Froome on Wiggins and more

Richmond Racer

dish_dash wrote:

Coach H wrote:

Also to consider that, at least in the build up and British stages, if Wiggins is left at home due to Froome's will every press conference will be full of, Fuller whipped up, questions asking about Wiggins. Then can you imagine the furore if Froome loses time on the cobbles or on a mountain drag strip where Wiggins may have been a factor. Could end up being more destructive than team disharmony.

Not sure how much influence could be brought to bear in France, but in Britain at least the real battle could be Fuller v Fran......and there is only going to be one winner there.

If he isn't on the team, you can imagine Wiggo rocking up in Yorkshire anyway and dominating headlines...

He wont. He'll hunker down with the family at their pad in Mallorca. He wont want to be anywhere near Leeds.

Jesus, you lot, talk about Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, in understanding what makes people tick* :?

*sweeping generalisation

r0bh

iainf72 wrote:

Surely no one thinks Wiggins has got Tour winning form this year?

He's in good shape, but then again Froome beat Tony Martin in a TT

No, I don't think anyone does think that. But of the available super-domestiques he has demonstrably better form than a lot of the other options.

Richmond Racer

Above The Cows wrote:

Richmond Racer wrote:

On the Brailsford point, I've become less and less enamoured with the way he goes about the running of a road team, and the associated handling of interpersonal rivalries. And whats gone on here bears no comparison to the Hoy-Kenny situation - those 2 guys were and still are good mates throughout, whereas there is a lot of bad blood between Wiggins and Froome. Also procycling team is a hugely different environment from a track team. Brailsford failed to recognise the difference, believing that it was no different to Hoy v Kenny selection, and others like it from the track team history, and the ill-feeling has been allowed to simmer and then escalate for the last 2 years.

For all Brailsford's supposed 'management guruness' he seems to lack some basic emotional intelligence. It is perfectly possible to see that both Wiggins and Froome have a point vis-a-vis the other and that both Wiggins and Froome are being a bit silly vis-a-vis the other. You can't reconcile these competing feelings but nor can you pretend they're not there, hope they'll go away or 'manage' your way out of it through focusing only on the numbers. What is really needed here is a stern word and a sit on the naughty step/slap on the bottom (depending on your approach to corporal parenting) for both of them.

Quite. A few slaps would have been dished out to both parties by yours truly.

Richmond Racer

r0bh wrote:

Rumour had it that Froome had a big say in last year's Tour team? And let's face it at times they were very lucky to get away with it e.g. Stage 9 and the crosswinds stage that Cav won. Against stronger opposition, and Contador is looking like that, they may not be able to afford dropping a minute somewhere through having a weak team. They'd do well to remember that IMHO and pick what will be the strongest team on the road.

He did. Shane Sutton and David Walsh confirmed that during a Sunday Times Q&A evening before the Tour. The inference was very much that Froome didnt want riders he associated as Wiggins men from the previous year and Tour (Porte obviously being Froome's bestie). Which is a major reason why Eisel never got picked. And why they made a comparatively inexperienced G, road captain.

iainf72

That stacks up if Brailsford is trying to deal with a Wiggins v Froome situation.
Bit if it's bigger than that, then what?

Didn't Vaughters say Bradley doesn't deal with criticism well?

rickyrider

These ridiculous shenanigans are really turning me off Sky in a big way and I suspect many others too. Their PR has always been pretty crap but this soap opera really takes it to new lows. Sad really.

iainf72

All a bit of a pointless discussion, Contador is bound to win by 5 minutes or something

Richmond Racer

iainf72 wrote:

That stacks up if Brailsford is trying to deal with a Wiggins v Froome situation.
Bit if it's bigger than that, then what?

Didn't Vaughters say Bradley doesn't deal with criticism well?

He very well may not have done so in his brief time with Vaughters. However at other times in his career, he has accepted criticism and turned himself around - Chris Boardman pre-Athens Olympics, Brailsford and Sutton in 2010, and Sutton through 2011 and 2012.

Shane Sutton has always been key to sorting him out. And they took Sutton away from working with him last year, till, funnily enough, the run-up to ToB.

above_the_cows

Richmond Racer wrote:

Quite. A few slaps would have been dished out to both parties by yours truly.

I'd have taken their toys away and locked them outside until they learnt to get over it and themselves.

Richmond Racer wrote:

The inference was very much that Froome didnt want riders he associated as Wiggins men from the previous year and Tour (Porte obviously being Froome's bestie). Which is a major reason why Eisel never got picked. And why they made a comparatively inexperienced G, road captain.

And if you look at this year's Giro line-up it seems the same pattern is at play again.

smithy21

I don't think Wiggins will ride if things stay as they are. If someone gets injured or sick who would otherwise have been on the team during the Dauphine/Suisse then he will get the call.

Daz555

Has Porte shown signs of being an able wing-man to Froome this year?

rick_chasey

Wiggins made it clear at the start of the year that the tour was not the objective - that Roubaix was.

Snot that surprising now is it?

California is a chipper remember.

TheBigBean

iainf72 wrote:

All a bit of a pointless discussion, Contador is bound to win by 5 minutes or something

Can't see it myself. Contador has found some good form, but nothing like Froome had last year.

r0bh

Rick Chasey wrote:

Wiggins made it clear at the start of the year that the tour was not the objective - that Roubaix was.

Winning the Tour was not an objective, but being in the team was:

A push into America is the sea change that Bradley Wiggins hopes will enable to him end his career in style. Integral to that plan this season is a full-on bid to win the Tour of California, the US's most prestigious stage race from May 11-18. Wiggins will also attempt to win the Paris-Roubaix Classic – the most prestigious one-day race on the cycling calendar – and make a return to the Tour de France alongside Chris Froome

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2 ... is-roubaix

dish_dash

iainf72 wrote:

All a bit of a pointless discussion, Contador is bound to win by 5 minutes or something

Yep, it is a pointless discussion but it's a quiet day and PR loves a good thread of Sky speculation, comment and views from our resident Wiggo medium from Venus.

Once Bertie starts doing well then we can all revert back to steak jokes. Or hope that Nibs does well...

Richmond Racer

dish_dash wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

All a bit of a pointless discussion, Contador is bound to win by 5 minutes or something

Yep, it is a pointless discussion but it's a quiet day and PR loves a good thread of Sky speculation, comment and views from our resident Wiggo medium from Venus.

Once Bertie starts doing well then we can all revert back to steak jokes. Or hope that Nibs does well...

What can I say, it's a life's work, dish dash

slowbike

rickyrider wrote:

These ridiculous shenanigans are really turning me off Sky in a big way and I suspect many others too. Their PR has always been pretty crap but this soap opera really takes it to new lows. Sad really.

And all this time we're reading nothing about the other teams ...

So who really takes this soap opera at face value? or who thinks that the Sky PR team are playing the media and public ...

frenchfighter

If Wiggins doesnt get selected I hope he joins a new team before the Tour just to mess with the South African and Emotionless Baldy.

iainf72 wrote:

All a bit of a pointless discussion, Contador is bound to win by 5 minutes or something

No we are talking.



Making it rain for over a decade.

mfin

mechanism

Wiggins has been conspicuous in his absence from the recent stage recons and bike launches which adds to the feeling that he won't be in the team. Hope I'm wrong.

iainf72

No one done that picture of Porte in double denim with Cubans on yet?

BTW FF, neither of Froome's parents are from SA and he wasn't born there. So he's British or Kenyan. Kind of like how I could be British or Saffa (but reject the latter)

frenchfighter

Oh yes, my mistake I meant Kenyan.

frenchfighter

tailwindhome

I've never met a nice South African.

Richmond Racer

TailWindHome wrote:

I've never met a nice South African.

Helpful

dish_dash

TailWindHome wrote:

I've never met a nice South African.

And I've met loads...

iainf72

TailWindHome wrote:

I've never met a nice South African.

Nor have I really...

:P

slowbike

dish_dash wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

I've never met a nice South African.

And I've met loads...

So have I ... but the accent grates ...

RichN95.

dish_dash wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

I've never met a nice South African.

And I've met loads...

Yeah, but no-one wrote a B-side to a 80s novelty record about them.

TheBigBean

For the kids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v439zTOJVho