Wiggins Discussion thread.

[Cannibal72]

Re: Re:

Rationality says that track cycling is of a much lower level than road cycling.

I don't dislike Wiggo, I just think his palmares is incredibly overrated. He had one amazing year, that's it.

The reason for road cycling getting all the attention now is money. Track cycling used to be huge and there was good money to be made. Salaries for good road riders did not increase much until Lemond, Anderson and others started pushing for changes and better money and sponsors started getting behind the non Europeans who were not too successful before then. Even Merckx used to ride six Day Races and get paid big money. Most young riders now just use the track to make the transition to the road same with mountain biking. All of the money is in road racing. Track cycling champions now don't get much attention anymore but they were superstars before.

I know track cycling used to be bigger, I run past het Kuipke on a daily basis. Been to the event numerous times and know all about Patrick Sercu and also the achievements of Merckx on the track. But this is 2016 and track cycling is only popular with a few Anglophone countries and only because of the Olympics. I don't think that's a healthy spot to be in as a sport.

I think 10 medals for a niche sport as track cycling is way too much. If track cycling is Olympic, so should cyclocross be...

UCI want to add it to the winter games.

IOC regulations mandate that 'winter' sports must involve snow or ice.

 

[El Pistolero]

Re: Re:

Rationality says that track cycling is of a much lower level than road cycling.

I don't dislike Wiggo, I just think his palmares is incredibly overrated. He had one amazing year, that's it.

The reason for road cycling getting all the attention now is money. Track cycling used to be huge and there was good money to be made. Salaries for good road riders did not increase much until Lemond, Anderson and others started pushing for changes and better money and sponsors started getting behind the non Europeans who were not too successful before then. Even Merckx used to ride six Day Races and get paid big money. Most young riders now just use the track to make the transition to the road same with mountain biking. All of the money is in road racing. Track cycling champions now don't get much attention anymore but they were superstars before.

I know track cycling used to be bigger, I run past het Kuipke on a daily basis. Been to the event numerous times and know all about Patrick Sercu and also the achievements of Merckx on the track. But this is 2016 and track cycling is only popular with a few Anglophone countries and only because of the Olympics. I don't think that's a healthy spot to be in as a sport.

I think 10 medals for a niche sport as track cycling is way too much. If track cycling is Olympic, so should cyclocross be...

UCI want to add it to the winter games.

IOC regulations mandate that 'winter' sports must involve snow or ice.

Why would that be a problem?

 

[King Boonen]

Back on topic...

This is horrible and should be highlighted:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/wiggins-believes-sutton-will-be-cleared-by-british-cycling-panel/

 

[Benotti69]

Funny that Wiggins wants to start a women's team!

Goodluck to any ladies that dare ride for that team!!

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

Rationality says that track cycling is of a much lower level than road cycling.

I don't dislike Wiggo, I just think his palmares is incredibly overrated. He had one amazing year, that's it.

The reason for road cycling getting all the attention now is money. Track cycling used to be huge and there was good money to be made. Salaries for good road riders did not increase much until Lemond, Anderson and others started pushing for changes and better money and sponsors started getting behind the non Europeans who were not too successful before then. Even Merckx used to ride six Day Races and get paid big money. Most young riders now just use the track to make the transition to the road same with mountain biking. All of the money is in road racing. Track cycling champions now don't get much attention anymore but they were superstars before.

I know track cycling used to be bigger, I run past het Kuipke on a daily basis. Been to the event numerous times and know all about Patrick Sercu and also the achievements of Merckx on the track. But this is 2016 and track cycling is only popular with a few Anglophone countries and only because of the Olympics. I don't think that's a healthy spot to be in as a sport.

I think 10 medals for a niche sport as track cycling is way too much. If track cycling is Olympic, so should cyclocross be...

UCI want to add it to the winter games.

IOC regulations mandate that 'winter' sports must involve snow or ice.

This rule does not apply, however, to host cities, who can have abosultely no snow or ice at any point of the year as long as they have money.

 

[King Boonen]

Apparently it gets better..:

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/olympics/sir-bradley-wiggins-claims-mole-in-team-gb-cycling-camp-attempted-to-sabotage-rio-success/ar-BBvG0fG?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=mailsignout

...But the 36-year-old insists he never saw the headlines as a 'huge problem', and dismissed the claims which led to Sutton's resignation as 'bitter people that didn't make the grade'.

"There was a bit of a campaign to almost sabotage the games from a British cycling point of view," he said in Rio. "There was obviously a mole in the camp.
...

 

[Red Rick]

I fail to see how IOC regulations for cyclocross relate to Wiggins, so let's drop it

 

[scurrrr]

Re:

Funny that Wiggins wants to start a women's team!

Goodluck to any ladies that dare ride for that team!!

why?

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

Funny that Wiggins wants to start a women's team!

Goodluck to any ladies that dare ride for that team!!

why?

Because Wiggins has shown himself to either be or associate himself with misogynists, and then take their sides in fueds.

 

[Jonhard]

If Sutton is misogynist, then so are most of the Aussie men I've met.

This may be the case, of course. It's not a big sample.

On a side note, Wiggins has sponsored Wiggle-Honda (now Wiggle-High 5) when it was set up. So he has form in supporting women's cycling (and not many do), just as he has form in being gobby and a bit of a melon at times. I don't think it's black and white.

On another side note, which really is a digression, Becky James probably wouldn't be at the Olympics if Sutton hadn't backed her through a long injury... which was also partly why the women's team sprint had problems, which is partly why Varnish spoke out and all the gubbins started coming out. A tangled web.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re:

Apparently it gets better..:

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/olympics/sir-bradley-wiggins-claims-mole-in-team-gb-cycling-camp-attempted-to-sabotage-rio-success/ar-BBvG0fG?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=mailsignout

...But the 36-year-old insists he never saw the headlines as a 'huge problem', and dismissed the claims which led to Sutton's resignation as 'bitter people that didn't make the grade'.

"There was a bit of a campaign to almost sabotage the games from a British cycling point of view," he said in Rio. "There was obviously a mole in the camp.
...

Pendleton clearly backing Varnish against Sutton due to her bitterness over her own lack of success

 

[MatParker117]

Re: Re:

Apparently it gets better..:

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/olympics/sir-bradley-wiggins-claims-mole-in-team-gb-cycling-camp-attempted-to-sabotage-rio-success/ar-BBvG0fG?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=mailsignout

...But the 36-year-old insists he never saw the headlines as a 'huge problem', and dismissed the claims which led to Sutton's resignation as 'bitter people that didn't make the grade'.

"There was a bit of a campaign to almost sabotage the games from a British cycling point of view," he said in Rio. "There was obviously a mole in the camp.
...

Pendleton clearly backing Varnish against Sutton due to her bitterness over her own lack of success

Kind of get the sense that Dave Brailsford and Steve Peters often acted as good cop to Shane's bad.

 

[Benotti69]

Re: Re:

Apparently it gets better..:

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/olympics/sir-bradley-wiggins-claims-mole-in-team-gb-cycling-camp-attempted-to-sabotage-rio-success/ar-BBvG0fG?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=mailsignout

...But the 36-year-old insists he never saw the headlines as a 'huge problem', and dismissed the claims which led to Sutton's resignation as 'bitter people that didn't make the grade'.

"There was a bit of a campaign to almost sabotage the games from a British cycling point of view," he said in Rio. "There was obviously a mole in the camp.
...

Pendleton clearly backing Varnish against Sutton due to her bitterness over her own lack of success

Kind of get the sense that Dave Brailsford and Steve Peters often acted as good cop to Shane's bad.

I dont think Sutton 'acted', i think it was real.

Brailsford doesn't come out of it smelling of roses either.

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

Apparently it gets better..:

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/olympics/sir-bradley-wiggins-claims-mole-in-team-gb-cycling-camp-attempted-to-sabotage-rio-success/ar-BBvG0fG?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=mailsignout

...But the 36-year-old insists he never saw the headlines as a 'huge problem', and dismissed the claims which led to Sutton's resignation as 'bitter people that didn't make the grade'.

"There was a bit of a campaign to almost sabotage the games from a British cycling point of view," he said in Rio. "There was obviously a mole in the camp.
...

Pendleton clearly backing Varnish against Sutton due to her bitterness over her own lack of success

Yes. The allegation of there being "... a mole in the camp." is borderline crazy too. Lost any respect I had for him after that I'm afraid.

 

[SeriousSam]

Sir Bradley not throwing under the bus the person he characterised as “the only person who understands me inside and out” and credits with his Great Triumphs?

I'm shocked.

 

[King Boonen]

Sir Bradley not throwing under the bus the person he characterised as “the only person who understands me inside and out” and credits with his Great Triumphs?

I'm shocked.

There is a place in between the two extremes. It's massive and has plenty of place for people to stand, but they rarely seem to choose it.

 

[movingtarget]

Whatever there is to be said of Sutton's behavior I love the comments of late that think he has had had nothing to do with their current successes. That the boogeyman has now gone and athletes are suddenly winning in spite of him. Pretty naive. They were already winning and continue to do so. If Wiggins comments are not true or at least honest why aren't the so called victims getting stuck into him on social media ? Or are they ? Whatever has happened it seems that the Great Britain cycling program is still in good order. Sutton should move on as i am sure other teams would be happy to have him. Teams sign former dopers without an issue so abrasive so called misogynists would also have a place but maybe outside the UK and maybe stick with the men's teams instead. I guess misanthropy is not illegal.

 

[pastronef]

Re:

Whatever there is to be said of Sutton's behavior I love the comments of late that think he has had had nothing to do with their current successes. That the boogeyman has now gone and athletes are suddenly winning in spite of him. Pretty naive. They were already winning and continue to do so. If Wiggins comments are not true or at least honest why aren't the so called victims getting stuck into him on social media ? Or are they ? Whatever has happened it seems that the Great Britain cycling program is still in good order. Sutton should move on as i am sure other teams would be happy to have him. Teams sign former dopers without an issue so abrasive so called misogynists would also have a place but maybe outside the UK and maybe stick with the men's teams instead. I guess misanthropy is not illegal.

exactly, Sutton has been part of the successes and helped to build the ones they had this week

 

[TMP402]

Anything Froome can do...

https://twitter.com/SkyCycling/status/772863394307248128

 

[Jspear]

Re:

Anything Froome can do...

https://twitter.com/SkyCycling/status/772863394307248128

Love it!

 

[CTQ]

And he is 119 th in the GC at T of B don't know what it's the most funny

 

[Jspear]

Re:

And he is 119 th in the GC at T of B don't know what it's the most funny

That's no surprise. He has no desire to duke it out in the hills with his weight and lack of specific training.

 

[Amnes2015]

anything to stay relevant... 1 hit wonder cyclist and even that was a gifted by Froome.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Re:

Riis was a world class TT'er and a ridiculous climber for a short period of time. Wiggins was the best TT'er and very good climber for a short period of time. His pursuit ability doesn't have much significance in overall picture.

Theae guys are very comparable but I know that it is pretty much impossible to argue with a British guy.

riis was never a world class itt'r even when he was fully juiced he was never the best. I think he has won a grand total of one itt in his whole career, which was an itt in tour of denmark

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Re:

I thought Belgians did their cycling in the winter in the mud.

that "sport" is far more ridiculous than trackcycling, which is a huge sport. just look at the budgets of the better nations