Wiggins Discussion thread.

[maxmartin]

no manners, where is English gentlemen?

http://bicycling.com/blogs/boulderr...e-france-doubt-hope-and-trust-take-spotlight/

 

[cineteq]

no manners, where is English gentlemen?

http://bicycling.com/blogs/boulderr...e-france-doubt-hope-and-trust-take-spotlight/

This bloke needs to come back to Earth. Does he think he's Gawd? I wonder why he's taking it so personally?

 

[ustabe]

So let me get this straight ... Wigans calls half the forum w*nkers, c*cks, etc ... and no one cares?!

I care. Good for him. He's riding the Tour, not us.

 

[BillytheKid]

Wiggins just hit the big time.

What bothers me more is this question is asked much, much more in cycling when someone goes good than in any other sport.

People get the spark and drop a lot o'dough on bikes and bike gear.

The theme?

"don't let you kids near the unclean...it's much safer in a ball sport."

Interest-ing.

 

[Ripper]

After skimming through the clinic threads I'll still post my response here because I feel like I have nothing to add to a doping-related discussion and my main grievances with his remarks are not doping-related.

Random anonymous people on the internet suck. I should know, I am one. They say stuff they can't back up. For the people who are being accused (regardless of the nature of the accusation), that must be difficult to bear at times (regardless of whether said accusations are true or false). They can ignore it but that's probably not easy. However what they must absolutely not do is sink even lower than the level of an anonymous twitter-user. It's just disgraceful, especially for a maillot jaune. In any decent internet community people get banned for that kind of language, and rightfully so.

So when you get asked a question like that at a press conference, you compose yourself and you say something like "You can never convince anyone" or "As a professional, you've got to have a thick skin". Then you go backstage and you tell your DS all about what stupid w*nkers they are. But you don't go on rants analyzing random peoples lives and calling them every obscenity in the book ...

1st - I agree.

2nd - It's not like Wiggo has any excuse for not expecting this. In fact, the question he got was a softball and he really should be expecting worse. After all, he is the one who has referred to Sky as riding like USPS.

 

[Andy99]

This is awesome.

I like it how Brad points the finger at the losers who hide behind pseudonyms on twitter etc.

Now look at you lot slagging him off.

Losers.

 

[Gubby Allen]

After skimming through the clinic threads I'll still post my response here because I feel like I have nothing to add to a doping-related discussion and my main grievances with his remarks are not doping-related.

Random anonymous people on the internet suck. I should know, I am one. They say stuff they can't back up. For the people who are being accused (regardless of the nature of the accusation), that must be difficult to bear at times (regardless of whether said accusations are true or false). They can ignore it but that's probably not easy. However what they must absolutely not do is sink even lower than the level of an anonymous twitter-user. It's just disgraceful, especially for a maillot jaune. In any decent internet community people get banned for that kind of language, and rightfully so.

So when you get asked a question like that at a press conference, you compose yourself and you say something like "You can never convince anyone" or "As a professional, you've got to have a thick skin". Then you go backstage and you tell your DS all about what stupid w*nkers they are. But you don't go on rants analyzing random peoples lives and calling them every obscenity in the book ...

Had he responded to the point, with those exact two sentences you suggested, it would have been leapt upon with comments of 'what sort of defence is that, he's hardly denied it, sounds like they might be then'.

I was disheartened by his Murray comments.

 

[Andy99]

Interesting to note most pro's see fully supportive of Brad's comments too. Many suggesteing it needed to be said.

 

[itchyhorse]

Is there anyone outside the UK that likes Mr. Wiggo

I'm from the Uk and I don't like him, so please don't think we all appreciate his bolshy retorts to very valid doping questions. He's a professional, right? Well for me that should extend to every aspect of the job, including talking to the press. It's an event that wouldn't exist were it not for the media (founded by a newspaper after all) and in a sport with a lonnnnggggg history of doping I think Wiggins when in the Yellow Jersey should take q's re: doping with a bit more grace. No, not a bit more. Some. He didn't show any over the weekend. Another embarrassing Brit on the world stage.

 

[One Eyed Aussie]

For some reason whenever I saw Bradley he brought to mind the Gallagher brothers with his sideburns and attitude of insouciance - but now the connection has grown even stronger with his gutter mouth!

But Noel or Liam? I'm not sure.

 

[itchyhorse]

This is awesome.

I like it how Brad points the finger at the losers who hide behind pseudonyms on twitter etc.

Now look at you lot slagging him off.

Losers.

Hypocritical eh? In the same way that Wiggins shoots his mouth off about journos asking about doping yet hopes they'll big up his riding exploits on the next page I suppose...

Say what you like about Armstrong, but at least he could articulate a fair reason as to why he shouldn't be accused of doping. Wiggins' reaction is just a joke when, given the history of the sport and the nature of the performances, it would be a perfectly reasonable question. No class whatsoever.

 

[Andy99]

Hypocritical eh? In the same way that Wiggins shoots his mouth off about journos asking about doping yet hopes they'll big up his riding exploits on the next page I suppose...

Say what you like about Armstrong, but at least he could articulate a fair reason as to why he shouldn't be accused of doping. Wiggins' reaction is just a joke when, given the history of the sport and the nature of the performances, it would be a perfectly reasonable question. No class whatsoever.

Fine. Thats your opinion, to which you are entitled.

Personally, I found his response a breath of fresh air when compared to the usual 'I've never tested positive'.

@Vaughters: 'Respect to @bradwiggins'

@ChristianVDV: Just heard @bradwiggins quote from the press conference today. It is so, spot on. Thank you Wiggo.

@markcavendish: Good on @bradwiggins for an honest answer in today's press conference, aimed at people who know nothing better than to be skeptical.

There are many more such quotes, but I have mroe important things to do with my time.

 

[Alex76]

ahhhhh Brad Wiggins.... with all your 'moddish man of the people' stuff, you really don't get it do you.

It was a sour taste in my mouth after Saturday, and now these comments.

How refreshing it was to see the young French lad yesterday.

 

[Andy99]

ahhhhh Brad Wiggins.... with all your 'moddish man of the people' stuff, you really don't get it do you.

It was a sour taste in my mouth after Saturday, and now these comments.

How refreshing it was to see the young French lad yesterday.

Might be just me, but I don't understand that post.

 

[LaFlorecita]

A champion doesn't say these things. What does that tell us?

Besides I find this sort of reactions very suspicious.

 

[ParfaitAmour]

We need to go back to the old days when we had role models like Master Jacques leaving his missus for her daughter and Pantani killing himself with coke.

Heh ! Made me chuckle.

I suppose part of the issue is that Brad gets asked a lot of repeated questions about a topic he doesn't want to dwell on.
Compared to other GC contenders, he has to sit through a lot of interviews. Maybe because he has won a few races this year compared to his rivals. Maybe the repeated questions are getting old, and being under pressure made him crack ?

Only a few in the peloton are known for their fantastic personalities: Many remain anonymous, some shadowy, a few prickly or whiney. And hardly anyone can hand on heart say their favourite is 100% clean because we JUST DON'T KNOW.

 

[Andy99]

A champion doesn't say these things. What does that tell us?

Besides I find this sort of reactions very suspicious.

Why? (says the contador fan)

I wonder whether there are some translation issues with the non-English speakers here.....

 

[LaFlorecita]

Why? (says the contador fan)

I wonder whether there are some translation issues with the non-English speakers here.....

Why I find it suspicious?

The way I see it is that when an innocent person gets asked about doping they just shrug it off. You know, the "I know better than you" thingy. With such heavy reactions it always makes me wonder whether the person in question feels like they are with their back against the wall. And I'm not the only one who thinks this way, I discussed it with my dad and he agreed.

 

[LaFlorecita]

And hardly anyone can hand on heart say their favourite is 100% clean because we JUST DON'T KNOW.

This +1000000

 

[Andy99]

Why I find it suspicious?

The way I see it is that when an innocent person gets asked about doping they just shrug it off. You know, the "I know better than you" thingy. With such heavy reactions it always makes me wonder whether the person in question feels like they are with their back against the wall. And I'm not the only one who thinks this way, I discussed it with my dad and he agreed.

Fair enough. Personally, I can see why he would react like that, especially given the reclusive life he has lived training at altitude in Tenerife, away from his kids etc...

Still, if thats what your dad says, I bow down to his knowledge.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Fair enough. Personally, I can see why he would react like that, especially given the reclusive life he has lived training at altitude in Tenerife, away from his kids etc...

Still, if thats what your dad says, I bow down to his knowledge.

Lol

 

[OctaBech]

I know this isn't the doping thread, but my grief isn't doping itself but how a rider like Wiggins answer to the doping related questions. I would love if a rider going for the GC just straight out proclaimed to be clean, instead of vague answers and outbursts.

I mean, is it really that hard to say "I've never doped and I condemn doping" or "I want to show that a 100% clean rider can wind the Tour"?
Acting up is... well it's no different than when all the Tour riders demonstrated against the EPO test, because they felt victimized.
Has Wiggins ever just straight out said he was clean or has it always been "I lost weight and I do a ton of altitude training"? Because Armstrong used falsified research to prove his increased performance and though I think people in the doping thread wear tinfoil hats, do not like explanations like altitude training, as scientists have in their research shown that there is no measurable biological nor performance change after high altitude training. That JV and JB support Wiggin's outburst... I honestly do not know how to interpret that.

At then Wiggins deserve no respect for his outburst, it did not answer the question and left the situation muddy, I hope he will come with a more straight forward answer.

 

[Magnus]

Acting up is... well it's no different than when all the Tour riders demonstrated against the EPO test, because they felt victimized.

When was there a demonstration against the EPO test?

 

[happychappy]

A champion doesn't say these things. What does that tell us?

Besides I find this sort of reactions very suspicious.

Personally I find people failing dope tests very suspicious. You know, like that Contador fellow - the person that got his TDF title ripped from his shoulders after finally getting popped for his doping.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Personally I find people failing dope tests very suspicious. You know, like that Contador fellow.

And rightfully so.

the person that got his TDF title ripped from his shoulders after finally getting popped for his doping

I know who this person is, you don't need to spell it out for me.