What next for Wiggo?

Calder

Keyser__Soze wrote:

Calder wrote:

That'll just be the Farmer's Arms jostling for a bit of free publicity. And believe me, with their prices, they need it.

Thought he was more of a Windmill man? Place isn't the same since the Blue Anchor got knocked down.

That'd be cool cos that's where I tend to go, but I find it hard to see him in their. All the folk are nice, like, but it still suffers from the reputation it got 10-15 years ago. He'd be very welcome though, no doubt. Everyone's currently quite curious who put the note through Barry's door requesting he paint Brad on the side of the pub........

Definitely can't see him in the Brown Cow either - terrible karaoke, apalling cross-dressing singers, and full of little scrotes shoving stuff up their noses (probably). And obviously it's the other end of the village and Brad'll either be too knackered or too lazy to stroll down.

Farmers probably the safest option, in truth!

andyp

Hidden in this UCI video, where they ask various team managers who'll win the UCI World Tour rankings, Sean Yates says Wiggins programme for the rest of the year is the Tour of Denmark and the World TTT champs;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBDyg2JKG9Q

Calder

Keyser__Soze wrote:

Calder wrote:

That'll just be the Farmer's Arms jostling for a bit of free publicity. And believe me, with their prices, they need it.

Thought he was more of a Windmill man? Place isn't the same since the Blue Anchor got knocked down.

PS. Bonfire night in Eccleston has never been the same since.

keyser__soze

Calder wrote:

And obviously it's the other end of the village and Brad'll either be too knackered or too lazy to stroll down.

Pretty sure he lives down that end of the village anyway.

timoid.

If he's any sense he'll take it easy for the rest of the year and come back next year for a tilt at defending the Tour.

A go at the Rainbow TT bands might be a tempter though.

BelgianBeerGeek

Talking of P-R, I'm sure I read somewhere that it is a race he fancies a crack at sometime. The reason he has hitherto avoided it is it clashes with prep for the season, and if you come off and bust a wrist or something then your season could be over before it's really started.

Gazzetta67

Timoid. wrote:

If he's any sense he'll take it easy for the rest of the year and come back next year for a tilt at defending the Tour.

A go at the Rainbow TT bands might be a tempter though.

+1 He will want to defend the tour against the likes of Contador & Schleck to prove it was'nt a one off and because most of his rivals were not there or had crashed out/bad form etc.

tailwindhome

If I were Wiggins I'd go for the Worlds TT.

Nothing to lose and with Cancellara and Martin both struggling with injury there might never be better opportunity.

That would be it for the year.

Calder

Keyser__Soze wrote:

Calder wrote:

And obviously it's the other end of the village and Brad'll either be too knackered or too lazy to stroll down.

Pretty sure he lives down that end of the village anyway.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19089663

He clearly hasn't been around enough to notice Somerfield (previously Kwik-Save) is now Co-op. I suppose it only changed in 2010...........

jonginge

Calder wrote:

Keyser__Soze wrote:

Calder wrote:

And obviously it's the other end of the village and Brad'll either be too knackered or too lazy to stroll down.

Pretty sure he lives down that end of the village anyway.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19089663

He clearly hasn't been around enough to notice Somerfield (previously Kwik-Save) is now Co-op. I suppose it only changed in 2010...........

*shrugs* Where I lived as a teen there was a large Asda which had previously been a Carrefour. Locals would still refer to carrefour years after it changed.

mfin

Id like to see him return his focus to the track in the next couple of years.

ddraver

inkyfingers wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

The nature of his riding style makes one day race victories difficult.

Have we ever seen Wiggins in a genuine late race attacking move ala Vino or Canc or anyone like that?

The best we've seen re that was that 'sprint' in the Tour of Romandie.

It's this that makes Roubaix his best chance in my opinion, as it's often the course that makes the selection rather than the riders.

It's unlikely he'll win Roubaix, but not impossible. At 32 he doesn't have 10 years ahead of him to keep trying either.

Agree with Inky. However, Sky have broadcast thier tactics to the world and someone like a Boonen, a Canc or a Sagan would realise what was going on and be able to counter it.

Sky are going to have to learn about Plan B's and C's etc first too...

tbh, If I were Wiggo, I'd put my feet up for ever more... Probably why I'm not an olympicy Tour De France winner.

rick_chasey

Anyone think he'll win the Tour next year if he goes for it?

If he cares about his legacy, and I'm not sure if he does or doesn't, he should call it a day.

I get the impression he hasn't always been the most dedicated athlete - though he's obviously put in the effort the last few years.

greasedscotsman

Rick Chasey wrote:

Anyone think he'll win the Tour next year if he goes for it?

If he cares about his legacy, and I'm not sure if he does or doesn't, he should call it a day.

I get the impression he hasn't always been the most dedicated athlete - though he's obviously put in the effort the last few years.

Depends on who is riding. Against Contador on a much harder route, I don't think so.

I think your right about how dedicated he is. If there is a target for him to go for, then there is no problem. I'm sure I saw an interview with him years ago, when he was maybe even still a junior where he said he wanted to be Olympic champion. Once he had done that, he didn't really know what to do next. You could see the same thing happen again unless the people around him can motivate him and come up with new challenges. Maybe the hour record would be a good project for him?

alihisgreat

JonGinge wrote:

Calder wrote:

Keyser__Soze wrote:

Calder wrote:

And obviously it's the other end of the village and Brad'll either be too knackered or too lazy to stroll down.

Pretty sure he lives down that end of the village anyway.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19089663

He clearly hasn't been around enough to notice Somerfield (previously Kwik-Save) is now Co-op. I suppose it only changed in 2010...........

*shrugs* Where I lived as a teen there was a large Asda which had previously been a Carrefour. Locals would still refer to carrefour years after it changed.

Some of my mates refer to their local shop as "rainbow".. but its been a co-op for years.

really grinds my gears!

ddraver

Rick Chasey wrote:

Anyone think he'll win the Tour next year if he goes for it?

If he cares about his legacy, and I'm not sure if he does or doesn't, he should call it a day.

I get the impression he hasn't always been the most dedicated athlete - though he's obviously put in the effort the last few years.

If he properly goes for it as he did this year then there's no reason why not, but i doubt he ll sacrifice what he sacrificed this year again, if he does, then I doubt it ll be next year. I'd bet Froome-Dog will be pack leader next year...

greasedscotsman

ddraver wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Anyone think he'll win the Tour next year if he goes for it?

If he cares about his legacy, and I'm not sure if he does or doesn't, he should call it a day.

I get the impression he hasn't always been the most dedicated athlete - though he's obviously put in the effort the last few years.

If he properly goes for it as he did this year then there's no reason why not, but i doubt he ll sacrifice what he sacrificed this year again, if he does, then I doubt it ll be next year. I'd bet Froome-Dog will be pack leader next year...

I reckon Froome has a better chance against Contador on a harder route than Wiggins. But then I'm not sure he's quite there as a team leader.

andyp

He's got to be top of the BBC's list for the next series of "Strictly Come Dancing" hasn't he?

thegibdog

TailWindHome wrote:

inkyfingers wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

This may be a dumb question but why do we think he'd target Paris Roubaix?

Because it's less about tactics and more about raw power (and a large slice of luck of course).

Would he not need to 'bulk' up a bit?

rebs

Van sum is Alot heavier then Wiggins at the moment.

Wiggins would have been Van Sums weight back in Athens Olympics? After that he got skinny

Calder

JonGinge wrote:

Calder wrote:

Keyser__Soze wrote:

Calder wrote:

And obviously it's the other end of the village and Brad'll either be too knackered or too lazy to stroll down.

Pretty sure he lives down that end of the village anyway.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19089663

He clearly hasn't been around enough to notice Somerfield (previously Kwik-Save) is now Co-op. I suppose it only changed in 2010...........

*shrugs* Where I lived as a teen there was a large Asda which had previously been a Carrefour. Locals would still refer to carrefour years after it changed.

Carrefour?! That must've been years ago, so people round you're way are clearly a bit slow.

thegibdog

rebs wrote:

Van sum is Alot heavier then Wiggins at the moment.

Wiggins would have been Van Sums weight back in Athens Olympics? After that he got skinny

Don't think there's that big a difference. It would be a good excuse to enjoy the off season a bit more!

jonginge

Calder wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

Calder wrote:

Keyser__Soze wrote:

Calder wrote:

And obviously it's the other end of the village and Brad'll either be too knackered or too lazy to stroll down.

Pretty sure he lives down that end of the village anyway.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19089663

He clearly hasn't been around enough to notice Somerfield (previously Kwik-Save) is now Co-op. I suppose it only changed in 2010...........

*shrugs* Where I lived as a teen there was a large Asda which had previously been a Carrefour. Locals would still refer to carrefour years after it changed.

Carrefour?! That must've been years ago, so people round you're way are clearly a bit slow.

Possibly true. Unfortunately my teens are but a distant memory...

BelgianBeerGeek

Rick Chasey wrote:

Anyone think he'll win the Tour next year if he goes for it?

If he cares about his legacy, and I'm not sure if he does or doesn't, he should call it a day.

I get the impression he hasn't always been the most dedicated athlete - though he's obviously put in the effort the last few years.

Interesting point. I think it's sort of expected that the previous winner will turn up as rider number 1 and defend it. But I can seen him doing something else and not just riding for the sake of it. I can also see that not dealing with the French media for 3 weeks would have a real attraction for him.

timoid.

All this talk of Contador trouncing him annoys me.

If Contador shows up and is a as good as before you have to assume he's still eating rare steak.

If he isn't then the drop off in form should make him pretty mortal. cf Valverde.

rick_chasey

Timoid. wrote:

All this talk of Contador trouncing him annoys me.

If Contador shows up and is a as good as before you have to assume he's still eating rare steak.

.

Doesn't matter if he passes the tests.

greasedscotsman

Timoid. wrote:

All this talk of Contador trouncing him annoys me.

If Contador shows up and is a as good as before you have to assume he's still eating rare steak.

If he isn't then the drop off in form should make him pretty mortal. cf Valverde.

I don't think that Contador will trounce him, just beat him at the Tour.

And can we then assume that if Wiggins does beat Contador next year that he is on the steak only diet?

Jez mon

Rick Chasey wrote:

Anyone think he'll win the Tour next year if he goes for it?

If he cares about his legacy, and I'm not sure if he does or doesn't, he should call it a day.

I get the impression he hasn't always been the most dedicated athlete - though he's obviously put in the effort the last few years.

I think it depends on the course, and how strong Contador is on his comeback, whether he's digging into his suitcase of steak...

Wiggins out TTed everyone in the GC race, and out-climbed everyone but Froome. Potentially, all that happens next year, is you add Contador's name to the out-climbed bit.

Of course, we're going to see more climbing next year, so that out climbed bit becomes more important.

We also never saw how much time Froome could have taken out on the climbs, we know he felt able to make digs, but not whether he would have sustained a gap.

I think some posters are unnecessarily harsh on Wiggo's GT riding!!

greasedscotsman

Jez mon wrote:

I think some posters are unnecessarily harsh on Wiggo's GT riding!!

What, by saying he might get beaten by someone who's already won 4 of them?

Spiny_Norman

greasedscotsman wrote:

Jez mon wrote:

I think some posters are unnecessarily harsh on Wiggo's GT riding!!

What, by saying he might get beaten by someone who's already won 4 of them?

More that there's a general feeling that the opposition was weak, the route suited him, and so on. The opposition was strong enough for plenty of people to be tipping riders other than Wiggins before the race started, and he took time out of all the opposition (Froome excepted) in both TTs and mountain stages.

All year, people have been expecting Wiggins to fail in this stage or that race, then backtracking and saying that the opposition was poor or the route wasn't as hard as it looked. Planche des Belles Filles was a recent example. And yes, I think there's still a general expectation that "proper" opposition on a "proper" course would sort him out.

Apart from the people who think he's doped to the eyeballs, that is.