Wiggins - GT contender?

Kléber
Kléber Posts: 6,842
edited August 2009 in Pro race
Wiggins is still sixth overall, 38 seconds behind Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) and Lance Armstrong (Astana). He is still convinced he can be an overall contender.

"I'm in the form of my life. I think I go top 15 physically, even top 10," he says.

"It's just that so much goes in to that, you've got to be on it every day. I lost 40 seconds the other day for lack of concentration. Cadel (Evans) is four minutes behind already for no fault of his own. I'm still there, I'm still in the ball park, so I've got to keep plugging away. I've got to stay with Dave (Millar) and Christian (Vande Velde) because they've got the experience. I've got to try and get through the Pyrenees as close as possible to the best guys."
From Cycling Weekly

Exciting stuff. Discuss...
«13

Comments

  • sicrow
    sicrow Posts: 791
    If half of the Astana squad go home in the next week or so then he may have a slight top 10 chance otherwise he's got a nasty case of "deluded by grandeur" this year at least.

    Maybe after a couple of years he can develop more into a GT/GC rider but not yet
    http://www.action.org.uk/sponsor/simoncrowther
  • pb21
    pb21 Posts: 2,171
    Top 20 probable. Top 15 possible. Top 10 yeah right.
    Mañana
  • iain_j
    iain_j Posts: 1,941
    Has he finished a Tour de France yet?
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,907
    top 10!

    fighting talk.... give it a go Brad... I think your going to die horribly in the third but you never know till you try....
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • The Prodigy
    The Prodigy Posts: 832
    Good on him for having abit of ambition
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,541
    Let's wait and see how he copes with the mountains. But good on him for giving it a go and talking about his ambitions in the race. A stage win would be ample reward if he is in the form of his life.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    iain_j wrote:
    Has he finished a Tour de France yet?

    One Tour, three Giro, although nothing anywhere to suggest a top 10 is possible. His climbing was notable in the first week of this year's Giro, but he was still nowhere near the front when the big hitters made their moves.

    I wonder what CVV thinks of Wiggo's GC ambitions?

    Tour record

    2007, DNF, Cofidis withdrew after stage 16 due to Moreni positive
    2006, 123rd

    Giro record

    2009, 71st
    2008, 134th
    2005, 123rd
    2003, DNF, outside time limit stage 18
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    I think there's a gap between his more modest claim to be able to make the top-15 if things are perfect, and what CW write, "He is still convinced he can be an overall contender". An overall contender is not someone who could scrape into the top-10/15. CW will try to big him up, that's business.

    Full marks to Wiggo for ambition. He's one of those riders who knows his numbers, he can work out the wattages and interpret his future results. I wouldn't rush to the bookies yet but hopefully he can bag the Annecy TT stage.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,541
    I think you've got to bear in mind that this is the first season in his career where he's not ridden a part road, part track program. His track record (sorry - bad pun) suggests he's got the power to compete, but he's never focused on the road before like he has this season.

    His performance in the first week of the Giro suggests he can do it, and he sensibly backed off there to keep himself fresh for the Tour. That said, the Tour is a bigger and harder event than the Giro.
  • kevin_stephens
    kevin_stephens Posts: 184
    lost 6 kg since last year shows dedication to the road after distraction of the olympics,and he was hardly a fatty to start with, should make a lot of difference on the climbs, some good team support too
    I want to climb hills so badly;
    and I climb hills so badly
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,951
    He's obviously one of the best in a time trial and he's lost a lot of weight, so assuming climbing is primarily a power/weight thing then it isn't far fetched is it? After all if he's a leading TT'er he has the power, and he's now the weight of a pure climber.
  • Jez mon
    Jez mon Posts: 3,809
    If it was a TT heavy course, during a year when most of the contenders where stick-like climbers who couldn't TT for love nor money, then maybe, just maybe, he could scrape a top 10.
    You live and learn. At any rate, you live
  • Art Vandelay
    Art Vandelay Posts: 1,982
    Woohoo, great ride from Wiggo :D
  • GemmaAtkinson1
    GemmaAtkinson1 Posts: 161
    was a great ride today. i think he is definately more focussed and ambitious now he is riding a strictly road based program. he has done well this year, i certainly hope his form continues and he is able to get a few nice results.
  • geoff_ss
    geoff_ss Posts: 1,201
    Excellent ride today ahead of a lot of top GC contenders and now 5th overall. What a pity he missed out on the peloton split on Monday or he'd be even higher on GC (2nd =).

    He still seems to be a pretty quick tester too so it's looking good for for him so far - fingers crossed.

    Geoff
    Old cyclists never die; they just fit smaller chainrings ... and pedal faster
  • stagehopper
    stagehopper Posts: 1,593
    Geoff_SS wrote:
    Excellent ride today ahead of a lot of top GC contenders and now 5th overall. What a pity he missed out on the peloton split on Monday or he'd be even higher on GC (2nd =).

    Contador and Leipheimer also missed the split, so there's really only Armstrong ahead of him who benefitted - Wiggins would be 4th if no split had occurred.
    @stagehopper
  • shinyhelmut
    shinyhelmut Posts: 1,364
    All it needs is Astana to be sent home for a drug infraction then suddenly anything's possible.... :?
  • sing_for_absolution
    sing_for_absolution Posts: 1,908
    He did the same in the first week of the Giro, then faded as the race got more difficult (a good sign maybe?)
  • shinyhelmut
    shinyhelmut Posts: 1,364
    sing_for_absolution wrote:
    (a good sign maybe?)

    I take it you mean no motorcycle couriers for Wiggo?
  • Mettan
    Mettan Posts: 2,103
    Top 10 -15 maybe - not a "contender" though.
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    Kléber wrote:
    Wiggins is still sixth overall, 38 seconds behind Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) and Lance Armstrong (Astana). He is still convinced he can be an overall contender.

    "I'm in the form of my life. I think I go top 15 physically, even top 10," he says.

    "It's just that so much goes in to that, you've got to be on it every day. I lost 40 seconds the other day for lack of concentration. Cadel (Evans) is four minutes behind already for no fault of his own. I'm still there, I'm still in the ball park, so I've got to keep plugging away. I've got to stay with Dave (Millar) and Christian (Vande Velde) because they've got the experience. I've got to try and get through the Pyrenees as close as possible to the best guys."
    From Cycling Weekly

    Exciting stuff. Discuss...

    No as i think he will be working for VDV as he is only another 40 or so secs back, if he is given freedom to do his own thing then maybe a stage win is possible, top twenty at a push.Stll great riding by him so far.
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,819
    However, if you saw earlier when he went on the attack he put VDV into difficulty, looked back and realised he was behing him, but just kept plugging on setting a tempo. Vaughters seems to think he's got some beans, judging by what he was saying on Twitter.
  • sing_for_absolution
    sing_for_absolution Posts: 1,908
    ShinyHelmut wrote:
    sing_for_absolution wrote:
    (a good sign maybe?)

    I take it you mean no motorcycle couriers for Wiggo?

    Maybe. Fingers crossed.
  • NervexProf
    NervexProf Posts: 4,202
    "My goal was top twenty on GC," said Wiggins"

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/wiggins ... our-climbs
    Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom
  • PutneyJoe
    PutneyJoe Posts: 242
    After that climb today he's no panty waisted 'Lord Wiggins' any more, now he's 'The Geezer'!
  • Blonde
    Blonde Posts: 3,188
    He did a strange nodding dog thing on the climbs today (looking a little wasted but still hanging on in there) but he is looking skinny/fit. He's not going for GTC but he is looking better than ever before. Very impressive. He also displayed some entertaining forehead helmet marks in the after ride interview... :lol:
  • AndyRubio
    AndyRubio Posts: 880
    PutneyJoe wrote:
    After that climb today he's no panty waisted 'Lord Wiggins' any more, now he's 'The Geezer'!
    No longer can he be described as a French duke.
    My hour on the plinth
  • st68
    st68 Posts: 219
    top ride for brad good to watch go geezer
    cheesy quaver
  • tlw1
    tlw1 Posts: 22,138
    impressed with him today, I was worried he would struggle today
  • thebongolian
    thebongolian Posts: 333
    Blonde wrote:
    He did a strange nodding dog thing on the climbs today

    It works for Paula Radcliffe
    I want to climb like Kenny Van Hummel

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