Wiggo's acceptance speech

Frank the tank

You'll have to excuse me I'm gonna talk in English a bit,we're goin' to draw the raffle.

Given what he'd just achieved how typically British working class is that, if I'd had a drink in my mouth the lounge would have gotten well splattered, brilliant.

Yellow Peril

Typical Wiggo. I feel sorry for him because he isn't going too have time to kick back and enjoy the moment with having to disappear off and prepare for the Olympics. The very businesslike approach that has given him the Tour also seems to take it away from him as tomorrow is "another day at the office"

Will he be allowed a few sherberts tonight or will that be strictly verboten?

Gazzetta67

Frank the tank wrote:

You'll have to excuse me I'm gonna talk in English a bit,we're goin' to draw the raffle.

Given what he'd just achieved how typically British working class is that, if I'd had a drink in my mouth the lounge would have gotten well splattered, brilliant.

Superb bit of British deadpan wit - even funnier that the french and even the american media present would not get that line...I think he`s been reading a few of Robert Millar's sarcastic takes . When ned boulting interviewed him he looked as if he still couldnt believe he'd finally done it. Was nice of him during the past weeks to remember the british riders past and his love for the sport as a fan. We couldnt hope for a better role model in wiggins for british cycling.

kieranb

he seemed in a bit of a daze, but yea, very funny bit about the raffle, but not just typically working class! these raffles go on even in 'middle' class areas, maybe even more so, fund raising for this and that, the local school/nature reserve/hospital etc.

Frank the tank

kieranb wrote:

he seemed in a bit of a daze, but yea, very funny bit about the raffle, but not just typically working class! these raffles go on even in 'middle' class areas, maybe even more so, fund raising for this and that, the local school/nature reserve/hospital etc.

I can't imagine Zara Phillips coming out with such a wittisism.

The thing is it was so ordinary from someone who has just done something extraordinary. I just thought it was brilliant and refreshing rather than all the sanitised media coached guff you usually get.

kieranb

yea, he seemed natural, not knowing where to put the various flowers etc, I thought he was going to kick them off the podium at one stage by accident.

carl_p

The man is a class act on and off the bike. A contender for SPOTY depending on how other olympians live up to the pressure.

nevman

4/7 on for SPOTY and prob Dave Brailsford a shoe in for coach of the year .Loved the speech,he could have said a bit in French but he decided not to.Class therefore.I would like to see more of this famous humour,impersonations that was mentioned in the R5L podcast this week-apparently hes hysterical.

Anonymous

nevman wrote:

4/7 on for SPOTY and prob Dave Brailsford a shoe in for coach of the year .Loved the speech,he could have said a bit in French but he decided not to.Class therefore.I would like to see more of this famous humour,impersonations that was mentioned in the R5L podcast this week-apparently hes hysterical.

Try and find one of his press conferences from the Dauphine, it was so funny. He just handled the media so well. Man is just pure class. Definetly the biggest British sporting achievement in my life time.

Hugh A

The raffle - presumably a little reference to what normally goes on at the club time trials he won his share of. Made me laugh anyway. Mind you he could have said pretty much anything and it would have been ok having won the tdf at the head of a brilliant team.

Fastlad

Legend! His bowing, acknowledgement to the crowd as soon as he stepped on the podium, spoke volumes about the man!!!!! An Ordinary guy, with an extraordinary talent!

Le Commentateur

"Get home safely and don't drink too much!"

oneof1982

Have to say I was on Champs in Paris, we assumed he was talking in French,

Also didn't realise who the singer was til I got back to hotel and read some of this stuff! :shock:

mfin

What the hell was whoever 'responsible for it' thinking putting Leslie Garrett up for screeching out the national anthem with her over-expressive daft face?? I mean, if it was Katherine Jenkins it would have been looooooads better, BUT would be stacks better again if the national anthem was played as just a recording of the orchestral music with no vocals.

Its a shame, cos we could have had a clip to look back on of Brad on the podium and his face when the the National Anthem is played, instead the best we have forever is video of him on a podium while the anthem is murdered. Wasted moment.

Such a shame.

phreak

Quite agree. Wiggins face was a picture though.

prawny

phreak wrote:

Quite agree. Wiggins face was a picture though.

Awesome!

MrTapir

Carl_P wrote:

The man is a class act on and off the bike. A contender for SPOTY depending on how other olympians live up to the pressure.

I dont think he even needs the Olympics, just his achievements this year have been literally awesome:
Paris-Nice
Romandie
Dauphine (retained his title)
Tour de France (two stage wins as well)

Yes the anthem was appalling, she didnt have much to work with though, our anthem is terrible

greasedscotsman

Stanley222 wrote:

mfin wrote:

What the hell was whoever 'responsible for it' thinking putting Leslie Garrett up for screeching out the national anthem with her over-expressive daft face?? I mean, if it was Katherine Jenkins it would have been looooooads better, BUT would be stacks better again if the national anthem was played as just a recording of the orchestral music with no vocals.

Its a shame, cos we could have had a clip to look back on of Brad on the podium and his face when the the National Anthem is played, instead the best we have forever is video of him on a podium while the anthem is murdered. Wasted moment.

Such a shame.

+1
Whoever started this 'trend' needs shooting! Why have a opera singer who sings it at a different speed to what the anthem should be and warbles and ruins it!!!

Didn't they mess up the anthem when Contador won a few years ago?

ddraver

Twice! Not sure Conty has heard the Spanish anthem on the podium yet....

rick_chasey

The anthem is odd, given how multinational cycling is.

Anonymous

Spanish national anthem has no words so would be hard for an opera singer to F it up.....

TheStone

I always cringe when I hear the national anthem, but that was even worse than normal.

Is there a link to the speech anywhere? I've tried youtube, but can't seem to track it down.

greasedscotsman

coriordan wrote:

Spanish national anthem has no words so would be hard for an opera singer to F it up.....

An opera singer didn't mess it up, they played the wrong anthem!

RichN95.

coriordan wrote:

Spanish national anthem has no words so would be hard for an opera singer to F it up.....

They could play the Danish anthem by mistake (they've done that before)

jimmythecuckoo

Brilliant photo that

luckao

I'm going to find that footage, turn it down to -1 (why have 0 when you can have -1?), and then overlay the sound of cats being tortured, making it infinitely more tolerable. Brad struggled more through that 30 seconds than he did for the previous three weeks.

prawny

He's made a fan out of me in the last 3 weeks, obviously I didn't not like him but I didn't find him particularly likeable either. After that speach I would call myself a fan. Hero.

dylanfernley

national anthem-- whos'-- not mine , nor many others, reckon wiggo as a mod would not be a great jingoistic drum beater, and as cycling is multinational seems very odd to play national anthems-- The Internationale would be more appropriate surely--every year same as the finish!

greasedscotsman

prawny wrote:

He's made a fan out of me in the last 3 weeks, obviously I didn't not like him but I didn't find him particularly likeable either. After that speach I would call myself a fan. Hero.

Not seen his Romandie interview?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxWPdnjk3I8

Calder

Rick Chasey wrote:

The anthem is odd, given how multinational cycling is.

No more so than F1, and for that they play the winning drivers anthem. Gives them an opportunity to bask in the glory for a couple of minutes.

prawny

greasedscotsman wrote:

prawny wrote:

He's made a fan out of me in the last 3 weeks, obviously I didn't not like him but I didn't find him particularly likeable either. After that speach I would call myself a fan. Hero.

Not seen his Romandie interview?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxWPdnjk3I8

No I heard about it, but I don't normally bother watching them.

Might check some of the older ones out now.