Wiggo's Commitment

Ron Stuart

Question.... Should Sky be putting there eggs fully in the' Wiggins basket' after this quote made in the interview on Eurosport prior to Stage one of the ‘Race to the Sun’

Quote......."Nothing will ever change, the Olympics is always the main focus, I just do things in the other four years to keep myself busy really" .......end of quote.

Do you like me think that it would be nice for Sky to have a fully committed overall team leader, one that passionately wants to succeed on the road rather than someone that is using a very well paid fill in opportunity between what he really most finds motivating.
:?:

csp

I don't think one could finish 4th overall in the Tour de France without full commitment, and besides Wiggins, the Olympics is probably the main focus for Sky as well. After all, the road team was established after their successes on the track.

Ron Stuart

csp wrote:

I don't think one could finish 4th overall in the Tour de France without full commitment, and besides Wiggins, the Olympics is probably the main focus for Sky as well. After all, the road team was established after their successes on the track.

I think your are correct as the 2009 TDF unfolded in the early stages Wiggo found himself in a very good position on GC and the motivation was made easy.
However that was over 20 months ago and there has been at lot of growing pressure (also on the team) in the mean time and I think from his comments and body language that he has gone back into his Confidis mode of ''see what happens like mate".
As the senior player in the team he has also got a roll to play in setting an motivational example to those that work their whotsits off each race so he or a sprinter can bask in the reflective glory of it all.
To sit in a studio type setting wearing his expensive designer Sky jacket being interviewed and saying " to keep myself busy really" is IMO pretty appauling.
So to anyone out there who wishes to get involved in supporting Sky road team the word is ...... their more interested in the Olympic Track seen at the moment mate. :roll: which is a bit of a downer if you are a member of the Sky team from another nation or have no Olympic aspirations :shock:

Kléber

This was just one interview, not some pre-prepared press conference statement to the world, so don't hang him for it. Wiggins will be pulling the stops out for July, including altitude training and a race programme orientated towards the Tour.

frenchfighter

Agrred that one comment doesn't mean too much although why say it otherwise - sarcasm if that never works.

But yeah, he is a lightweight for sure. He will never be a Champion. His 4th was lucky like CVVs. Definitely Sky should be focusing more on pure talent - they have some of that.

iainf72

frenchfighter wrote:

But yeah, he is a lightweight for sure. He will never be a Champion. His 4th was lucky like CVVs. Definitely Sky should be focusing more on pure talent - they have some of that.

Can you create a flowchart on how someone makes it into "Champion" camp? I don't like Wiggins, and care even less about track riding, but I would suggest his olympic exploits make him a Champion.

pedro118118

I think Wiggo changes his attitude depending on his mood and the audience that day - I don't read too much into it - that's just Wiggo's 'quirky' personality.

His 4th at the Tour was a fluke, but he's still a very decent rider and top TTer, so should be capable of better results, but perhaps he is setting his objectives too high with his GT (well, Tour really) ambitions?

For example, riders like Tony Martin, Cancellara, Rogers are winning shorter stage races (albeit not massive ) such as Volta Algarve, Eneco, Criterium International, Tour de Suisse, California, Tirreno etc on the back of solid climbing ability and talent against the clock.

frenchfighter

I refer to his road side. Sky is a road team.

Champion on the track, sure. Champion on the road, no.

avoidingmyphd

He spent last season announcing it was his main aim in life, and that didn't work out. It makes sense to spend this season announcing he doesn't really care. That worked fine last time he tried it.
Why bother saying it asks FF? Because it takes the pressure off.

And +1 to Iain on what makes a champion.

camerone

frenchfighter wrote:

Agrred that one comment doesn't mean too much although why say it otherwise - sarcasm if that never works.

But yeah, he is a lightweight for sure. He will never be a Champion. His 4th was lucky like CVVs. Definitely Sky should be focusing more on pure talent - they have some of that.

Contador is a doper
that puts him on the podium 2009. if your idea of a champion is a shwashbuckling attacker like Valverde then I think we can be happy he doesn't satisfy your Champion moniker.

Wiggins I think in that interview was deflecting any pressure of expectation, it was heavy on his shoulders last year and a different approach for this year IMHO.

but then what do I know, I don't crack one off every time a cheat tears up a mountain.

rick_chasey

He's difficult to really like. I also think that wouldn't really bother him as much as others - which is probably part of the cause.

Say, hypothetically, he was French - would he have many supporters on here? I suspect not.

Buckled_Rims

I also think 4th in the TdF was a fluke. I'm not a Wiggo follower so don't know what he says, does trains etc. However, I have seen many of those photos of him being emaciated and exhausted and wondered how the hell he got himself into that state.

As a Track rider he's without doubt a superstar, on the road, mmmm....lightweight is a a good description.

Nice to see Sky seeming to gel now after last years "group building experience".

inkyfingers

I think everyone knows that both he and the team screwed up last year by just focussing on The Tour. Apart from the Giro Prologue it seemend like he just sat in the bunch twiddling his thumbs pretty much.

This year they have said that he's going to go after some early seaon results and i've read that he's in good shape for Paris-Nice. If he at least has a crack at some of these races and picks up a few podiums or wins prior to the tour then hopefully people will get off his case. I like Wiggins but he can come across as a twat and his road palmares needs some work before he can afford to act the way he does sometimes.

He is clearly capable of winning TTs in big races, and certainly has the talent to win short stage races like The Criterium International or maybe Romandie where you can be a decent climber and a great TTer and have a chance of winning. I'd also like to see him have a crack at winning a road race...maybe the national championships this year as he's won on a similar course before.

rick_chasey

inkyfingers wrote:

I think everyone knows that both he and the team screwed up last year by just focussing on The Tour. Apart from the Giro Prologue it seemend like he just sat in the bunch twiddling his thumbs pretty much.

This year they have said that he's going to go after some early seaon results and i've read that he's in good shape for Paris-Nice. If he at least has a crack at some of these races and picks up a few podiums or wins prior to the tour then hopefully people will get off his case. I like Wiggins but he can come across as a fool and his road palmares needs some work before he can afford to act the way he does sometimes.

He is clearly capable of winning TTs in big races, and certainly has the talent to win short stage races like The Criterium International or maybe Romandie where you can be a decent climber and a great TTer and have a chance of winning. I'd also like to see him have a crack at winning a road race...maybe the national championships this year as he's won on a similar course before.

Has he ever won a stage /crossed the line first in a professional road race?

inkyfingers

Rick Chasey wrote:

inkyfingers wrote:

I think everyone knows that both he and the team screwed up last year by just focussing on The Tour. Apart from the Giro Prologue it seemend like he just sat in the bunch twiddling his thumbs pretty much.

This year they have said that he's going to go after some early seaon results and i've read that he's in good shape for Paris-Nice. If he at least has a crack at some of these races and picks up a few podiums or wins prior to the tour then hopefully people will get off his case. I like Wiggins but he can come across as a fool and his road palmares needs some work before he can afford to act the way he does sometimes.

He is clearly capable of winning TTs in big races, and certainly has the talent to win short stage races like The Criterium International or maybe Romandie where you can be a decent climber and a great TTer and have a chance of winning. I'd also like to see him have a crack at winning a road race...maybe the national championships this year as he's won on a similar course before.

Has he ever won a stage /crossed the line first in a professional road race?

He won the Beaumont Trophy in 2009 just before the TDF, it's on a similar course to this years nat road race I believe. Other than that, I think he won a stage in the Tour De l'Avenir many years ago. Whilst winning road races is great, there are lots of very well respected riders who don't win many road races, often because they can't sprint. If you can finish with the leaders and ride a great TT then you can win stage races.

pedro118118

He won the Beaumont Trophy in 2009 just before the TDF, it's on a similar course to this years nat road race I believe. Other than that, I think he won a stage in the Tour De l'Avenir many years ago. Whilst winning road races is great, there are lots of very well respected riders who don't win many road races, often because they can't sprint. If you can finish with the leaders and ride a great TT then you can win stage races.[/quote]

Indeed - they are called domestiques.

I don't think Brad falls into this category, otherwise he's the highest paid domestique in the professional peleton. As a team-leader, surely there's an expectation to acheive results and to date (Giro prologue aside) we haven't seen that from him. This is not a criticism, it is a fact - I would love to see him do well.

I was shocked to see (whilst reading yet another fairly spiteful piece in Cycling Weekly) that even Lance Armstrong's lamentable results in his oft-derided "Comeback 2.0" over the last couple of seasons are way better than Brad's.

eh

I think mentally he is probably all over the shop, his excessive drinking in the off season is pretty well known, thats never a sign of someone happy with their lot.

I don't really understand why he is team leader for Sky as he doesn't win anything and can't cope mentally. He's like a sh*t British version of Christophe Moreau. There are far better ridders on Sky's books than Wiggo and hopefully this year they will be given a chance to shine.

sampras38

Not sure if I would call his 4th place on 09 a fluke, but he definately took advantage of a number of things that year. Particularly the absence of other GT contenders such as Basso etc. Plus Evans pushed himself too hard in the Giro and had nothing left for France.

The following year Sky definately got cocky and paid the price, and I think this year we will see a different Wiggins who is focused on July. I'm no fanboy or anything, and really can't see him on the podium again, but more because there will be other riders with a better chance.

Tom Butcher

I think describing 4th in the Tour as a fluke is more than a bit unfair - if the argument is he was lucky well Armstrong had more than a few breaks in getting third - but if you are in the right place then you tend to get that kind of "luck".

There's also the question of how clean they were - none of us know what if anything the top 4 might have been taking but Wiggo is the only one of them who who has steered clear of any mud been thrown - and as far as Armstrong and Contador go the evidence against them is strong.

Whether people like his personality - well it's subjective - personally I reckon most of the time he comes across as relaxed and less up his own arse than most sportsmen - if he's now claiming the Olympics has always been the priority well it's understandable given that is what he has been best at.

giant_man

eh wrote:

I think mentally he is probably all over the shop, his excessive drinking in the off season is pretty well known, thats never a sign of someone happy with their lot.

I don't really understand why he is team leader for Sky as he doesn't win anything and can't cope mentally. He's like a sh*t British version of Christophe Moreau. There are far better ridders on Sky's books than Wiggo and hopefully this year they will be given a chance to shine.

+1 - That says it all for me, nothing to add.

pedro118118

To be fair, Moreau has impressive Palmares by comparison - Tour stage, Dauphine overall, National RR Champ etc................although likely not entirely on bread and water, given he rode for Festina?! That is one area where Brad is to be admired - I'm convinced he's clean as a whistle. Perhaps we've come full circle in terms of understanding why he doesn't win many road races?!

sampras38

eh wrote:

I think mentally he is probably all over the shop, his excessive drinking in the off season is pretty well known, thats never a sign of someone happy with their lot.

I don't really understand why he is team leader for Sky as he doesn't win anything and can't cope mentally. He's like a sh*t British version of Christophe Moreau. There are far better ridders on Sky's books than Wiggo and hopefully this year they will be given a chance to shine.

Whether he's over-rated or not, as far as a GT contender goes, is there really anyone else in Sky who you can see getting 4th or better? If the GT's are what Sky are aiming for?

pedro118118

sampras38 wrote:

eh wrote:

I think mentally he is probably all over the shop, his excessive drinking in the off season is pretty well known, thats never a sign of someone happy with their lot.

I don't really understand why he is team leader for Sky as he doesn't win anything and can't cope mentally. He's like a sh*t British version of Christophe Moreau. There are far better ridders on Sky's books than Wiggo and hopefully this year they will be given a chance to shine.

Whether he's over-rated or not, as far as a GT contender goes, is there really anyone else in Sky who you can see getting 4th or better? If the GT's are what Sky are aiming for?

Well, given Team Sky was put together with the expres aim of winning the Tour de France (with a British rider?) within 5 years - the ultimate objective is pretty clear. Last year's debacle was further evidence of the focus.

Is Wiggo best place to lead that charge? I think the answer is yes, as he's the best of the British bunch - time will tell when it comes to the likes of Thomas and Kennaugh etc. If it was a Tour win at all costs, then surely they would've signed Contador when he was available?

sportvan

The big problem for team sky if they don't do well in the TDF is that the long term furture of the team:
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/markets/ar ... _page_id=3

sampras38

pedro118118 wrote:

sampras38 wrote:

eh wrote:

I think mentally he is probably all over the shop, his excessive drinking in the off season is pretty well known, thats never a sign of someone happy with their lot.

I don't really understand why he is team leader for Sky as he doesn't win anything and can't cope mentally. He's like a sh*t British version of Christophe Moreau. There are far better ridders on Sky's books than Wiggo and hopefully this year they will be given a chance to shine.

Whether he's over-rated or not, as far as a GT contender goes, is there really anyone else in Sky who you can see getting 4th or better? If the GT's are what Sky are aiming for?

Well, given Team Sky was put together with the expres aim of winning the Tour de France (with a British rider?) within 5 years - the ultimate objective is pretty clear. Last year's debacle was further evidence of the focus.

Is Wiggo best place to lead that charge? I think the answer is yes, as he's the best of the British bunch - time will tell when it comes to the likes of Thomas and Kennaugh etc. If it was a Tour win at all costs, then surely they would've signed Contador when he was available?

AC signing with sky..?

Not a chance

mroli

Best of the current British bunch. I could see Lofkvist with a fair wind finishing top 5. I can't believe anyone is questioning Wiggins' commitment too - he went out all year with the TDF as his priority and stuffed it, so he's trying something else this time round. I should imagine he is pretty dedicated... :roll:

greasedscotsman

I seem to remember he was interviewed at the recent Manchester World Cup and said that the Tour de France was his "day job", implying that the Olympics wasn't so important. I think people are taking what he said in an interview too literally.

dougzz

If your ambition is to win the TdF, you really are not going to do that with Wiggins, whatever you think of his personality. The 4th was a fortuitous route, mistakes by others, a lack of certain others, and the fact that I think he did gain confidence from his position, which I equally think was eroded by last year. I like Brad, but I think it's fair to say the 4th was a fluke, because it won't be repeated, which is a shame, as Brad is OK, and whilst views on the importance of this vary, I like he's probably not juiced. One observation is that the 4th made him very likely the winner of the non-ped TdF

jimmythecuckoo

I find all the 'Wiggo' bashing a little bit over the top.

He rode a magical Tour in 2009 and urging him up the Ventoux that final Saturday is probably my best memory of the race since 1989 when LeMond won or 1993 when I saw my first stage in the flesh.

Some "internet people" were mocking him all last season for focusing on the Tour and then smugly ridiculed him for failing.

This year he is trying to take focus and pressure off him and still that isn't right.

I am also coming from a position of not thinking he would be a Tour winner... as this post shows. Click here I just admire him for that ride and for being one of the trailblazers of this new generation of UK riders.

zammmmo

Can't understand why (if) he would want to concentrate on the Olympics...deja vu for him.

rick_chasey

zammmmo wrote:

Can't understand why (if) he would want to concentrate on the Olympics...deja vu for him.

The olympics being in London might have a part to play...