Brad on "The Tour"

pat1cp

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_s ... 546232.stm

I understand what he's saying, and he makes some interesting points, but,,,,, I still don't think he'll make the top ten.

fiftyacorns

Hi

Good luck to him - unfortunately i cant see anyone beating contador

i reckon the giro is more fitting to his strengths with 4 time trials - a podium there would be a great achievement

NervexProf

Drawing on his 2009 experience and with Brailsford behind him I feel confident he can 'podium' - fact is Brad is a realist and has adapted superbly to the road.

Let's get behind the fella, please.

TheHelpfulDevil

Yes, he could do very well at the giro but he will not peak for the giro. I would be shocked if he did not get a top ten in the tour. prob 6th or 7th after a shocking climb early on.

Tom Butcher

I think he's right - what else can he do - he's not making any great claims just being honest so good luck to him. I've always liked him and I'll be backing him.

Still don't like Sky though !

pedro118118

Good luck to him.

Contador is clear favourite, with A Schleck behind him. I don't think he can live with either of these two in the mountains, when the going gets really tought (a la Grand Bornand & Ventoux).

The other podium place is up for grabs.
That said, I've been looking at the competition again: -

Proven performers...
Armstrong, Kloden, Leipheimer, Evans, Basso, F Shleck, Valverde, Menchov, Cunego, Pellozzoti, Vande Velde etc

Up-and-comers...
Kreuziger, Nibali, Gessink, Fugslang, Martin

Top 10 on GC is looking pretty good to me!

Chip \'oyler

pedro118118 wrote:

Good luck to him.

Contador is clear favourite, with A Schleck behind him. I don't think he can live with either of these two in the mountains, when the going gets really tought (a la Grand Bornand & Ventoux).

The other podium place is up for grabs.
That said, I've been looking at the competition again: -

Proven performers...
Armstrong, Kloden, Leipheimer, Evans, Basso, F Shleck, Valverde, Menchov, Cunego, Pellozzoti, Vande Velde etc

Up-and-comers...
Kreuziger, Nibali, Gessink, Fugslang, Martin

Top 10 on GC is looking pretty good to me!

If Schleck can get over his injury

pomtarr

Arguably the only thing that kept him off the TdF podium last year was the split on stage 3.

Kléber

As Wiggins himself says, he can't spend half the year training with the aim of cracking the top-10 again.

I know Sky have been the brunt of many jokes but they know Wiggins' numbers, he's been coached by BC since he was a junior. If they think he's worth millions, then there's something in that. He should have a margin of improvement, not to mention confidence.

But his performance was so surprising you can't help wondering if it won't be difficult to repeat. And don't forget cycling is a cruel sport, he might have lost a few seconds in a split last July but what if he crashes or picks up an injury or illness, his season could be wrecked by a short moment in the Giro.

One to watch and that's why the racing before the Tour de France will be interesting, to see if he can confirm his new status.

PauloBets

pat1cp wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/8546232.stm

I understand what he's saying, and he makes some interesting points, but,,,,, I still don't think he'll make the top ten.

nonsense, Brad has a good chance of standing on the final TDF podium now that he has his own team, is the sole leader and has handpicked people of his own entourage from the UK. These are the ingredients.

pat1cp

Nothing would please me more than to see Brad on top of the podium in July, and I'll be cheering him on as much as anyone else, I just don't think this years course suits him anything like last years.

Time will tell.

LangerDan

PauloBets wrote:

pat1cp wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/8546232.stm

I understand what he's saying, and he makes some interesting points, but,,,,, I still don't think he'll make the top ten.

nonsense, Brad has a good chance of standing on the final TDF podium now that he has his own team, is the sole leader and has handpicked people of his own entourage from the UK. These are the ingredients.

Because the UK has such a proud tradition of putting its riders on the final podium of the TDF

Unfortunately, the "ingredients" at the moment are having Bruyneel in the car and a bunch of teammates from Spain, the US and former Soviet States.

Mind you, Wiggin's manager is as bald as Andy Schleck's so maybe there's an ingredient we hadn't thought of yet.

El Imbatido

pomtarr wrote:

Arguably the only thing that kept him off the TdF podium last year was the split on stage 3.

And arguably the thing that wiped out most of the GC contenders was the TTT and the crap route that didn't allow many chances to gain that time back.

dulldave

pedro118118 wrote:

Good luck to him.

Contador is clear favourite, with A Schleck behind him. I don't think he can live with either of these two in the mountains, when the going gets really tought (a la Grand Bornand & Ventoux).

The other podium place is up for grabs.
That said, I've been looking at the competition again: -

Proven performers...
Armstrong, Kloden, Leipheimer, Evans, Basso, F Shleck, Valverde, Menchov, Cunego, Pellozzoti, Vande Velde etc

Up-and-comers...
Kreuziger, Nibali, Gessink, Fugslang, Martin

Top 10 on GC is looking pretty good to me!

Cunego? Haven't seen a decent grand tour out of him since he got his tattoo.

blackpanther

well he might do well,

Schlecks knee explodes on the first uphill stage.

Contador is taken out by a phalanx of armstrongs goons and several of them sacrifice themselves to take him over the edge into a gorge

schleck the older stops to pick schleck the youngers exploded body parts

someone steps on evans dog and hes detained for kicking off

Menchcov falls off whilst in pole position and loses 30 secs and the jersey

Armstrongs suppliers have "technical issues"

Bradley pulls out another super ride

bring_back_jan

think we're missing the main point of that video, which clearly was Gerro's six pack!!

oscarbudgie

I'd happily swap England winning the World Cup win for Brad winning the Tour.

iainf72

oscarbudgie wrote:

I'd happily swap England winning the World Cup win for Brad winning the Tour.

If both of those happened, I'd be stocking up on tins because the end of the world would be here.

oscarbudgie

iainf72 wrote:

oscarbudgie wrote:

I'd happily swap England winning the World Cup win for Brad winning the Tour.

If both of those happened, I'd be stocking up on tins because the end of the world would be here.

Both? Now you're just being silly

iainf72

oscarbudgie wrote:

Both? Now you're just being silly

Oh, I know.

Both fill me with horror

I think the world cup would fill me with more horror though.

moray_gub

oscarbudgie wrote:

I'd happily swap England winning the World Cup win for Brad winning the Tour.

England winning the WC ? mmm thank christ for sh it goalies and dodgy centre halves.

wicked

I thought he speaks some sense on the vid, it will probably be jumped all over by the fools on cycling news forum who like to portray themselves as some kind of all seeing oracle who is always "in the know".
They have got Wiggins (they call him Wigans :roll: ) as the biggest doper in the history of the peloton and Brailsford as the next Dr Ferrari and even the whole GB track squad are regular dopers! Bunch of tits.

shockedsoshocked

wicked wrote:

I thought he speaks some sense on the vid, it will probably be jumped all over by the fools on cycling news forum who like to portray themselves as some kind of all seeing oracle who is always "in the know".
They have got Wiggins (they call him Wigans :roll: ) as the biggest doper in the history of the peloton and Brailsford as the next Dr Ferrari and even the whole GB track squad are regular dopers! Bunch of tits.

Because no one at the top of the GC has ever been busted for doping, right?

As someone once said, you can't prove a negative.

RichN95.

wicked wrote:

I thought he speaks some sense on the vid, it will probably be jumped all over by the fools on cycling news forum who like to portray themselves as some kind of all seeing oracle who is always "in the know".
They have got Wiggins (they call him Wigans :roll: ) as the biggest doper in the history of the peloton and Brailsford as the next Dr Ferrari and even the whole GB track squad are regular dopers! Bunch of tits.

+1. Bunch of clowns over at CN. Loads of them looking for 'clues' to doping in every utterance or act, often with hillariously stupid consequences.

iainf72

RichN95 wrote:

+1. Bunch of clowns over at CN. Loads of them looking for 'clues' to doping in every utterance or act, often with hillariously stupid consequences.

They're not that unusual. Spanish / Italian / French forums are full of similar disbelievers.

Splottboy

I knew I'd seen Brad before, on "Twizzle" 1960's puppet show. He was "Jiffy the Broomstick Man". Well, if he looses any more weight he will be...

jerry3571

Just as long as they hold a UK passport then they will always pass dope tests. Doping is for Johnny Foreigner, chaps!
I'm afraid I can think of a couple of Scots who may have been on the wrong sides of the tracks on this one. Hmmm...
I find it unreal how a lot of Brits are doing the business at the top level in a sport riddled with dope and as long as they are British they are supposed to be drug free. I have long given up thinking that any top rider is dope free; history shows us not to have any faith; just enjoy the racing for what it is.
I think the Giro has about 4-5 summit finishes and a Mountain TT. Wiggins will have to be extra skinny for this. If he's going for the pink then he may end up like Sastre and limit his Tour's ambitions. Tricky. Tour is better for Wiggo I think.

-Jerry

RichN95.

iainf72 wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

+1. Bunch of clowns over at CN. Loads of them looking for 'clues' to doping in every utterance or act, often with hillariously stupid consequences.

They're not that unusual. Spanish / Italian / French forums are full of similar disbelievers.

It's not the disbelieving I'm critical of, it's the ridiculous 'evidence' that they sometimes come up with. For example:

I give Cadel Evans a little less 'benefit of the doubt' after seeing this interview with Andrew Denton. Something about the blankness of his face & the pause before his response when Denton asks if he has ever been offered PEDs seems rather revealing ...

In reality, there was a noticable satellite delay.

Other classics are anyone who visits the dentist, or has a large jaw, is obviously on HGH. And Contador being in a Madrid for a few days before his Giro win proved that he was still working with Dr Fuentes, not that it's because he lives there.

Loads of them claim to have sources in the peloton, Euro and US, but none knew that their 'hero' Joe Papp had been a major league drug dealer.

And their treatment of Jonathan Vaughters when he tried to answer questions about his interest in Contador and other things was downright disgraceful. In fact anyone who dares to criticism their 'everyone dopes' creed is hounded out.

Clowns, I tell you.

Tusher

Agreed, and I always come away feeling depressed and down-heartened, so I've stopped following them, mostly.

Brad's finishing place on the Tour? I dunno- there are too many things that could go badly wrong for him, but I reckon that there's no reason he can't be on the podium in Paris. Contador should win again, Baby Schleck will be the bridesmaid (if his knee holds up) and the real contest will be for third. Brad, Cuddles, VdV amongst others.

Homer J

I like brad, then again i liked Eddie the Eagle

ketsbaia

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

wicked wrote:

I thought he speaks some sense on the vid, it will probably be jumped all over by the fools on cycling news forum who like to portray themselves as some kind of all seeing oracle who is always "in the know".
They have got Wiggins (they call him Wigans :roll: ) as the biggest doper in the history of the peloton and Brailsford as the next Dr Ferrari and even the whole GB track squad are regular dopers! Bunch of tits.

Because no one at the top of the GC has ever been busted for doping, right?

As someone once said, you can't prove a negative.

I'm just wondering on the strength of this... has anyone ever won a grand tour GC without the suspicion/reality of having doped?

And if you believe no one has ever won without cheating... is there not a question of why you/we follow this sport in the first place?

Seems to me, in the minds of some, anyone who wins can't possibly have done so without cheating, given how much doping was going on elsewhere in the pelotons.

So, either we slavishly follow a bent sport or we are far too ready to believe the rumours.

Or has this quite obvious dichotomy been pointed out in numerous other threads?