the end for Wiggo ?

knedlicky

RichN95 wrote:

rickyrider wrote:

Thanks for link - decent article. Not at all surprised by what Wiggins says re sacrifices and kids. ... How many top pro cyclists actually have kids anyway - not that many I'd wager.

Jens Voigt has got six kids. Might be seven by now. Mrs Voigt seems to be the Henry Ford of child production.

Q: What have O’Grady and Rodgers got apart from Australian nationality which none of the following have?

Basso, Gilbert, Ballan, Rodriguez, Mondory, Chavanel, Terpstra, Voekler, Greipel, Pineau, Scarponi, Brajkovic, Monfort, Hunter, Klöden, Clement, Visconti, Gadret, Tankink, Hushovd, Millar, Paolini, and (let’s not forget) Zubeldia.

A: A third child, all the others have just two.

Daz555

knedlicky wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

rickyrider wrote:

Thanks for link - decent article. Not at all surprised by what Wiggins says re sacrifices and kids. ... How many top pro cyclists actually have kids anyway - not that many I'd wager.

Jens Voigt has got six kids. Might be seven by now. Mrs Voigt seems to be the Henry Ford of child production.

Q: What have O’Grady and Rodgers got apart from Australian nationality which none of the following have?

Basso, Gilbert, Ballan, Rodriguez, Mondory, Chavanel, Terpstra, Voekler, Greipel, Pineau, Scarponi, Brajkovic, Monfort, Hunter, Klöden, Clement, Visconti, Gadret, Tankink, Hushovd, Millar, Paolini, and (let’s not forget) Zubeldia.

A: A third child, all the others have just two.

How many are good dads? Not saying Wiggo is or isn't but having kids as such means nowt - it is the time an athlete spends with his children, and the type of that contact, which will define his ability to cope with fatherhood.

tailwindhome

Daz555 wrote:

IF Wiggo is now finished with wanting to win GTs - I'd say he is already favourite for a rainbow jersey or 2 this year. If he has his head back on straight he'll take Martin I reckon.

I hope we see that battle this year.

I say Martin would win convincingly!

Daz555

TailWindHome wrote:

Daz555 wrote:

IF Wiggo is now finished with wanting to win GTs - I'd say he is already favourite for a rainbow jersey or 2 this year. If he has his head back on straight he'll take Martin I reckon.

I hope we see that battle this year.

I say Martin would win convincingly!

This year, or any year?

tailwindhome

Daz555 wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Daz555 wrote:

IF Wiggo is now finished with wanting to win GTs - I'd say he is already favourite for a rainbow jersey or 2 this year. If he has his head back on straight he'll take Martin I reckon.

I hope we see that battle this year.

I say Martin would win convincingly!

This year, or any year?

All things being equal, any year. Last year was a 'mare for Tony and Wiggins best season....so not really a fair fight.

Hopefully both will go into the World's in top form and injury free.

nic_77

I'd say the 2013 World's TT course favours Wiggins over Martin / Cancellara...

EDIT: Scratch that... I was looking at some organised tour TT route, anyone got the route profile?

Pross

So to summarise the last few pages, have I got this right? Wiggins is giving up chasing GT wins and has decided to go for that elusive dad of the year award? What's the betting on Michelle Cound announcing her pregnancy and then telling Chris he has to stay at home all next season to show he's better at that too?

Anonymous

I would say if Wiggins wins (even places higher) in the Tour of Poland and Britain, then went on win the world TT title. That would equate to a very successful year.


Ofcourse all you cynics will say he didn't because he got an injury and withdrew from a race.

ddraver

Pross wrote:

So to summarise the last few pages, have I got this right? Wiggins is giving up chasing GT wins and has decided to go for that elusive dad of the year award? What's the betting on Michelle Cound announcing her pregnancy and then telling Chris he has to stay at home all next season to show he's better at that too?

dennisn

Wow, you guys are hard on people who win the Tour and other big races. The old "hero to zero" saying is alive and well over there.

FocusZing

dennisn wrote:

Wow, you guys are hard on people who win the Tour and other big races. The old "hero to zero" saying is alive and well over there.

I guess it might be because he made the announcement a couple of weeks ago, that he still wanted to win the tour this year. Consequently forcing David Brailsford to name Chris Froome as the GC for the team. Once Froome is named, Bradley Wiggins pulls out.

Many people would have liked to see him as part of the team and making a valuable contribution to a British win.

Personally I think winning the Olympic Gold and TDF in one year, he deserves some slack to do what he feels is right for him. That's who he is and probably why he has achieved what he has.

emadden

Wiggins will retire at the end of the year. He wont win the Worlds TT as the real TT'ers are back this year. ToB and ToP are chippers that will give Wiggins an easy (stage?) win to end his career on. I cant see him winning a world tour race again.

FocusZing

emadden wrote:

Wiggins will retire at the end of the year. He wont win the Worlds TT as the real TT'ers are back this year. ToB and ToP are chippers that will give Wiggins an easy (stage?) win to end his career on. I cant see him winning a world tour race again.

He will probably read the slagging off he's getting, which will fire him up. He loves cycling and the history, it's in his blood. The main difference being less intense pressure. Froome has to deal with that now.

mike6

Must admit the latest outpouring from Wiggins has got my back up. Not going to high altitude camps because he wants to see his son playing rugby?// WTF. Its his job. Most people have to work all there lives, 45 years at least working for the man to bring there kids up. Pro cyclists generally work for 10 to 15 years and in Wiggins case , at least, get extremely well paid for doing so. I dont think its asking too much for a sportsman to give it his all for that short time and then retire to count there money.
I have been a big supporter of Brad but his attitude lately is not what I expect from a champion cyclist.
Man up Brad and get on with your, very highly paid, job.

rick_chasey

mike6 wrote:

Must admit the latest outpouring from Wiggins has got my back up. Not going to high altitude camps because he wants to see his son playing rugby?// WTF. Its his job. Most people have to work all there lives, 45 years at least working for the man to bring there kids up. Pro cyclists generally work for 10 to 15 years and in Wiggins case , at least, get extremely well paid for doing so. I dont think its asking too much for a sportsman to give it his all for that short time and then retire to count there money.
I have been a big supporter of Brad but his attitude lately is not what I expect from a champion cyclist.
Man up Brad and get on with your, very highly paid, job.

If you didn't have to work, you'd happily shirk it to be with your kids.

He doesn't owe us anything.

dennisn

mike6 wrote:

Must admit the latest outpouring from Wiggins has got my back up. Not going to high altitude camps because he wants to see his son playing rugby?// WTF. Its his job. Most people have to work all there lives, 45 years at least working for the man to bring there kids up. Pro cyclists generally work for 10 to 15 years and in Wiggins case , at least, get extremely well paid for doing so. I dont think its asking too much for a sportsman to give it his all for that short time and then retire to count there money.

It's not up to you what he does.

"I don't need you to worry about me cause I'm alright
I don't need you to tell me it's time to come home
I don't care what you say anymore this is my life
Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone....
...............
You can speak your mind
but not on my time."
Billy Joel - My Life

TMR

mike6 wrote:

Must admit the latest outpouring from Wiggins has got my back up. Not going to high altitude camps because he wants to see his son playing rugby?// WTF. Its his job. Most people have to work all there lives, 45 years at least working for the man to bring there kids up. Pro cyclists generally work for 10 to 15 years and in Wiggins case , at least, get extremely well paid for doing so. I dont think its asking too much for a sportsman to give it his all for that short time and then retire to count there money.
I have been a big supporter of Brad but his attitude lately is not what I expect from a champion cyclist.
Man up Brad and get on with your, very highly paid, job.

Actually, I agree with him there. I was deployed a lot when my daughter was very young and it is very hard being away from your family. It's worse for him (well, he didn't have people shooting at him I suppose, so perhaps not), because he could potentially be away training or racing for the majority of a 9 month period - that's a long time to miss out of your children's lives TBH. It doesn't matter what your views are on cycling, at the end of the day, family must always come first and if not then you have no business having one. Work to live not live to work; that's as true for Wiggins as it is for any of us.

Richmond Racer

mike6 wrote:

Must admit the latest outpouring from Wiggins has got my back up. Not going to high altitude camps because he wants to see his son playing rugby?// WTF. Its his job. Most people have to work all there lives, 45 years at least working for the man to bring there kids up. Pro cyclists generally work for 10 to 15 years and in Wiggins case , at least, get extremely well paid for doing so. I dont think its asking too much for a sportsman to give it his all for that short time and then retire to count there money.
I have been a big supporter of Brad but his attitude lately is not what I expect from a champion cyclist.
Man up Brad and get on with your, very highly paid, job.

He wants a bit more of a balance than hardly seeing his family as was the case from Oct 2010 to Aug 2012. He's accepted that this means he's not going to be fighting to be Sky's leader at a future Tour (or the other GTs, by the sound of it). And at Sky, with Froome and Porte - 2 guys both 5 years longer that him - thats exactly what it would be - a fight before you even get anywhere near the startline. And that fight would involve not only training and living like a monk, but also, it seems, to be at such a level that you win virtually every one of your races from the start of the season. Because that's the precedent at Sky that's been set by Wiggins himself, last year, Froome this year, and even Porte with his P-N win, and 3 x 2nd spots. At any other team, this wouldnt be the case. But it is the case at Sky.

He's not the first top pro to come to this decision- far from it - nor will he be the last. As for being a top cyclist for 10-15 years - well, he's been that since winning his first senior medal in the TP at the 1998 Commie Games. I make that 15 years. And he's 33, not a 28 year old. If you want someone who's really taking the mickey and slacking off, try looking at someone like Pozzato.

He doesnt meet your exacting standards of whatever it is you expect from 'a champion cyclist', but there you go. Life's full of disappointments.

kleinstroker

dennisn wrote:

Wow, you guys are hard on people who win the Tour and other big races. The old "hero to zero" saying is alive and well over there.

not everyone is as cynical as most of the posters here.

rickyrider

kleinstroker wrote:

dennisn wrote:

Wow, you guys are hard on people who win the Tour and other big races. The old "hero to zero" saying is alive and well over there.

not everyone is as cynical as most of the posters here.

Disagree. Most people here are being quite objective rather than cynical I think. Big difference.

dennisn

rickyrider wrote:

kleinstroker wrote:

dennisn wrote:

Wow, you guys are hard on people who win the Tour and other big races. The old "hero to zero" saying is alive and well over there.

not everyone is as cynical as most of the posters here.

Disagree. Most people here are being quite objective rather than cynical I think. Big difference.

How so? Seems that more than a few people are put off by him because he didn't do this or that and isn't acting this way or that way, like THEY want him to. I think it's pretty cynical to expect people to act the way YOU want them to. And believe me I'm as cynical as anyone and I know it's not a good thing.

greasedscotsman

dennisn wrote:

Seems that more than a few people are put off by him because he didn't do this or that and isn't acting this way or that way, like THEY want him to. I think it's pretty cynical to expect people to act the way YOU want them to.

Think I've read this somewhere before. Can't think where.

RichN95.

dennisn wrote:

How so? Seems that more than a few people are put off by him because he didn't do this or that and isn't acting this way or that way, like THEY want him to. I think it's pretty cynical to expect people to act the way YOU want them to. And believe me I'm as cynical as anyone and I know it's not a good thing.

Dennis, we're British. The whole "Woah! Go Team USA! We rule! No.1" style stuff doesn't tend to sit very well with us. We are always much more comfortable pointing out how crap everything is.

dennisn

RichN95 wrote:

dennisn wrote:

How so? Seems that more than a few people are put off by him because he didn't do this or that and isn't acting this way or that way, like THEY want him to. I think it's pretty cynical to expect people to act the way YOU want them to. And believe me I'm as cynical as anyone and I know it's not a good thing.

Dennis, we're British. The whole "Woah! Go Team USA! We rule! No.1" style stuff doesn't tend to sit very well with us. We are always much more comfortable pointing out how crap everything is.

Hmmmmmm, maybe I'm British too? Always complaining about "how crap everything is". Not sure that I believe it all but do enjoy the complaining. Sort of a hobby.

reallyarunner

dennisn wrote:

How so? Seems that more than a few people are put off by him because he didn't do this or that and isn't acting this way or that way, like THEY want him to. I think it's pretty cynical to expect people to act the way YOU want them to. And believe me I'm as cynical as anyone and I know it's not a good thing.

How So? Seems like YOU are being pretty cynical when YOU expect THEY want him to act the way THEY want YOU to.

tailwindhome

If I were Wiggins I'd write a list of what was left to achieve/ gaps to fill

I would aim for

The Hour Record
A decent one day race
A prologue double of the Giro and TDF
A road stage of either Giro or TDF
The Tour of Britain as a lap of honour.

dennisn

I'm thinking the title of this thread is wrong. Maybe it should be "the end of what we want or are going to get from Wiggo".

For Wiggo this sounds like the beginning of the good stuff and real life.

rick_chasey

Richmond Racer wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Crankbrother wrote:

"Wiggins now has less credibility than Lance has Tour de France titles"

Eh?

Wiggins definitely is mentally a bit extreme. It seems to take a lot of emotional energy to prepare for something sport wise, but when he does, 'cor blimey. That effort seems to be difficult to repeat for him and you can see it in the way he deals with various problems.

He also doesn't strike me as someone who has to be the #1 and go after all the stats. I think he genuinely relished seeing whether he could win the Tour, and he did. Where to go from here is tricky for him - he has mentioned struggling to get motivated for more olympic medals on the track - hence the move to the road.

It explains the tilt at the Giro too. It was something he felt, as a proper cycling fan, was something big riders did - win the Giro and the Tour. I also think the confusing chat before the Giro was his way of dealing with the fact he wasn't going as well as he had done - it was similar to the chat he had in 2010 when he was rubbish.

Told ya back on page 1.

It takes a mod to know a mod

I'm not just a pretty face.

rick_chasey

dennisn wrote:

I'm thinking the title of this thread is wrong. Maybe it should be "the end of what we want or are going to get from Wiggo".

For Wiggo this sounds like the beginning of the good stuff and real life.

Mumsnet is that way >>

Rundfahrt

Interesting to think of the possible scenarios at play here based on some of the facts:

1) Crap Giro then Froome named leader for the Tour after Wiggins says he is all about the Tour.

2) Career year last year, including being at the top level for almost seven months.