Wiggins crook?

oneof1982

I'm not convinced Wiggo is finished. He's injured and been suffering ill health. Anyone who follows any sport knows that you can't cheat injury or ill health, and especially not at the top level. This appears to leave Sky with a problem for the TdF, but as we all know, it actually gets Sky off the hook. Sky go in to the TdF with Froome as the leader, Porte seconding, no spats and ....well let's see how they get on.

Meanwhile, Wiggo recovers, comes back next season for another crack and everything is rosy.

However, let's assume that Wiggo is never going to hit the numbers again for Sky. What do they do? Remembering that this is Pro-cycling, and is all about selling the sponsors product, I'm not convinced Sky will unceremoniuosly dump him. Wiggo is a dream for a sponsor selling entertainment products in the english speakng world. Despite the odd, and I do mean odd "I hate Wiggo" posters amongst the radaratti, he is a cycling superstar in the UK. If he is not hitting the numbers, he will know himself that he is never going to match his achievements of last year. And I think we have seen enought bike parking incidents this year to realsie he is not going to be happy being shelled off the back with regularity. So I don't see him in another team.

Sky will do what they do in football - kick him upsatirs, or in cycling - give him the car keys!

LeicesterLad

oneof1982 wrote:

I'm not convinced Wiggo is finished. He's injured and been suffering ill health. Anyone who follows any sport knows that you can't cheat injury or ill health, and especially not at the top level. This appears to leave Sky with a problem for the TdF, but as we all know, it actually gets Sky off the hook. Sky go in to the TdF with Froome as the leader, Porte seconding, no spats and ....well let's see how they get on.

Meanwhile, Wiggo recovers, comes back next season for another crack and everything is rosy.

However, let's assume that Wiggo is never going to hit the numbers again for Sky. What do they do? Remembering that this is Pro-cycling, and is all about selling the sponsors product, I'm not convinced Sky will unceremoniuosly dump him. Wiggo is a dream for a sponsor selling entertainment products in the english speakng world. Despite the odd, and I do mean odd "I hate Wiggo" posters amongst the radaratti, he is a cycling superstar in the UK. If he is not hitting the numbers, he will know himself that he is never going to match his achievements of last year. And I think we have seen enought bike parking incidents this year to realsie he is not going to be happy being shelled off the back with regularity. So I don't see him in another team.

Sky will do what they do in football - kick him upsatirs, or in cycling - give him the car keys!

I'm just not buying that - he looked well off before he even got to the Giro and Moore and others were tweeting before the Giro saying he look undercooked.

At the end of the day he's achieved most, if not all of his ambitions - maybe his heart just isn't in it anymore kind of like how Olympions say once they win gold they feel sh*t and depressed and can't be arsed anymore.

Daz555

oneof1982 wrote:

Sky will do what they do in football - kick him upsatirs, or in cycling - give him the car keys!

Nah - he's got Rio to look forward to.

Team pursuit is a given but if the madison comes back for Rio could we see Wiggo and Cav having another crack after Wiggo's disappointing (tired) effort in 2008?

emadden

Could someone point me in the right direction - is this knee injury something new that he has picked up in training, or is it the bit of road rash he picked up at the Giro (as pictured earlier in the thread) that may now have morphed into something more serious?

Daz555

emadden wrote:

Could someone point me in the right direction - is this knee injury something new that he has picked up in training, or is it the bit of road rash he picked up at the Giro (as pictured earlier in the thread) that may now have morphed into something more serious?

There was talk of tendonitis before the Giro iirc.

danlikesbikes

emadden wrote:

Could someone point me in the right direction - is this knee injury something new that he has picked up in training, or is it the bit of road rash he picked up at the Giro (as pictured earlier in the thread) that may now have morphed into something more serious?

Lifted from the Guardian;

The 33-year-old triple Olympic gold medallist has an inflammation in his left knee, which could be due to having too much play in his pedal, and has been unable to train as he would have wished.

Brailsford confirmed that Wiggins has yet to return to full training. "With these setbacks I can confirm that Brad cannot currently train properly and we are monitoring this situation carefully," he said. Wiggins has not been announced in Team Sky's squad for the Dauphiné Libéré stage race which begins on Sunday.

The injury is not related to Wiggins's crash on stage seven of the Giro d'Italia, when he fell on a descent en route to Pescara, and was seen afterwards treating apparent bruising on his right knee with ice. However, the Londoner did begin complaining of the knee problem on the rest day of the Giro, 36 hours after the race's first long time trial, and the day after a rainy and cold stage through Tuscany.

The injury is clearly not severe enough to bring Wiggins to a complete halt, as once he had recovered from the chest infection that curtailed his attempt to win the Giro 12 days into the race, he was able to resume riding his bike. However, he has not been able to get back into the intense training that would be necessary for him to compete for a high overall placing in the Tour. It is still unclear when that will happen.

r0bh

Brailsford has apparently just said that Wiggo is definitely out of the Tour.

So Froome's missus was right all along!

EDIT: http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290, ... 62,00.html

emadden

Thanks guys!

salsiccia1

Would it be insensitive to venture that I'm sort of pleased he isn't riding the Tour?

danlikesbikes

Salsiccia1 wrote:

Would it be insensitive to venture that I'm sort of pleased he isn't riding the Tour?

Yes & no.

No as it leaves Sky in a good place of not having to 'manage' 2 top riders. Yes as its not a good thing to loose the defending champ to an injury.

oneof1982

Daz555 wrote:

oneof1982 wrote:

Sky will do what they do in football - kick him upsatirs, or in cycling - give him the car keys!

Nah - he's got Rio to look forward to.

Team pursuit is a given but if the madison comes back for Rio could we see Wiggo and Cav having another crack after Wiggo's disappointing (tired) effort in 2008?

Yeh right. Wiggo passes Cav a can of lager at the change over

frenchfighter

r0bh wrote:

Brailsford has apparently just said that Wiggo is definitely out of the Tour.

So Froome's missus was right all along!

EDIT: http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290, ... 62,00.html

PR BS. They are scared of the dynamic.

Paulie W

There's certainly something a bit fishy about it.

danlikesbikes

Paulie W wrote:

There's certainly something a bit fishy about it.

About what?

jimmythecuckoo

Wow... lots of lines to read between there.

Fact that Brailsford makes it clear that he isn't selected as opposed to letting the injury take the blame...

No_Ta_Doctor

r0bh wrote:

Brailsford has apparently just said that Wiggo is definitely out of the Tour.

So Froome's missus was right all along!

EDIT: http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290, ... 62,00.html

The quotes from Wiggins himself there are very much on-message, can't help but think they would have been different if there had been a bit of skulduggery going on. So Froomes loud mouth girlfriend was only inadvertently right.

Paulie W

The way the story has broken - story from Moore in the morning press perhaps pre-empting the official story in the afternoon - and Brailsford's language in the story on the Team Sky site - 'we wont consider him for selection' is an odd way of putting it.

salsiccia1

Danlikesbikes wrote:

Salsiccia1 wrote:

Would it be insensitive to venture that I'm sort of pleased he isn't riding the Tour?

Yes & no.

No as it leaves Sky in a good place of not having to 'manage' 2 top riders. Yes as its not a good thing to loose the defending champ to an injury.

This firmly puts Froome in the hot seat now though - if it didn't go well, he could point to split loyalties in the team/unsettled by the constant undermining/etc, whereas now he's got to deliver, without much of an excuse if he can't.

Paulie W

No tA Doctor wrote:

r0bh wrote:

Brailsford has apparently just said that Wiggo is definitely out of the Tour.

So Froome's missus was right all along!

EDIT: http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290, ... 62,00.html

The quotes from Wiggins himself there are very much on-message, can't help but think they would have been different if there had been a bit of skulduggery going on. So Froomes loud mouth girlfriend was only inadvertently right.

On message now - we'll see what he's saying in his updated autobiography in a few months! See Froomegate as an example!

salsiccia1

Paulie W wrote:

The way the story has broken - story from Moore in the morning press perhaps pre-empting the official story in the afternoon - and Brailsford's language in the story on the Team Sky site - 'we wont consider him for selection' is an odd way of putting it.

I don't think there's anything in it. Getting a couple of on-side journalists to drop broad hints before the official story is nothing new.

r0bh

Like everything Sky / Wiggins / Froome related everyone is reading far too much into it IMHO. He's injured, can't put in the workload required to be in Tour shape so won't be in the Tour team. End of story. Move along, nothing to see here.

Richmond Racer

I'm starting a #freeporte campaign



8)

danlikesbikes

Paulie W wrote:

The way the story has broken - story from Moore in the morning press perhaps pre-empting the official story in the afternoon - and Brailsford's language in the story on the Team Sky site - 'we wont consider him for selection' is an odd way of putting it.

Not really though as if they know he is not OK and they are due to release the line up shortly best to get it done and out of the way early so as not to distract from the CDD race.

Daz555

There is no scandal here. He has been sick and injured and will not be ready.

Shame for Sir Bradley but there really is little reason to read any more into this.

All out for the World TT now I wonder?

danlikesbikes

Salsiccia1 wrote:

Danlikesbikes wrote:

Salsiccia1 wrote:

Would it be insensitive to venture that I'm sort of pleased he isn't riding the Tour?

Yes & no.

No as it leaves Sky in a good place of not having to 'manage' 2 top riders. Yes as its not a good thing to loose the defending champ to an injury.

This firmly puts Froome in the hot seat now though - if it didn't go well, he could point to split loyalties in the team/unsettled by the constant undermining/etc, whereas now he's got to deliver, without much of an excuse if he can't.

You could just as easily say it puts him in the hot seat if he had a 100% Wiggo as his wing man @ the TDF though as any slip up from Froome & you can imagine the pressure just building & building from within the team & the press.

salsiccia1

Danlikesbikes wrote:

Salsiccia1 wrote:

Danlikesbikes wrote:

Salsiccia1 wrote:

Would it be insensitive to venture that I'm sort of pleased he isn't riding the Tour?

Yes & no.

No as it leaves Sky in a good place of not having to 'manage' 2 top riders. Yes as its not a good thing to loose the defending champ to an injury.

This firmly puts Froome in the hot seat now though - if it didn't go well, he could point to split loyalties in the team/unsettled by the constant undermining/etc, whereas now he's got to deliver, without much of an excuse if he can't.

You could just as easily say it puts him in the hot seat if he had a 100% Wiggo as his wing man @ the TDF though as any slip up from Froome & you can imagine the pressure just building & building from within the team & the press.

Good point. Whatever the case is I'm glad the issue is settled well in advance.

Richmond Racer

It's ok, Froome-cat will now have the added pressure of Aussie fans hoping he falls off, in the event of Cuddles falling back

danlikesbikes

Salsiccia1 wrote:

Good point. Whatever the case is I'm glad the issue is settled well in advance.

Indeed - personally will be sad to see Wiggo out as its always good to have the defending champ racing, but if he is ill not much more the team can do. Plus it does simplify their plan a bit I guess, but will know more after the CDD race as to who in the team is going well.

Paulie W

Danlikesbikes wrote:

Paulie W wrote:

The way the story has broken - story from Moore in the morning press perhaps pre-empting the official story in the afternoon - and Brailsford's language in the story on the Team Sky site - 'we wont consider him for selection' is an odd way of putting it.

Not really though as if they know he is not OK and they are due to release the line up shortly best to get it done and out of the way early so as not to distract from the CDD race.

I wonder why they didnt make this statement at the point they announced the Dauphine squad.

danlikesbikes

Paulie W wrote:

Danlikesbikes wrote:

Paulie W wrote:

The way the story has broken - story from Moore in the morning press perhaps pre-empting the official story in the afternoon - and Brailsford's language in the story on the Team Sky site - 'we wont consider him for selection' is an odd way of putting it.

Not really though as if they know he is not OK and they are due to release the line up shortly best to get it done and out of the way early so as not to distract from the CDD race.

I wonder why they didnt make this statement at the point they announced the Dauphine squad.

Controlled release to sympathetic/close reporters I guess & Sky tend to like to package their news reports so running this separate from the CDD squad story does not detract from each other.