He know that he can smooke everyone in ITT, (with TTT he will for sure have some cushion already), so if he can hang in the mountain, he can have a chance. I'm sure he is thinking, if he can match richie in the mountain, he might have a chance ..(to be sky leader again..)

Wont Nieve be the last man for Porte?

 

[Jelantik]

Yeah Im not saying that they're all gonna be up their at the end of the race. Just that there's been talk particularly in the british media that wiggins might use froomes absence in this race to show that he can still be a force in world tour stage races. But based on his climbing in andalucia he's gonna be well down in the teams hierarchy

there's no doubt of that. This year, He can't say it or did what he did at the start of 2013, where he could just publicly challenged the leadership at sky. Fast forward 2014, he got nothing to back it up. So this kind of opportunity happens to show up and he doesn't need to publicly say anything about his intention.

 

[Morbius]

If Froome's injury is more serious than Sky are saying, they could be moving BW back towards being either a GC contender or main domestique for Porte at the Tour. That could explain him dropping Strade Bianchi for TA, even if TA is mainly for training purposes.

 

[ILovecycling]

If Froome's injury is more serious than Sky are saying, they could be moving BW back towards being either a GC contender or main domestique for Porte at the Tour. That could explain him dropping Strade Bianchi for TA, even if TA is mainly for training purposes.

Just wait for the mountains.You'll see that he is not even valuable domestique anymore.

 

[EnacheV]

I think Wiggins is more finished than Andy Schleck. He simply can't be bothered anymore.

2nd place at WC ITT 2013 is the last good result of his career.