2013 - Wiggins big choices

24

Comments

  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    OCDuPalais wrote:
    Well, well, well... Sky contesting T-Adriatico with a big-wig(go): who now would like to denounce my suggestion that JTL is about the most obvious shoe-in for their squad there (After causing a bit of mayhem with Porte in Votla ao Algarve, maybe)...?

    There are many intriguing questions about the Sky squad for 2013, but Kennaugh is a curious one. I've got faith that Geraint will step up to at least be an indispensable team player: I've got no indication where PK will fit in terms of type of race/squad...

    I think he'll be in the Ardennes/Giro group that does the Mallorca one dayers, and then Algarve, Catalunya, Pais Vasco, Ardennes.

    I've said it previously that 2013 will be the year of Pete Kennaugh. Not that I think he'll come out and challenge in the Ardennes or anything, but he'll mix it with the best in some big races. His 2011 season was littered with glimpses of his talent.

    He is a little gem.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Yeah, I'm really keen to see how he does next year with full attention on the road.

    In the meantime....the Giro - and Basso's living in la la land
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/basso-f ... ss-in-2013
  • LeicesterLad
    LeicesterLad Posts: 3,908
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Yeah, I'm really keen to see how he does next year with full attention on the road.

    In the meantime....the Giro - and Basso's living in la la land
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/basso-f ... ss-in-2013

    Dont go upsetting Iain now... :wink:
    http://www.twitter.com/InTheGC http://www.InTheGC.com http://www.facebook.com/intheGC
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    LeicesterLad wrote:
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Yeah, I'm really keen to see how he does next year with full attention on the road.

    In the meantime....the Giro - and Basso's living in la la land
    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/basso-f ... ss-in-2013

    Dont go upsetting Iain now... :wink:


    Ah... :)
  • edhornby
    edhornby Posts: 1,780
    If Basso really does challenge then it'll be one hell of a turnaround

    cards on table - who thinks that Wiggins (or anyone) can win more that one of the big 3 in the same season? I dont' think anyone can..
    (p.s. Frenchie, I know you will say clenbutador but he tried and failed in 2010)
    "I get paid to make other people suffer on my wheel, how good is that"
    --Jens Voight
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    I think Giro-Vuelta is definitely possible. Rodriguez wasn't far off this year, and he doesn't have a great track record of 3 week racing.

    Basso has probably been buoyed by the idea of the Sky train one-pacing it up the Giro climbs; that would suit his style of riding perfectly. Whether he can hang on at this stage of his career is another question entirely, and honestly I suspect he can't.

    Sky, Liqui, Astana, and Garmin all look like giving it their all for the Giro.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    edited December 2012
    Turfle wrote:
    I think Giro-Vuelta is definitely possible. Rodriguez wasn't far off this year, and he doesn't have a great track record of 3 week racing.

    Basso has probably been buoyed by the idea of the Sky train one-pacing it up the Giro climbs; that would suit his style of riding perfectly. Whether he can hang on at this stage of his career is another question entirely, and honestly I suspect he can't.

    Sky, Liqui, Astana, and Garmin all look like giving it their all for the Giro.


    But weren't the Leaky boys doing some of that for him this year and he couldnt finish off the job? His time as a serious GT contender is over, IMO. The team's also lost some strong worker bees and havent totally balanced those losses with their new hires. Got to take that into account too.
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    They tried, but they got swamped anytime a challenge was laid down to them. Their whole team seemed a little below par. I do agree though that Basso won't be able to hang on to Wiggins, Nibali, Hesjedal when it comes down to it.

    Really interested to see if Garmin, or Astana in particular, can come up with something to stop Sky from dictating the race.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Garmin's going to be REALLY interesting. This year Ryder's 3 bigget helpers were CVV, DZ and Stetina. The first 2 are only back from bans early Mar. Vaughters has a team that seems packed at one end with the older guys like the Garmin's USADA 3, Millar, Hunter etc, then at the other end some real young 'uns that he's bringing in next season. However, maybe not so many in the middle ground re age and experience as helpers for the GTs in addtion to Talansky and Dan Martin, especially with CVV and DZ having a narrow window to get in racing miles ahead of the Giro....oh well, there's always Tyler :wink:

    Astana's challenge is going to be supporting Nibbles AND Guardini in the sprints
  • Turfle
    Turfle Posts: 3,762
    Theoretically they could put out a very strong climbing squad, but you'd think ideally they'd like to not use Dan Martin and Talansky in the service of others.

    Hesjedal, VDV, Zabriskie, Millar, Stetina, Dekker. That's a lineup that could help Hesjedal if he gets in trouble, but probably not one that could influence the race too much.

    Hesjedal, Danielson, VDV, Talansky, Stetina, Martin. That would be a strong top 6, but not an ideal use of resources.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Thought I would revive this one rather than start a new one as we are nearing his 1st big race

    So what are pre-seasson/race thoughts for SirBW this year?

    I don't know much but hoping for an excellent Giro and/or Tour and although I am not a fan of Froome, I would like to see him win something big this year
  • Macaloon
    Macaloon Posts: 5,545
    edited April 2013
    Edit: Toxic link apparently.
    ...a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.
  • Crozza
    Crozza Posts: 991
    Is Wiggins still riding LBL, and if so will he be riding for himself or Henao?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,158
    Crozza wrote:
    Is Wiggins still riding LBL, and if so will he be riding for himself or Henao?
    He's not doing it.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,941
    He's going to ride the Giro having basically 0 racing miles in his legs.

    That's bizarre, no?
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Well this is my thoughts. I recall a great quote prior to last year's tour from bigringriding blog (from the Telegraph in May 12)

    “I DID 32,000 METRES OF CLIMBING AROUND TEIDE DURING A TWO-WEEK CAMP LAST MONTH AND, BY THE TIME WE FINISH THIS LATEST FORTNIGHT, I WILL HAVE DONE ANOTHER 32,000 METRES.

    “FROM APRIL 1 THIS YEAR TO THE DAY I LINE UP FOR THE TOUR DE FRANCE PROLOGUE ON JUNE 30, I WILL HAVE DONE 100,000 METRES OF HIGH-QUALITY CLIMBING.”

    Wonder what the equivalent is to this year.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    TailWindHome wrote:
    He's going to ride the Giro having basically 0 racing miles in his legs.

    That's bizarre, no?


    The Mallorca races and Oman were training miles, but same cant be said of Catalunya, or Trentino.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,158
    TailWindHome wrote:
    He's going to ride the Giro having basically 0 racing miles in his legs.

    That's bizarre, no?
    As already mentioned, he did Catalonia seriously, and now this. He's also planning to do the Tour seriously too, so he'll be taking that into account.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    RichN95 wrote:
    TailWindHome wrote:
    He's going to ride the Giro having basically 0 racing miles in his legs.

    That's bizarre, no?
    As already mentioned, he did Catalonia seriously, and now this. He's also planning to do the Tour seriously too, so he'll be taking that into account.

    So he's using the Tour as preparation for the Giro?
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,941
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    TailWindHome wrote:
    He's going to ride the Giro having basically 0 racing miles in his legs.

    That's bizarre, no?
    As already mentioned, he did Catalonia seriously, and now this. He's also planning to do the Tour seriously too, so he'll be taking that into account.

    So he's using the Tour as preparation for the Giro?

    Fecking Sky. No respect for the traditions of the sport.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    TailWindHome wrote:
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    TailWindHome wrote:
    He's going to ride the Giro having basically 0 racing miles in his legs.

    That's bizarre, no?
    As already mentioned, he did Catalonia seriously, and now this. He's also planning to do the Tour seriously too, so he'll be taking that into account.

    So he's using the Tour as preparation for the Giro?

    ******* Sky. No respect for the traditions of the sport.


    Rich's point is that Wiggins is trying to get his form to peak for the Giro and hold it right through to the end of the Tour. That's hardly dissing the Giro.
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,941
    RichN95 wrote:
    TailWindHome wrote:
    He's going to ride the Giro having basically 0 racing miles in his legs.

    That's bizarre, no?
    As already mentioned, he did Catalonia seriously, and now this. He's also planning to do the Tour seriously too, so he'll be taking that into account.


    I've no doubt they have a plan and know what they are about.

    This time by this time last year he had already raced and won Paris Nice and was still several months away from his big ojective (maybe he still is :wink: )
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,941
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    TailWindHome wrote:
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    TailWindHome wrote:
    He's going to ride the Giro having basically 0 racing miles in his legs.

    That's bizarre, no?
    As already mentioned, he did Catalonia seriously, and now this. He's also planning to do the Tour seriously too, so he'll be taking that into account.

    So he's using the Tour as preparation for the Giro?

    ******* Sky. No respect for the traditions of the sport.


    Rich's point is that Wiggins is trying to get his form to peak for the Giro and hold it right through to the end of the Tour. That's hardly dissing the Giro.


    Oh. I thought they were going to do the Tour first then the Giro. Moneybags, ChooChoo and all that. :wink:
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Rich's point is that Wiggins is trying to get his form to peak for the Giro and hold it right through to the end of the Tour. That's hardly dissing the Giro.

    I thought Sky's theory was that you didn't need to peak for particular races, you could hold your form throughout the entire season, as demonstrated last year by Wiggins. If he can hold his form from Paris Nice to the Olympics, then the Giro to the Tour shouldn't be a problem.
  • morstar
    morstar Posts: 6,190
    Winning all those early races last year was about Brad (and the team) becoming familiar with the pressures attached to being race leader prior to the main objective. They are doing a similar thing with Froome this year whereas Brad just needs to balance quality training and some (but much less) serious racing miles.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,391
    TailWindHome wrote:
    He's going to ride the Giro having basically 0 racing miles in his legs.

    That's bizarre, no?

    Straight from the Schleck Book of racing technique....
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,158
    edited April 2013
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Rich's point is that Wiggins is trying to get his form to peak for the Giro and hold it right through to the end of the Tour. That's hardly dissing the Giro.

    I thought Sky's theory was that you didn't need to peak for particular races, you could hold your form throughout the entire season, as demonstrated last year by Wiggins. If he can hold his form from Paris Nice to the Olympics, then the Giro to the Tour shouldn't be a problem.
    No they didn't peak for months, they had monthly cycles aiming at peaking once a month. Their theory is that you can be in sufficiently good form once a month to do one or two mountain stages and one time trial really well - which is all you need to do to win a one week race - you don't have to be in form for all of March to win Paris-Nice, just two days. The rest of the time is training and rest. At a Grand Tour that doesn't apply, so a different approach is required.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    Rich's point is that Wiggins is trying to get his form to peak for the Giro and hold it right through to the end of the Tour. That's hardly dissing the Giro.

    I thought Sky's theory was that you didn't need to peak for particular races, you could hold your form throughout the entire season, as demonstrated last year by Wiggins. If he can hold his form from Paris Nice to the Olympics, then the Giro to the Tour shouldn't be a problem.


    If it makes you happier, call it getting form to the point that gives him the maximum possibility of winning the chuffing races...And surely just because you're successful in getting it right one year, it doesnt guarantee that you'll be able to replicate it every year thereafter without fail- there are only so many non-variables..

    *thinks of turning to some class B after the stress of this morning*
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,941
    morstar wrote:
    Winning all those early races last year was about Brad (and the team) becoming familiar with the pressures attached to being race leader prior to the main objective. They are doing a similar thing with Froome this year whereas Brad just needs to balance quality training and some (but much less) serious racing miles.

    Good point. Well made.

    S'pose the Giro has plenty of quality miles too before the big days come.
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    If it makes you happier, call it getting form to the point that gives him the maximum possibility of winning the chuffing races...And surely just because you're successful in getting it right one year, it doesnt guarantee that you'll be able to replicate it every year thereafter without fail- there are only so many non-variables..

    *thinks of turning to some class B after the stress of this morning*

    Blimey! Calm down there...

    I have no idea if Sky will win anything other than Paris Nice this year. They got it right last year by doing things a bit differently, but as their cobbled classics squad has shown this year, their approach doesn't always work. For what it's worth, Froome seems on course to be good for the Tour, but I don't think anyone has any idea how good Wiggins will be at the Giro.

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