Wiggo debacle

[Fight.The.Power]

Following Team Skys decision to leave Wiggo out of the TDF, how will this affect your view of the Team going forward?

 

[Carols]

I've always disliked Sky but this is a real kick in the teeth to a former Tour winner who is on form. The reasons behind the decision are understandable; team cohesion and peace, but Still. Leaving out a winner from 2 years ago, the first Briton to win the Tour, when the Tour starts on home soil is pretty base IMO. Makes me dislike Sky even more!

 

[Lanark]

I dislike Sky, I think it was a good decission. The have one of the two favorites for the Tour in their team, who dominated last season. Everything should be in service to him, Wiggins is pretty useless as a domestique, and doesn't deserve any preferential treatment because of 2 years ago, maybe if he didn't ride like a clown last season he had a reason to protest, now he doesn't.

 

[movingtarget]

Wiggins has shown in the past that he can ride for others. I think he would have been useful to Froome in taking some pressure off some of the other riders on the team. But it's all about trust and they obviously don't have any in Wiggins which is pretty damning to say that they don't expect a former Tour winner to do his best for the team he has ridden with for a long time. I think it's a mistake and a good display by Wiggins as a domestique may have calmed the waters between he and Froome.

 

[Publicus]

Judging from the comments in Froome's book (venture over to the Clinic if you are strong of will ), it was pretty obvious there was NO WAY Wiggins was being selected for the Tour. None. Zilch. Nada. Zero

 

[murali]

Sky lost my respect the moment they decided not to let Wiggins defend yellow jersey in favor of dawg.

 

[ebandit]

whatever

whatever.............makes no difference to me

anyway...............team sky have to make hard decisions for the good/harmony of the team not necesarily to please brad/fans

after 2 years tdf domination I will be happy to see them suck this year....
...............and I think they will

Mark L

 

[argyllflyer]

Following Team Skys decision to leave Wiggo out of the TDF, how will this affect your view of the Team going forward?

Stupid irrelevant question and stupid irrelevant poll.

 

[argyllflyer]

Wiggins has shown in the past that he can ride for others. I think he would have been useful to Froome in taking some pressure off some of the other riders on the team. But it's all about trust and they obviously don't have any in Wiggins which is pretty damning to say that they don't expect a former Tour winner to do his best for the team he has ridden with for a long time. I think it's a mistake and a good display by Wiggins as a domestique may have calmed the waters between he and Froome.

Wiggins has (in Froome's opinion) failed in all attempts to support him previously. A non-starter.

 

[Fight.The.Power]

Stupid irrelevant question and stupid irrelevant poll.

I think by making that very statement on this poll may question how relevant your statement actually is !

 

[Pricey_sky]

Another 'Sky hate' thread, not seen many of those around here!

Anyway it's a bad decision not to include Wiggins, I can't believe sky believe riders like Xandio or Pate can offer more on the road.

 

[Fight.The.Power]

Another 'Sky hate' thread, not seen many of those around here!

Anyway it's a bad decision not to include Wiggins, I can't believe sky believe riders like Xandio or Pate can offer more on the road.

Thanks for your comments.

In all honesty this was not meant to be a Sky-hate thread at all and I tried not to express my own views on the title page.

I was more interested in the views of those that did NOT vote 'disliked Sky anyway' but there have been some fair points raised by those very people.

Ta

 

[Red Rick]

Hated Sky, hated Wiggins, but I think what they're doing to Wiggins now is pretty digusting. You start a project to get the first British TdF winner, within 5 years, and end up not only winning the TdF with that British rider, but also dumping him like thrash within 5 years

 

[Afrank]

Expected this, so really doesn't effect my view of them in any way. It's pretty obvious the dawg has taken over the reigns and is calling the shots now.

And after Wiggins failure of a 2013 season, I don't think Sky put much faith in him to ever repeat the performances of 2012 again. And even if he could get back to that level, he's sure as hell not going to repeat those performances in any GT other then the Tour. Which now belongs solely to the dawg.

 

[Jspear]

Never cared about Sky at all, never cared much for Bradley. I do however like Brad a lot more than Froome - so when he started performing well this year I was kinda ticked that Sky booted him, knowing that that decision really came from Froome. But really it doesn't mean much to me other than the fact that I think its disrespectful. They're not my team, none of my fav riders ride for them, so whatever! Hey but this is what keeps the media employed between races. Lot's of drama....I was hoping all this drama would carry over into the Tour....Would have helped Tinkov.

 

[Winterfold]

My view of them has been heading South since the shoddy treatment of those with a past best not discussed, went worse when they started breaking the spirit of the rules TUEs, and literally breaking them eg collecting food after the cutoff and this year has been the final straw.

There are 7 worse riders than Wiggo on that list and 8 worse TTers.

Brailsford is a ****.

 

[70kmph]

Make Froome ride domestique for Brad...again lol

 

[movingtarget]

Wiggins has (in Froome's opinion) failed in all attempts to support him previously. A non-starter.

Well Froome would say that if he did not want him in the team and he has got what he wanted. It's still a mistake by the team management. Wiggins has shown enough this year to convince that he would make a contribution. Anyway the decision has been made and it's a dumb one. Even Bjarne Riis thinks so.

 

[purcell]

From day 1 this team has been merely a re-hash of US Postal in every single way. Even their holier than though press releases and aggressive dismissals of anyone who questions are the same as the story we have seen and heard before.

How anyone can support this team is beyond me. That old song "we won't get fooled again" is clearly not true.

 

[willbick]

Im sorry but its quite clear from most of the comments on this issue on the forum that most of you guys need to get out of yr bedrooms and learn a bit about the real world.

Yes, in an ideal world when the only thing that matters is riding ability Wiggins would be a very useful TdF team member, but there's a whole lot more to building a successful team than just that.

The fact is Froome and wiggins dont get on. At all. 3 weeks in the same bus, same team, same hotel would inevitably be a disaster. Furthermore the press would be over them constantly like a rash looking for any froome/wiggo disharmony stories, constantly, for the whole tour. Nightmare.

And finally, Wiggo is simply not a natural domestique. Its not a criticism, its just how he is and why he's a great individual athlete. He's selfish, like all great individual athletes. OK for ONE race he gave it all for Cav and GB but thats a world of difference from giving yr all for the service of someone else for 3 weeks.

I suppose most of the criticism stems from thinly veiled Sky-bashing, as usual.

 

[Jspear]

Im sorry but its quite clear from most of the comments on this issue on the forum that most of you guys need to get out of yr bedrooms and learn a bit about the real world.

Yes, in an ideal world when the only thing that matters is riding ability Wiggins would be a very useful TdF team member, but there's a whole lot more to building a successful team than just that.

The fact is Froome and wiggins dont get on. At all. 3 weeks in the same bus, same team, same hotel would inevitably be a disaster. Furthermore the press would be over them constantly like a rash looking for any froome/wiggo disharmony stories, constantly, for the whole tour. Nightmare.

And finally, Wiggo is simply not a natural domestique. Its not a criticism, its just how he is and why he's a great individual athlete. He's selfish, like all great individual athletes. OK for ONE race he gave it all for Cav and GB but thats a world of difference from giving yr all for the service of someone else for 3 weeks.

I suppose most of the criticism stems from thinly veiled Sky-bashing, as usual.

I do recognize this fact, but I still wanted them to ride together.

 

[RownhamHill]

Im sorry but its quite clear from most of the comments on this issue on the forum that most of you guys need to get out of yr bedrooms and learn a bit about the real world.

Yes, in an ideal world when the only thing that matters is riding ability Wiggins would be a very useful TdF team member, but there's a whole lot more to building a successful team than just that.

The fact is Froome and wiggins dont get on. At all. 3 weeks in the same bus, same team, same hotel would inevitably be a disaster. Furthermore the press would be over them constantly like a rash looking for any froome/wiggo disharmony stories, constantly, for the whole tour. Nightmare.

And finally, Wiggo is simply not a natural domestique. Its not a criticism, its just how he is and why he's a great individual athlete. He's selfish, like all great individual athletes. OK for ONE race he gave it all for Cav and GB but thats a world of difference from giving yr all for the service of someone else for 3 weeks.

I suppose most of the criticism stems from thinly veiled Sky-bashing, as usual.

I don't think the criticism does stem from thinly veiled Sky-bashing, and I don't think, necessarily, that Froome and Wiggins not getting on is a good enough reason not to pick him in and of itself.

It's pretty clear Froome has put his foot down on this, and maybe fair enough, but is the ensuing PR storm, and bad taste it has created worth the hassle of maybe them sitting at the other end of the bus from each other? I mean what really was Wiggins going to do? (Sandbag on La Touissaire and then attack the yellow jersey, really?)

And, by not picking Wiggins, it's not going to be like the press won't mention it, is it? What happens if Sky have a bad team day and Froome get's isolated again - first question almost guaranteed will be 'do you think Wiggins would have made a difference', ad infinitum - for an reasonable analogy see Cook and the England cricket team, his position as captain is still arguably being undermined by the sacking of KP in the winter - so it's not a lock that just by getting rid of one half of the problem you're necessarily going to get the problem going away.

 

[Winterfold]

Im sorry but its quite clear from most of the comments on this issue on the forum that most of you guys need to get out of yr bedrooms and learn a bit about the real world.

Yes, in an ideal world when the only thing that matters is riding ability Wiggins would be a very useful TdF team member, but there's a whole lot more to building a successful team than just that.

The fact is Froome and wiggins dont get on. At all. 3 weeks in the same bus, same team, same hotel would inevitably be a disaster. Furthermore the press would be over them constantly like a rash looking for any froome/wiggo disharmony stories, constantly, for the whole tour. Nightmare.

And finally, Wiggo is simply not a natural domestique. Its not a criticism, its just how he is and why he's a great individual athlete. He's selfish, like all great individual athletes. OK for ONE race he gave it all for Cav and GB but thats a world of difference from giving yr all for the service of someone else for 3 weeks.

I suppose most of the criticism stems from thinly veiled Sky-bashing, as usual.

You seem to think sport is merely the rational pursuit of victory?

Dare I suggest it may be you who has a lot to learn?

 

[senatorrick]

I've always and always will dislikes Sky, I actually like Wiggo a little more now because of Sky's actions, but are their actions justified because maybe Wiggo is such a big ******? We don't know for sure because were not behind the closed door.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Sky have a strong team, with wiggins in i think there would be too many distraction and i think this is how the defending champion wants to defend his crown so good luck to him.