Wiggins
vinnymarsden
Posts: 560
Just watched the London classic race…is it JUST me or does anyone else think Wiggins sat up far too early/easily??
We keep getting told…he's in the best form of his season, and still he frustrates the hell out of me, because clearly if he had gone along with Gilbert, 2 riders of that quality, and a couple of others could have ridden the legs off the sprinters, as it was in my opinion Wiggins sat up thinking he had done enough…I can't believe all Sky's plans hinged on just Swift, but then again with the sh1t season they've had, who knows what if any plan there was!!!
The UK is a veritable hotbed of cycling right now, both in terms of watching/taking part….we NEED another UK WT team, I for one am becoming a bit jaded of shouting for Sky, while deep down feeling they are not what they were 2 years ago.
I know this will, as usual prompt some haters, but hey, who cares, it's only my opinion, and it's ONLY a sport after all!!
We keep getting told…he's in the best form of his season, and still he frustrates the hell out of me, because clearly if he had gone along with Gilbert, 2 riders of that quality, and a couple of others could have ridden the legs off the sprinters, as it was in my opinion Wiggins sat up thinking he had done enough…I can't believe all Sky's plans hinged on just Swift, but then again with the sh1t season they've had, who knows what if any plan there was!!!
The UK is a veritable hotbed of cycling right now, both in terms of watching/taking part….we NEED another UK WT team, I for one am becoming a bit jaded of shouting for Sky, while deep down feeling they are not what they were 2 years ago.
I know this will, as usual prompt some haters, but hey, who cares, it's only my opinion, and it's ONLY a sport after all!!
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He seems to think his presence there is sufficient. As I have said he is on an easy ride until retirement as far as road racing goes.Contador is the Greatest0
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Who says he's in the best form of his season? Surely he peaked for his best form over the distance of 4k, two weeks ago.
Perhaps he would have done the Vuelta if Froome had finished the tour, maybe even as team leader if he could lose the weight post track. But Froome is a baby and doesn't want him on his team.
Dave B said today he will ride Tour of Britain instead - perhaps this will be the first race where he gets to try and defend his title, even if it's seen as a chipper it would still be a highlight of his season and then he's gearing up for the Worlds to try and find some way to beat Tony Martin, if you think that is an easy ride then you're a fool.0 -
Ok ad. Sounds like an easy ride. Lets re-visit this once the season is done.Contador is the Greatest0
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FFS another Wiggins thread :roll:
His job today was to try to help Swift win. Once he and the others had got Swift into the race winning break his work was done and he sat up in the bunch. Had Swift's break been caught maybe Wiggins would have had a go but it didn't happen so we'll never know. Also his very presence helped raise the profile of the race in the UK (good for the major UK sponsor of the race) and gained his team sponsors a lot of free publicity so basically exactly what is required from a professional cyclist. Sky in general rode a very good race right up to the final 300m.0 -
frenchfighter wrote:He seems to think his presence there is sufficient. As I have said he is on an easy ride until retirement as far as road racing goes.
Maybe he did what the team asked him to do? Maybe he has targets later in the season (world's TT)? Maybe he has achieved more on the road than most could dream of?0 -
When do you think he should have sat up?VinnyMarsden wrote:Just watched the London classic race…is it JUST me or does anyone else think Wiggins sat up far too early/easily??
We keep getting told…he's in the best form of his season, and still he frustrates the hell out of me, because clearly if he had gone along with Gilbert, 2 riders of that quality, and a couple of others could have ridden the legs off the sprinters, as it was in my opinion Wiggins sat up thinking he had done enough…I can't believe all Sky's plans hinged on just Swift, but then again with the sh1t season they've had, who knows what if any plan there was!!!
The UK is a veritable hotbed of cycling right now, both in terms of watching/taking part….we NEED another UK WT team, I for one am becoming a bit jaded of shouting for Sky, while deep down feeling they are not what they were 2 years ago.
I know this will, as usual prompt some haters, but hey, who cares, it's only my opinion, and it's ONLY a sport after all!!
Once Swifty was in the break, of course he will sit up and go back into the bunch and let Cannondale chase as Viviani did not make the split. Orica did the same and did other teams with no one in the break. Cannondale were the big losers as Viviani probably the fsetest in the field if the race was ridden easily to a bunch sprint.0 -
ad_snow wrote:Who says he's in the best form of his season? Surely he peaked for his best form over the distance of 4k, two weeks ago.
Perhaps he would have done the Vuelta if Froome had finished the tour, maybe even as team leader if he could lose the weight post track. But Froome is a baby and doesn't want him on his team.
Dave B said today he will ride Tour of Britain instead - perhaps this will be the first race where he gets to try and defend his title, even if it's seen as a chipper it would still be a highlight of his season and then he's gearing up for the Worlds to try and find some way to beat Tony Martin, if you think that is an easy ride then you're a fool.
...but who's most likely to win the Vuelta - Froome or Wiggo?
He acted like a domestique today and wasn't in the break despite being in 'good form'. Actions need to match words and Wiggo needs to pay Froome back for the Tdf win. Maybe if Wiggo made it explicit that he would ride the Vuelta for the principal job of helping Froome instead of being vague (both in his intentions short and long term), Froome would press for his inclusion in the squad. He will never win a classic because it is all about getting in the right break - and it's plainly obvious he needs practice.
I think he is far too self centered to warrant a place in SKY for the Vuelta.
Cue Pross...seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
VinnyMarsden wrote:Just watched the London classic race…is it JUST me or does anyone else think Wiggins sat up far too early/easily??
We keep getting told…he's in the best form of his season, and still he frustrates the hell out of me, because clearly if he had gone along with Gilbert, 2 riders of that quality, and a couple of others could have ridden the legs off the sprinters, as it was in my opinion Wiggins sat up thinking he had done enough…I can't believe all Sky's plans hinged on just Swift, but then again with the sh1t season they've had, who knows what if any plan there was!!!
The UK is a veritable hotbed of cycling right now, both in terms of watching/taking part….we NEED another UK WT team, I for one am becoming a bit jaded of shouting for Sky, while deep down feeling they are not what they were 2 years ago.
I know this will, as usual prompt some haters, but hey, who cares, it's only my opinion, and it's ONLY a sport after all!!
Have you seen what happens when 2 riders from the same team get in to a small-ish break? They end up doing the majority of the work. There is no way that Swift and AN Other from Sky would have been allowed to succeed the break just wouldn't have worked.0 -
hammerite wrote:VinnyMarsden wrote:Just watched the London classic race…is it JUST me or does anyone else think Wiggins sat up far too early/easily??
We keep getting told…he's in the best form of his season, and still he frustrates the hell out of me, because clearly if he had gone along with Gilbert, 2 riders of that quality, and a couple of others could have ridden the legs off the sprinters, as it was in my opinion Wiggins sat up thinking he had done enough…I can't believe all Sky's plans hinged on just Swift, but then again with the sh1t season they've had, who knows what if any plan there was!!!
The UK is a veritable hotbed of cycling right now, both in terms of watching/taking part….we NEED another UK WT team, I for one am becoming a bit jaded of shouting for Sky, while deep down feeling they are not what they were 2 years ago.
I know this will, as usual prompt some haters, but hey, who cares, it's only my opinion, and it's ONLY a sport after all!!
Have you seen what happens when 2 riders from the same team get in to a small-ish break? They end up doing the majority of the work. There is no way that Swift and AN Other from Sky would have been allowed to succeed the break just wouldn't have worked.
At least a couple of teams had 2 riders in that break if you mean the point where the bigger break went away. If you mean at the finish I am pretty sure if you'd offered Sky or Swift the option of having Wiggins in the last 5 man selection they'd have taken it.
Having said that I'm not criticising Wiggins for not being there as i didn't see much of the earlier part of the race and he was a late addition to the line up at a point where his future direction seems very uncertain. From what I did see he did a job for Swift which is what he as there for - I didn't expect any more than that. I don't know about being told he's in the best form of the season - I haven't read that anywhere - I expected him to be in moderate road form coming off the track and probably rather demotivated.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0 -
pinarello001 wrote:ad_snow wrote:Who says he's in the best form of his season? Surely he peaked for his best form over the distance of 4k, two weeks ago.
Perhaps he would have done the Vuelta if Froome had finished the tour, maybe even as team leader if he could lose the weight post track. But Froome is a baby and doesn't want him on his team.
Dave B said today he will ride Tour of Britain instead - perhaps this will be the first race where he gets to try and defend his title, even if it's seen as a chipper it would still be a highlight of his season and then he's gearing up for the Worlds to try and find some way to beat Tony Martin, if you think that is an easy ride then you're a fool.
...but who's most likely to win the Vuelta - Froome or Wiggo?
He acted like a domestique today and wasn't in the break despite being in 'good form'. Actions need to match words and Wiggo needs to pay Froome back for the Tdf win. Maybe if Wiggo made it explicit that he would ride the Vuelta for the principal job of helping Froome instead of being vague (both in his intentions short and long term), Froome would press for his inclusion in the squad. He will never win a classic because it is all about getting in the right break - and it's plainly obvious he needs practice.
I think he is far too self centered to warrant a place in SKY for the Vuelta.
Cue Pross...
Sorry to disappoint but I agree with the first half other than I'm not sure he'd be much help in the hills. The Vuelta is the GT that least suits him.0 -
hammerite wrote:VinnyMarsden wrote:Just watched the London classic race…is it JUST me or does anyone else think Wiggins sat up far too early/easily??
We keep getting told…he's in the best form of his season, and still he frustrates the hell out of me, because clearly if he had gone along with Gilbert, 2 riders of that quality, and a couple of others could have ridden the legs off the sprinters, as it was in my opinion Wiggins sat up thinking he had done enough…I can't believe all Sky's plans hinged on just Swift, but then again with the sh1t season they've had, who knows what if any plan there was!!!
The UK is a veritable hotbed of cycling right now, both in terms of watching/taking part….we NEED another UK WT team, I for one am becoming a bit jaded of shouting for Sky, while deep down feeling they are not what they were 2 years ago.
I know this will, as usual prompt some haters, but hey, who cares, it's only my opinion, and it's ONLY a sport after all!!
Have you seen what happens when 2 riders from the same team get in to a small-ish break? They end up doing the majority of the work. There is no way that Swift and AN Other from Sky would have been allowed to succeed the break just wouldn't have worked.
Not sure that's true. You can work the old 1-2 and make others work hard.0 -
As the OP. Can I stress , I am not knocking Wiggins per se, I just find it very very frustrating that he is so vague about his actual plans.
One minute we hear the road has used him up, bled him dry I think we're his words and then he pops up in Ride London.
The problem for Sky is that he is still a major draw, and when he rides people expect him to try and get up there and possibly win.
The nature of the man is to be obtuse and I think intentionally misleading towards the media and spectators, lest we forget, this is the same guy who called the press a set of C words whilst winning the Tour!
He is unpredictable without doubt, but if the management of Team Sky actually flexed some muscle and made their 2 main riders "grow up" I think we would see further GC wins from 1 or both of them, instead we get the circus of them both dodging round each other to avoid having to ride together.
When I read Wiggins book I thought he was an oddball, but being fair most major sports people are a bit that way, then I read Froomes book, and I think he's just as bad!0 -
What this forum really needed was another thread debating how hard/fit Wiggins is. There are only about 3 of them on the go plus a running commentary on every race that he may or may not be starting. 0
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Pross wrote:FFS another Wiggins thread :roll:
Hopefully a Mod will merge this one with "Wiggone"?
Its getting difficult to keep up with threads again.0 -
he has been quite clear about his plans to ride track in Riom and also this years wolrds TT. I have yet to see a rider train for a world TT without riding on the road? He will probably ride the ENECO anf TOB as prep also. He would have done most of the Vuelta, that would have been his focus for training for the worlds. few riders use it for training.VinnyMarsden wrote:As the OP. Can I stress , I am not knocking Wiggins per se, I just find it very very frustrating that he is so vague about his actual plans.
One minute we hear the road has used him up, bled him dry I think we're his words and then he pops up in Ride London.
The problem for Sky is that he is still a major draw, and when he rides people expect him to try and get up there and possibly win.
The nature of the man is to be obtuse and I think intentionally misleading towards the media and spectators, lest we forget, this is the same guy who called the press a set of C words whilst winning the Tour!
He is unpredictable without doubt, but if the management of Team Sky actually flexed some muscle and made their 2 main riders "grow up" I think we would see further GC wins from 1 or both of them, instead we get the circus of them both dodging round each other to avoid having to ride together.
When I read Wiggins book I thought he was an oddball, but being fair most major sports people are a bit that way, then I read Froomes book, and I think he's just as bad!0 -
I forgot Wiggins saying "I plan to ride the track in Rio and the WC TT, and I am working towards those goals" wasn't him actually saying what he had planned. I also forgot the domestiques main role is to "be in the break"0
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VinnyMarsden wrote:The nature of the man is to be obtuse and I think intentionally misleading towards the media and spectators, lest we forget, this is the same guy who called the press a set of C words whilst winning the Tour!
If I recall it wasn't the press so much who he referred to as c words. It was more the "twitterati" on the likes of the Clinic. It is they who out and out accused him and Sky of doping. I'm not sure if any main stream press have directly accused him, not even Kimmage who pretty much offends everyone these days.0 -
Since when is the domestiques main role to be in the break? Their main role is to look after the protected rider and control the breakways and to control the pace, they did that and got rid of Viviani and Swift was in the break!!sjmclean wrote:I forgot Wiggins saying "I plan to ride the track in Rio and the WC TT, and I am working towards those goals" wasn't him actually saying what he had planned. I also forgot the domestiques main role is to "be in the break"0 -
oldwelshman wrote:
Since when is the domestiques main role to be in the break? Their main role is to look after the protected rider and control the breakways and to control the pace, they did that and got rid of Viviani and Swift was in the break!!sjmclean wrote:I forgot Wiggins saying "I plan to ride the track in Rio and the WC TT, and I am working towards those goals" wasn't him actually saying what he had planned. I also forgot the domestiques main role is to "be in the break"
...and Blythe won.seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
Sarcasm detector not working? :Poldwelshman wrote:
Since when is the domestiques main role to be in the break? Their main role is to look after the protected rider and control the breakways and to control the pace, they did that and got rid of Viviani and Swift was in the break!!sjmclean wrote:I forgot Wiggins saying "I plan to ride the track in Rio and the WC TT, and I am working towards those goals" wasn't him actually saying what he had planned. I also forgot the domestiques main role is to "be in the break"0
