Wiggins the legend!

Richmond Racer 2

stagehopper wrote:

Unfortunately nothing on Wiggins but a few bits of info on the other sport stars taking part - wonder what Wiggo's leg steering range is like:

http://www.theweek.co.uk/80071/warren-s ... tness-tips

Might be all right. He's always done a shootload of yoga and stretching

ugo.santalucia

Is this a thing where they try to cash in on their fame before it fades and they're not even good enough for an Iceland advert?

The Jump now and then I'm a celebrity... eating cockroaches next year?
C'mon... a bit of grace from a Knight would be nice...

RichN95.

ugo.santalucia wrote:

The Jump now and then I'm a celebrity... eating cockroaches next year?
C'mon... a bit of grace from a Knight would be nice...

Sir Steven Redgrave did the first series of The Jump. No-one seemed to mind then.

To make a serious point - retirement is a difficult time for a sportsmen, particularly one that has been doing it for the best part of 20 years. The routine, the goals, the drive, the teammates all disappear and it can be a tricky time for mental health issues - issues that Wiggins and his ancestry are familiar with. Sportsmen on retirement are encouraged to find a challenge as a 'halfway house' between competition and retirement, so they can 'decompress' into a civilian lifestyle.

carbonclem

I see that UK Sport have suspended Kadeena Cox's funding while she takes part until she can report fit for training again.

I know Wiggins is no stranger to contradiction, but when he has always been so critical of celeb reality type stuff it is a little disappointing. I get the end of a career void thing, but I'd have thought that doing stuff with the Team and various punditry would have done the job.

I can only think this is to counter the distinctly damp squib of a retirement run out he had from the general public due to recent events.

Richmond Racer 2

RichN95 wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

The Jump now and then I'm a celebrity... eating cockroaches next year?
C'mon... a bit of grace from a Knight would be nice...

Sir Steven Redgrave did the first series of The Jump. No-one seemed to mind then.

To make a serious point - retirement is a difficult time for a sportsmen, particularly one that has been doing it for the best part of 20 years. The routine, the goals, the drive, the teammates all disappear and it can be a tricky time for mental health issues - issues that Wiggins and his ancestry are familiar with. Sportsmen on retirement are encouraged to find a challenge as a 'halfway house' between competition and retirement, so they can 'decompress' into a civilian lifestyle.

Fair points

shinyhelmut

RichN95 wrote:

And as ideal evenings go, I reckon a free bar chatting with Robbie Fowler and Jason Robinson would be high on his wish list.

Jason Robinson is teetotal so should make for a cheap round.

bianchimoon

Doing a c2c a couple of years ago near Hayeswater in the lakes and he drove past and waved in sky car, a couple of miles up the road he was getting changed to do a recce stage over Honister pass, he came over to us had a little chat, stood for a few pics with us, seemed genuinely interested in our ride, top man. Enjoy the retirement, regardless of what (if anything) dubious has gone on he's changed cycling for the better in the UK

Pross

CarbonClem wrote:

I see that UK Sport have suspended Kadeena Cox's funding while she takes part until she can report fit for training again.

I know Wiggins is no stranger to contradiction, but when he has always been so critical of celeb reality type stuff it is a little disappointing. I get the end of a career void thing, but I'd have thought that doing stuff with the Team and various punditry would have done the job.

I can only think this is to counter the distinctly damp squib of a retirement run out he had from the general public due to recent events.

The UK Sport decision is a good one.

I'm not sure Wiggins taking part is a contradiction. I think there's a difference between a reality show and something like The Jump or even Strictly which are about challenging yourself in a new environment. If I was a 'celebrity' I'd do those shows at the end of my career but would struggle to bring myself to do something like Big Brother or I'm A Celebrity even if I was desperate for cash.

I'm not sure his reception at the London 6 Day counts as a damp squib :?

rick_chasey

I'd give a lot to be on strictly.

salsiccia1

Rick Chasey wrote:

I'd give a lot to be on strictly.

Probably for the same reason I would

Perhaps Cath had the strictly curse in mind and won't let him go on it...

carbonclem

Pross wrote:

CarbonClem wrote:

I see that UK Sport have suspended Kadeena Cox's funding while she takes part until she can report fit for training again.

I know Wiggins is no stranger to contradiction, but when he has always been so critical of celeb reality type stuff it is a little disappointing. I get the end of a career void thing, but I'd have thought that doing stuff with the Team and various punditry would have done the job.

I can only think this is to counter the distinctly damp squib of a retirement run out he had from the general public due to recent events.

The UK Sport decision is a good one.

I'm not sure Wiggins taking part is a contradiction. I think there's a difference between a reality show and something like The Jump or even Strictly which are about challenging yourself in a new environment. If I was a 'celebrity' I'd do those shows at the end of my career but would struggle to bring myself to do something like Big Brother or I'm A Celebrity even if I was desperate for cash.

I'm not sure his reception at the London 6 Day counts as a damp squib :?

I dunno, he's spoken often about avoiding the celeb tv market.

London and Ghent were packed with Cav and Wiggo fans but I'd say the general public have read enough misleading headlines to assume he's been up to no good.

ddraver

I think you vastly overestimate how many people give a monkeys about cycling...

bobmcstuff

ddraver wrote:

I think you vastly overestimate how many people give a monkeys about cycling...

My experience is that most people (i.e., non-cycling fans) either don't care about the TUEs or have forgotten about it already.

ShutupJens

Wiggins going on the jump seems like a bit of a desperate grab for attention doesn't it? If he wanted to be on telly he cuold walk into a role doing punditry/commentary pretty much on his own terms, he hardly needs the money, he has a "passion for skiing" but apparently hasn't thought to book a nice skiing holiday in literally the first year in the last 15 or so that he will have been able to go in late winter/spring - and yet he doesn't want to be called a celebrity?

Give us a break man.. Can read that like a book. And not a very good one either, certainly not Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNab

m.r.m.

While not wanting to defend anyone going on a reality show, the not skiing in the offseason while he wasn't retired yet could simply be down to the injury risk.

Richmond Racer 2

ShutupJens wrote:

Wiggins going on the jump seems like a bit of a desperate grab for attention doesn't it? If he wanted to be on telly he cuold walk into a role doing punditry/commentary pretty much on his own terms, he hardly needs the money, he has a "passion for skiing" but apparently hasn't thought to book a nice skiing holiday in literally the first year in the last 15 or so that he will have been able to go in late winter/spring - and yet he doesn't want to be called a celebrity?

Give us a break man.. Can read that like a book. And not a very good one either, certainly not Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNab

Must be imagining those photos on Instagram posted by his wife and Andy Hawes of him in Val D'Isere last week. You know - 'literally the first year in the last 15 or so that he will have been able to go skiing'

Mate, if you're going to slag off someone at least try and get your facts right.

dish_dash

Where is the fun in that?

Pross

Is there actually any snow in Europe at the moment? I've seen friends' photos over Christmas from Austria, Slovenia and the French Alps and there was more snow at the top of The Tumble on Sunday!

ocdupalais

Richmond Racer 2 wrote:

ShutupJens wrote:

Wiggins going on the jump seems like a bit of a desperate grab for attention doesn't it? If he wanted to be on telly he cuold walk into a role doing punditry/commentary pretty much on his own terms, he hardly needs the money, he has a "passion for skiing" but apparently hasn't thought to book a nice skiing holiday in literally the first year in the last 15 or so that he will have been able to go in late winter/spring - and yet he doesn't want to be called a celebrity?

Give us a break man.. Can read that like a book. And not a very good one either, certainly not Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNab

Must be imagining those photos on Instagram posted by his wife and Andy Hawes of him in Val D'Isere last week. You know - 'literally the first year in the last 15 or so that he will have been able to go skiing'

Mate, if you're going to slag off someone at least try and get your facts right.

Not skied in the last 15 years you say? He's going to be well shite, Shirley?
Does he look like a baby giraffe?
I wasn't going to watch, but...

ocdupalais

Pross wrote:

Is there actually any snow in Europe at the moment? I've seen friends' photos over Christmas from Austria, Slovenia and the French Alps and there was more snow at the top of The Tumble on Sunday!

That was wool.

RichN95.

OCDuPalais wrote:

Not skied in the last 15 years you say? He's going to be well shite, Shirley?

They have four weeks of practice before the whole thing gets started.

daniel_b

Pross wrote:

Is there actually any snow in Europe at the moment? I've seen friends' photos over Christmas from Austria, Slovenia and the French Alps and there was more snow at the top of The Tumble on Sunday!

There's certainly enough in Northern Italy, my brother lives and works out there for the season.

dish_dash

Paging DDRaver... how's the snow?

Richmond Racer 2

dish_dash wrote:

Paging DDRaver... how's the snow?

The jammy git posted on Insta 15 mins ago and there certainly is da snow

ddraver

Yes, its finally snowed. First snow since November

(Italy has been much better)

davebradswmb

I don't get the comments about Wiggins not being a great athlete. He's won 5 Olympic gold medals, only beaten in the cycling world by Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny - and he's won more medals in total than either of them - one of which was won on the road as well as the four track golds. He has also been world champion several times on the track and time trial as well as winning classics and the Tour de France. There are few in any sport that can match his achievements across such a wide spread of events. He is very special and deserves to be recognised as such, whether you like his personality or not (and I do).

yorkshireraw

davebradswmb wrote:

I don't get the comments about Wiggins not being a great athlete. He's won 5 Olympic gold medals, only beaten in the cycling world by Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny - and he's won more medals in total than either of them - one of which was won on the road as well as the four track golds. He has also been world champion several times on the track and time trial as well as winning classics and the Tour de France. There are few in any sport that can match his achievements across such a wide spread of events. He is very special and deserves to be recognised as such, whether you like his personality or not (and I do).

What classics has Wiggins won?...

His performances on the track are outstanding, but it's a pretty niche area of the sport, so as with most comparisons between 'greats' from different sports, its a bit of a moot exercise. He's comparable to a boxer who's won titles at 3 or 4 different weights (and 1 or 2 of the belts each time, not all of them), rather than being undisputed and long serving champion at 1 weight.

Clearly he's a great athlete, but in terms of Cycling he also only has 1 world road TT title. Cancellera and Martin have 4 each. Nibali has won all 3 GTs and a Monument.

r0bh

YorkshireRaw wrote:

Clearly he's a great athlete, but in terms of Cycling he also only has 1 world road TT title. Cancellera and Martin have 4 each. Nibali has won all 3 GTs and a Monument.

Could have sworn he won some big race round France too.

yorkshireraw

r0bh wrote:

YorkshireRaw wrote:

Clearly he's a great athlete, but in terms of Cycling he also only has 1 world road TT title. Cancellera and Martin have 4 each. Nibali has won all 3 GTs and a Monument.

Could have sworn he won some big race round France too.

Yes that had already been mentioned - I was making the point he hasn't won 'multiple world TT titles'. Should have been clearer.
I chucked the Nibali point on the end for another comparison which probably muddied it a bit. Point being it is also impossible to compare different athletes within the sport, never mind across different sports.
How do you assess the career of someone like Valverde - lots of road wins and places, competitive all season, versus Wiggins actually having won a world title and a TdF? You can't -it all comes down to what the viewer places more value on or likes watching.

kingstongraham

r0bh wrote:

YorkshireRaw wrote:

Clearly he's a great athlete, but in terms of Cycling he also only has 1 world road TT title. Cancellera and Martin have 4 each. Nibali has won all 3 GTs and a Monument.

Could have sworn he won some big race round France too.

And an Olympic TT.