Wiggins...

rick_chasey

...having a drink or two...again.

This time with a journalist.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/no ... mpous-tour

Pross

A good honest read that and hopefully a sign that he and Sky have matured and learned. Next season should tell us.

phil s

Nothing is as good and honest as action. He says he had his head a bit up his own ar$e this year because of the expectations and that it was all different at Wigan the year before. The truth is that in the final week of the 2009 Tour de France he was a bloody nightmare to deal with and refused to speak to the media after stages. I think he can't handle the pressure of the Tour, and it's all fine saying these things after the event in late November.
A certain member of staff, who deals with chimps, was also spotted in Rotterdam on the eve of this year's Tour, flown out for a near breakdown apparently. I do remember the disastrous Rotterdam press ocnference Sky gave - Wiggo's body language spoke volumes about his fragile psyche at that point.

frenchfighter

The amount of articles that are written about that guy is amazing. I could understand if he had any real results to speak of this year but the fact of the matter is he is very thin.

Cost / win for Wiggins must be the highest in the pro peloton. Hope he gets a salary cut next year and the money goes towards paying class riders within Sky who can get results.

emadden

Wiggins was and continues to be a mediocre rider at absolute best. His 2009 Tour was fantastic, but out of character with his true ability. The media and the hype got to him: He believed the hype. This year he was back to his natural level. Its funny how the guy blames his efforts in the Giro for his non-performance at the Tour, yet during the Giro we were all told that he would go flat out in week one as a tester for the Tour and then cruise the rest. In the Giro in week one he was a disaster... couldnt even put back on his chain after a small crash... and we are supposed to believe that he went all out at the Giro..... pleeeeeaaaassseeeeeee...

Yes, I am not a fan...

BigTree

Im no particular fan of Wiggins, but this is b0ll0cks lads. 'Mediocre at best' ? He's only concentrated on the road for 2 years and registered 4th and what 24th (?) in the tdf, won the giro prologue, and must be one of, say, the worlds top 5 TTists. And I don't understand his tour result being described as 'out of character' - it was him who did it wasn't it? I think a more honest appraisal of his ability would be to say hes got class, but is yet to prove that he belongs among the top class on the road. He may or may not be capable of doing that, and this year's showing suggests he'll come up short. Good luck to him I say, and if he fails I won't criticise him for that. If he earns more than his wins justify, that's Sky's issue not his - so long as he gives 100%. Let's face it, he was on a hiding to nothing this year after the sky publicity machine went into overdrive - and the only way he could have avoided it would have been to turn down his contract. How many would do that?

Gazzetta67

Wiggins should concentrate on riding his bike and start winning again - He`s too busy trying to master his F**king Paul Weller attitude and looks.

We were told he`s up there alongside Robert Millar with his 4th place flash in the pan last year. Up there with Robert Millar my Ar*e !!!

DaveyL

Exactly. Millar had no problems following up his 4th place the next year.

Er.

inkyfingers

Wiggins seems to have a few mental issues with racing to me, and I think he genuinely lacks self confidence. All the bravado is part Sky hype and part him trying to reassure himself that everything is OK. He really does come across as a knob sometimes but i'd still like to see him do well. I hope that he really does go for it in some early season races as I think he's capable of getting good results, say in the Criterium International or Romandie maybe?. Not only would getting some good results boost his palmares but I think it would also give him the confidence he seems to need to tackle the Tour.

pedro118118

Wiggins is not mediocre. Putting his track pedigree to one side, on the road he has acheived some decent results in short TTs and performed very well in the 2009 Tour. I would agree that he isn't in that top group of super stage-racers (Shleck, Basso, Nibali, Evans, Menchov etc), but he's in the next group. That isn't mediocre. The question of whether he 'deserves' the mega-contract and the status of undisputed stage-race leader is another thing. But that's British sport for you.............he may not be the best, but he's the best we've got = millionaire superstar.

andyp

pedro118118 wrote:

Wiggins is not mediocre. Putting his track pedigree to one side, on the road he has acheived some decent results in short TTs and performed very well in the 2009 Tour. I would agree that he isn't in that top group of super stage-racers (Shleck, Basso, Nibali, Evans, Menchov etc), but he's in the next group. That isn't mediocre. The question of whether he 'deserves' the mega-contract and the status of undisputed stage-race leader is another thing. But that's British sport for you.............he may not be the best, but he's the best we've got = millionaire superstar.

I agree. Add in his track pedigree and he's probably more well known amongst the wider British public than Cavendish.

From some of the postings above you'd think anyone could ride around France for three weeks in July and finish 4th in the Tour. News just in, they can't hence why Tour podium contendors command very high salaries.

emadden

andyp wrote:

pedro118118 wrote:

Wiggins is not mediocre. ....

Ok, I was probably a bit harsh calling him mediocre... but I dont buy the line that he has only been concentrating on the road for the last two years. Ok, maybe mentally he was always thinking of the track, but riding serious road races was his job first and foremost as member of a big team and riding serious road races. Wiggins has been riding for pro teams on the road since 2001. The track has always been a convenient excuse for him - he was good at it, but that always plays second fiddle to road races for road teams.

pedro118118

For me, Wiggo would make a great super-domestique (a la Kloden, Zubeldia etc). He clearly has a big engine, but lacks the real top-end talent of the very best stage-racers.

That said, he doesn't appear ready to play second-fiddle, so we just have to wait and see how this year goes for him. Sky Having 're-calibrated' expectations, I would think that a couple of short TT wins, Top 20 at Roubaix and Top 10 at the Tour would be considered a success.

The Mick Rogers signing puzzles me - as his forte is stort stage races, where a TT is decisive. Exactly the kind of races Wiggo could do well in, if he accepted that GTs were beyond him?!

rick_chasey

pedro118118 wrote:

For me, Wiggo would make a great super-domestique (a la Kloden, Zubeldia etc). He clearly has a big engine, but lacks the real top-end talent of the very best stage-racers.

That said, he doesn't appear ready to play second-fiddle, so we just have to wait and see how this year goes for him. Sky Having 're-calibrated' expectations, I would think that a couple of short TT wins, Top 20 at Roubaix and Top 10 at the Tour would be considered a success.

The Mick Rogers signing puzzles me - as his forte is stort stage races, where a TT is decisive. Exactly the kind of races Wiggo could do well in, if he accepted that GTs were beyond him?!

Like Mick, Wiggins would be excelllent at quite a few week long races.

calvjones

pedro118118 wrote:

For me, Wiggo would make a great super-domestique (a la Kloden, Zubeldia etc). He clearly has a big engine, but lacks the real top-end talent of the very best stage-racers.

That said, he doesn't appear ready to play second-fiddle, so we just have to wait and see how this year goes for him. Sky Having 're-calibrated' expectations, I would think that a couple of short TT wins, Top 20 at Roubaix and Top 10 at the Tour would be considered a success.

The Mick Rogers signing puzzles me - as his forte is stort stage races, where a TT is decisive. Exactly the kind of races Wiggo could do well in, if he accepted that GTs were beyond him?!

By the time Wiggo accepts this, Rogers will be gone, leaving a few good wins behind him.

Rodrego Hernandez

Wiggins = bit of a dick

Paid a mil a year though so fair play to him. There's shit footy players paid more who perform worse and at least he gives an entertaining interview every now and again.

Would do better away from that whole marginal gains, worker ants and chimp malarkey as it is evidently a load of ineffective tripe.

Tom Butcher

I like Wiggins' public persona which only goes to show it takes all sorts.

Agree he'd be better off away from the worker chimp / inner ant bullshit though - but then again so would the rest of the team going by their results this year.

Gazzaputt

I like Wiggo found hm to be a nice fella.

frenchfighter

I think the majority of people would be fans or bigger fans of him if he had stayed with Garmin and been like in 09.



That being said I am not complaining as I have got some amazing shots of him in his TT mode with that cool kit, bike and lid.

pedro118118

I'm sure he is a nice enough fella.................but there needs to be more to an elite cyclist's locker than the odd entertaining quip. This is, of course, tempered by the harsh reality that if I had a fraction of the ability Wiggo has, I'd be a very happy man.

mroli

pedro118118 wrote:

there needs to be more to an elite cyclist's locker than the odd entertaining quip.

But TBH - that is one of the reasons I love cyclists. A lot of them have the ability to give an entertaining quip which is more than can be said for most elite sportsmen...

andyrr

Wiggo does seem a bit of a contrary guy - talks about not wanting to get involved in the stuff outside of riding his bike or waffling about stuff then produces 2 books and is pretty regular on Twitter.
For me, ignoring that aspect, which is never totally possible, he is a great talent, as a stick thin ex-trackie his performances over the cobbles is very impressive, his 4th TdF place is worthy of praise and his love of the sport and willingness to turn himself inside out and often the guys he is trying to stay with are under clouds of suspicion is something I appreciate even if he does not come across as the most public-friendly pro rider.

Hibbs

andyrr wrote:

Wiggo does seem a bit of a contrary guy - talks about not wanting to get involved in the stuff outside of riding his bike or waffling about stuff then produces 2 books and is pretty regular on Twitter.
For me, ignoring that aspect, which is never totally possible, he is a great talent, as a stick thin ex-trackie his performances over the cobbles is very impressive, his 4th TdF place is worthy of praise and his love of the sport and willingness to turn himself inside out and often the guys he is trying to stay with are under clouds of suspicion is something I appreciate even if he does not come across as the most public-friendly pro rider.

I just don't get the apparent idolisation of Armstrong, who is everything Wiggins claims to be against in the sport. I can understand him not commenting, or making the usual platitudes when questioned by journo's, but why in your own book dedicate a couple of pages to him when it is not at all necessary?

pedro118118

Reminds me of Dave Millar's comments, when Wiggo was desperately trying to extracate himself from his Garmin contract - that he felt Brad was more interested in the superstar profile and showbiz lifestyle that a mega-contact from Sky would deliver, rather than looking at in on a purely sporting level.

I don't think there's any doubt that he takes his job very seriously and works very hard, but his performances/results, when viewed in the context of his profile/salary simply don't add up.

But then again, he's British and therefore, certainly ain't the only one............ie Rooney on £10m+ a year..................WTF??!!!

nick hanson

Wiggo's (currently) the best GT contender we have.
Sky wanted a British GT contender,with ambitions of winning the TDF in the first 5 years.
Wiggo cops for (apparently) a million a year.
Big deal.
In this country,people take great delight In pulling down the achievers,for whatever reason :roll:
Will he win the TDF :?: ,IMHO,unlikely,& will need a 'traditional' TDF route,with a couple of decent TTs
Does he deserve the money he's on?
As before,he's the best option in the marketplace,so,YES

nick hanson

pedro118118 wrote:

The Mick Rogers signing puzzles me - as his forte is stort stage races, where a TT is decisive. Exactly the kind of races Wiggo could do well in, if he accepted that GTs were beyond him?!

The 2011 TDF has,if i recall correctly,a TTT early on.
Sky are obviously going down the 09 Garmin route of going for the TTT & getting their main hopes for the overall toward the yellow jersey.

jimmythecuckoo

say what you want about him, he takes a good picture...

Wheelspinner

Wiggins & TDF = Tim Henman & Wimbledon. (Or maybe Andy Murray in current day?)

Arguably has the talent to do it, always good to watch, but never quite gets the job done.

sampras38

Wheelspinner wrote:

Wiggins & TDF = Tim Henman & Wimbledon. (Or maybe Andy Murray in current day?)

Arguably has the talent to do it, always good to watch, but never quite gets the job done.

And the thing is with Heman, and to some extent Murray, neither player ever proclaimed to be the next Wimbledon Champion. The media and pundits were/are the ones making all the promises (particularly in Murray's case). It used to frustrate the hell out of me when people used to slate Henman, and most of the comments came from people who don't really understand the sport. The guy was by far our most successful player so far, with regular semi final appearences in slams (one year he reached the semis of all 4). Unfortunately he was in an era with the likes of Sampras, Goran, hewitt etc, and he usually went out in the latter stages to one of those guys. Hardly an under-achiever and not everyone can win a slam. And with Murray he will have to contend with Nadal and Federer, who in slam's are probably 2 of the all time best ever.

That wasn't aimed at you by the way, just generally.

pedro118118

nick hanson wrote:

pedro118118 wrote:

The Mick Rogers signing puzzles me - as his forte is stort stage races, where a TT is decisive. Exactly the kind of races Wiggo could do well in, if he accepted that GTs were beyond him?!

The 2011 TDF has,if i recall correctly,a TTT early on.
Sky are obviously going down the 09 Garmin route of going for the TTT & getting their main hopes for the overall toward the yellow jersey.

That TTT is only 22km long though isn't? Can't see it making or breaking a major GC's rider's ambitions, but I suppose the more decent testers you have the better.

mroli

Harsh on Murray too - Henman was good, but probably overachieved. Murray has the capability of beating the best players even when they are having good days. He has reached no 2 in the World, has reached 2 different Grand Slam finals and is still very young. To call him an underachiever is fricking harsh - he has already won many more Masters events than Henman and only suffers from the fact he isn't as consistent (or consistently excellent) as Nadal and Federer.

£1million is nothing for Sky to spend on Wiggo, if they are spending that amount of money which I doubt, He is the Uk's no1 GT rider and that's what Sky wanted.