Will Wiggins Still Win the Giro?

[Magnus]

Could you explain how control at 7% and 9% climbs differ?

Could you explain how control at 3% and 13% climbs differ?

Could you explain how 2 equals 10?

 

[Parrot23]

Wiggins post-race:

"There are two weeks to go. The last week’s going to be very difficult and the time gaps are relatively small still. A minute and 16 to Nibali still with all the problems yesterday isn't that bad it’s all to play for. It’s not easy to defend a Grand Tour lead so it’s not a bad position to be in. "We’re still here and we’ve got three guys in the top 10 now. We’ve got a few cards to play.” http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,28850_8706640,00.html

True. They are in a better place than Garmin right now. Bet Vaughters didn't see Ryder's result today coming, esp. after this comment:

15:58:16 CEST
Wiggo coming thru 52 seconds down. Hate to say it, but it ain't happening this year. Cadel, Inxtausti, and Ryder will all go much faster.
@Vaughters Sat, 11th May 2013 14:51:34

None beat Wiggins: the race changes fast. Will see. Wiggo and Ryder tend to be on the diesel side of things. Might help both to cooperate to an extent.

 

[maxmartin]

Wiggins post-race:

"There are two weeks to go. The last week’s going to be very difficult and the time gaps are relatively small still. A minute and 16 to Nibali still with all the problems yesterday isn't that bad it’s all to play for. It’s not easy to defend a Grand Tour lead so it’s not a bad position to be in. "We’re still here and we’ve got three guys in the top 10 now. We’ve got a few cards to play.” http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,28850_8706640,00.html

True. They are in a better place than Garmin right now. Bet Vaughters didn't see Ryder's result today coming, esp. after this comment:

15:58:16 CEST
Wiggo coming thru 52 seconds down. Hate to say it, but it ain't happening this year. Cadel, Inxtausti, and Ryder will all go much faster.
@Vaughters Sat, 11th May 2013 14:51:34

None beat Wiggins: the race changes fast. Will see. Wiggo and Ryder tend to be on the diesel side of things. Might help both to cooperate to an extent.

Ryder is cooked in the final climb, t he lost quite a big chunk time over there. Probably overconfident in the first half course spent too much energy.

 

[Magnus]

Ryder is cooked in the final climb, t he lost quite a big chunk time over there. Probably overconfident in the first half course spent too much energy.

What was Ryder's time up the last climb?

 

[Wallace]

This seems correct...Wiggins will not only have to master the uphills but harrowing descents as well. Nibali seems rather fearless even though he has himself crashed. This course just might not totally suit Wiggins. There might just be too much climbing [and descending for that matter]. You can't be tentative in the mountains, uphill or downhill. He proves his strength on the flats of course, but the Giro is not the Tour. The mountain TT will tell us a bit more, but he only put :11 seconds into Nibali on a longish course that favored him more. Nearly 80 minutes of effort with not much to show for it but par at best. He did have a mechanical but even so, Nibali would still be in the jersey tonight.

In any event, todays performance does'nt lend validity to his reports of record wattages. Granted Dowsett could conserve himself over the first week with no obvious GC ambitions, considerable damage to Nibali was anticipated and now that has been totally defenestrated by today's results. Wiggins has form, but is it enough, because the Giro did'nt "really" start today. The real carnage is yet to come.

Dame Wiggins just needs one of his laddies-in-waiting to rummage through his trousseau of fortitude and see if he can find an bahlz in there.

 

[Pippo_San]

And so the Knight will rise from his ashes, fierce and mighty.

(would love to see it just because of the forum reaction )

 

[airstream]

And so the Knight will rise from his ashes, fierce and mighty.

(would love to see it just because of the forum reaction )

No doubt. Wiggins will try to crush everyone on the climbs. Status of Sir is at stake and surely Sky has plan B plan C, D... for Wiggo.

 

[cineteq]

No doubt. Wiggins will try to crush everyone on the climbs. Status of Sir is at stake and surely Sky has plan B plan C, D... for Wiggo.

How's he going to crush anyone with no form? Sky had only plan A.

 

[Pentacycle]

How's he going to crush anyone with no form? Sky had only plan A.

Since when has Wiggins showed to have absolutely no form? He's still within reach of the win, although he can't afford to lose anymore ofc.

 

[Cyivel]

No doubt. Wiggins will try to crush everyone on the climbs. Status of Sir is at stake and surely Sky has plan B plan C, D... for Wiggo.

Agreed, he should lose his knighthood if he doesn't win the race.

 

[airstream]

How's he going to crush anyone with no form? Sky had only plan A.

No problem. Then they'll try to destroy all the guys with plan A - Henao and Uran in Froome's role. Do you realize how comic that would look with no form Wiggins?

 

[the asian]

Agreed, he should lose his knighthood if he doesn't win the race.

He has. He's already Dame Wiggins.

 

[airstream]

Agreed, he should lose his knighthood if he doesn't win the race.

Oh, is he already Sir? I didn't know about that

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

No problem. Then they'll try to destroy all the guys with plan A - Henao and Uran in Froome's role. Do you realize how comic that would look with no form Wiggins?

Since he is a much better climber than Nibali the mountains will be his. Wiggo also known as Lucho Herrera.

 

[airstream]

Since he is a much better climber than Nibali the mountains will be his. Wiggo also known as Lucho Herrera.

Anything can happen. Unlike Nibali if we talk about Sky, there are always a lot of possible miracles on the horizon.

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

The only way Wiggins can win is if Henao is good enough to drop everyone else and Wiggins is strong enough to stay on his wheel. In any case, if its wet today then it will be game over in a few hours.

 

[Mr. McQ]

OF course SBW can still win. His climbing will be incredibly strong

 

[horsinabout]

The life and times of happy v sad Bradley Wiggins.

It's because this is a bloody hard sport. You try doing this f***ing course day after day for three weeks and keeping up with froome. No joke!



Now I'm happy, got the thingy off Queen, even when I said, "The wife was getting ecstatic The Queen had sent us a letter and I kept saying f**k the Queen"



The bottom line is I can be happy, unlike LA I can smile. I just want to be free OK, free to have some fun and just enjoy cycling.



Yes Bradley but the question is are you going to win the Giro de Italia. Look I don't know, so stop with the half brained predictions. You wa*****s.

 

[jamesmasters]

I would say that poor descending ability in the wet (including in the ITT) has already cost him about 4 minutes and should have cost him even more today. So if the weather stays like this, he has no hope. If it's dry the whole of the rest of the way, he has a chance, but has probably blown it.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

It wasn't even wet in the ITT

 

[SKSemtex]

Sure he can. Astana is not Sky. Nibali is neither Froome or borg. He will have his "day" . The question is when and where it will be. Sky has still 3 superborgs that can climb like hell and they are ready to make Nibali to suffer in that day. The difference is practicly nothing if we take MTT to consideration. Weather will not be on Nibali ´s favour whole next 14 days.

 

[Jelantik]

Sure he can. Astana is not Sky. Nibali is neither Froome or borg. He will have his "day" . The question is when and where it will be. Sky has still 3 superborgs that can climb like hell and they are ready to make Nibali to suffer in that day. The difference is practicly nothing if we take MTT to consideration. Weather will not be on Nibali ´s favour whole next 14 days.

especially after he missed his chances today. Next two week will be sunny. GAME ON!

 

[Carols]

If Sky brings in a shrink tomorrow to get his head screwed on right he still has a chance....but it's looking worse for him everyday and what goes up comes down.....

 

[maxmartin]

Sure he can. Astana is not Sky. Nibali is neither Froome or borg. He will have his "day" . The question is when and where it will be. Sky has still 3 superborgs that can climb like hell and they are ready to make Nibali to suffer in that day. The difference is practicly nothing if we take MTT to consideration. Weather will not be on Nibali ´s favour whole next 14 days.

same applies to Wiggins LMAO

 

[jamesmasters]

If Sky brings in a shrink tomorrow to get his head screwed on right he still has a chance....but it's looking worse for him everyday and what goes up comes down.....

Sky should bring in Brailsford to shout at him. He has a hugely expensive team of riders backing him up and he's not performing at all.

Wiggins' performance in the last few stages...

Stage 6 Dropped on a descent
Stage 7 Dropped on a descent
Stage 8 ITT Lost time on descents
Stage 9 Dropped on a descent

Seems to be a pattern emerging here. And there's no guarantee he won't get dropped on the climbs as well once it gets difficult. It's a miracle he isn't further down in the GC - only a combination of his superiority in the flat part of the ITT, and Astana failing to punish him on today's stage has saved him.