Wiggo in 2012

clanton
clanton Posts: 1,289
edited September 2011 in Pro race
Just got to thinking following reading about his TT on Copenhagen - will he target the Olympic TT or go for the track events - where he is a previous multiple medal winner?

Also, is he likely to be involved in support of Cav at the RR?
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Comments

  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    He's likely to try win the Tour de France and not worry too much about the Olympics, if you can believe his recent statements.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,069
    As Rick pointed out in another thread, the riders selected for the time trial have to come from the road team so if he does the TT then he'll have to do the road race.

    The only track event he can do is the team pursuit, so it depends if he can add something to that (and GB have a strong team there without him).
  • he was supposed to do track originally but was openly pee-d off with the fact none of his family could get tickets for the event and muted switching to TT.

    This morning he obviously has stated it's all up in the air
  • clanton
    clanton Posts: 1,289
    In theory (don't have the Olympic calendar in front of me) could he do all of them?

    Is it likely that some GB stars will do track AND road events - ie Ben Swift does some track riding - as has Cav. Will there be some doing such different events at the same Olympics?
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,215
    iainf72 wrote:
    He's likely to try win the Tour de France and not worry too much about the Olympics, if you can believe his recent statements.

    This.

    I think he doesn't have anything left to prove in the olympics, especially on the track, and he's now capitalising on his new found lucrative ability in stage races. Given he's in his 30s, he won't have many more opportunities.
  • iainf72 wrote:
    He's likely to try win the Tour de France and not worry too much about the Olympics, if you can believe his recent statements.

    This.

    I think he doesn't have anything left to prove in the olympics, especially on the track, and he's now capitalising on his new found lucrative ability in stage races. Given he's in his 30s, he won't have many more opportunities.
    +1, and I dont think GB will beat the Aussies in the Team pursuit anyway so why risk it for silver or bronze in one event ?
  • iainf72 wrote:
    He's likely to try win the Tour de France and not worry too much about the Olympics, if you can believe his recent statements.

    On the money with this I believe. Wiggins has been pretty clear about what he wants out of 2012; in this mornings Times he was once again quoted as saying he wants to put his energies into the TDF but no team decision has yet been made. As Rick points out, Wiggo is also in his 30's and this also must have a bearing on his career goals.
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  • AMcK
    AMcK Posts: 79
    iainf72 wrote:
    He's likely to try win the Tour de France and not worry too much about the Olympics, if you can believe his recent statements.

    This.

    I think he doesn't have anything left to prove in the olympics, especially on the track, and he's now capitalising on his new found lucrative ability in stage races. Given he's in his 30s, he won't have many more opportunities.
    +1, and I dont think GB will beat the Aussies in the Team pursuit anyway so why risk it for silver or bronze in one event ?

    +1

    Nothing to prove on the track. Tour and Team Pursuit combo isn't feasible in my view. He's been clear that Vuelta and Worlds was a dry run to see what was possible next year with Tour and Olympics happening in the same timeframe - achieving the podium and a silver medal suggests Tour and Olympic TT medal is possible.

    I'd rather he'd have a decent crack at the Tour - given his age, and how he was looking going into this year's event.
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  • sonny73
    sonny73 Posts: 2,203
    iainf72 wrote:
    He's likely to try win the Tour de France and not worry too much about the Olympics, if you can believe his recent statements.

    This.

    I think he doesn't have anything left to prove in the olympics, especially on the track, and he's now capitalising on his new found lucrative ability in stage races. Given he's in his 30s, he won't have many more opportunities.
    Another +1 and here's what he had to say after the WTT: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cycling/15022400.stm
    "As big as the Olympics are, being in London, it's kind of 'been there, done that'," said the 31-year-old.
    "It would be crazy to not do the Tour but it will jeopardise the time trial."
  • home olympics i think he should go for olympics then either veulta and or giro
  • Hmmm...it may be that the riders have very little choice as the pressure will be on for a big medal haul at "our" games. TDF will take a back seat for Brits in 2012 maybe. If this is the case, that will be a shame for Brad in particular as he may not have many chances left, as said above.
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  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Hmmm...it may be that the riders have very little choice as the pressure will be on for a big medal haul at "our" games. TDF will take a back seat for Brits in 2012 maybe. If this is the case, that will be a shame for Brad in particular as he may not have many chances left, as said above.

    You make it sound like he has no choice. He could decline to do it - After all, their are quite a few people who'd gladly do it and he's got a clutch of medals already.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • nickwill
    nickwill Posts: 2,735
    Hmmm...it may be that the riders have very little choice as the pressure will be on for a big medal haul at "our" games. TDF will take a back seat for Brits in 2012 maybe. If this is the case, that will be a shame for Brad in particular as he may not have many chances left, as said above.
    It would be a great shame if any top cyclists put the Olympics first. In tennis people remember who won a grand slam not who won Olympic medals. The same goes with cycling. The Tour is far more important in international terms.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,215
    Don't forget the £££s.

    He's never made so much than now, in his GT guise.

    Athlete's like him need to capitalise on the years where their body can allow them to earn that money.

    Come 40, he's not going to be on a 7 figure salary.

    How much did he earn as a trackie with a load of olympic medals?

    I'm guessing nowhere near as much...
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    They've stupidly removed the solo pursuit and we do have plenty of strong team riders for the track.

    He will try to win the tour and use the form from that to try for the TT as an afterthought.
  • mouth
    mouth Posts: 1,195
    Can't see him bothering with the track. As he said himself, been there done that. He'll probably go for the TT and act as domestique in the RR letting Cav take leaders duties. Either that or since the TT riders have to come from the road team, just sacrifice himself early on on the road.

    The key to me is that he has the same boss for both his national team and trade duties. Ultimately Brailsford will make the decision IMO. If he gonna do track at 2012 he'd be starting training next week to get the qualifying events in. Reckon he'll do Tour, TT and RR.
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  • I agree that I believe he will focus on the TdF. This is how Team Sky will resolve the Cav vs Brad issue (for 2012 at least). Wiggins will do TdF with a team there to support him, Cav may do the first week or so and try to blag a couple of stage wins without a lead out train, then pull out to focus on the Olympic RR.
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  • Butterd2 wrote:
    I agree that I believe he will focus on the TdF. This is how Team Sky will resolve the Cav vs Brad issue (for 2012 at least). Wiggins will do TdF with a team there to support him, Cav may do the first week or so and try to blag a couple of stage wins without a lead out train, then pull out to focus on the Olympic RR.

    Cav will obviously have interest in the Olympic Road Race, but i can't see him sacrificing the TdF, Stage wins in the Tour mean everything to cav, especially on the Champs Elysees. Anybody putting the Olympics ahead of the Tour needs a reality check if you as me, ok yes its in London, Home soil and all that etc etc, but lets face it, its crap. As previously stated on here, with alot of outside sports (ie, anything other than track and field) they send micky mouse teams and athletes anyway, yeah medals are great, but NOBODY took up ROAD cycling to win an olympic medal, they ALL took up road cycling with ambitions of winning a GT.

    (this all stems from my complete hatred of anything Olympic based which is only going to get much worse as the next 12 months will be full of nothing but '2012 this 2012 that blah blah bleeding blah waste of money loada poo.)

    Bring on the abuse from the out and proud British, olympics is everything gang...
  • Redhog14
    Redhog14 Posts: 1,377
    TdF for me all the way, I have never been able to get too excited about the Olympics and he already has an Olympic Gold but I feel sure the real kudos in procylcing is TdF I only hope he has the hunger for it. Esp in 2012 cause I hope to be there, go on call me selfish.
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    Wiggo in 2012? - What he spent yesterday afternoon doing, just a lot more often. (Froome too) :wink:
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • LangerDan wrote:
    Wiggo in 2012? - What he spent yesterday afternoon doing, just a lot more often. (Froome too) :wink:

    :lol: Poor old Wiggo, i can actually see it happening...
  • Yes, he will be leading him out at Paris-Nice, The Dauphine and the Tour on every single stage.
  • mouth
    mouth Posts: 1,195
    Was a great lap though. I read somewhere he averaged 34 mph
    The only disability in life is a poor attitude.
  • Given what's happened over the last few weeks, I can't see any other outcome other than Wiggins riding the TT at 2012 with a role in the RR team to follow - GB would be mad not to be pushing him to be part of that five man team IMO.

    I also think Wiggo himself will be much more interested in a TT medal than a Team Pursuit medal on the track.
  • Given what's happened over the last few weeks, I can't see any other outcome other than Wiggins riding the TT at 2012 with a role in the RR team to follow - GB would be mad not to be pushing him to be part of that five man team IMO.

    I also think Wiggo himself will be much more interested in a TT medal than a Team Pursuit medal on the track.

    He has a team pursuit medal, he should deffinately forget all about it and go for TT gold, if anything.
  • It has to be the TdF......even more so, following Cadel's triumph this year. Brad will be thinking, "if he can win it, why can't I?", especially if there's more TT kms in 2012. If Bertie's out of the equasion, it looks like a very open race. Schleck(s) would likely be favourites, but their lamentable ability against the clock has to stack up in favour of the likes of Bertie, Evans, Basso, Wiggo...
  • hammerite
    hammerite Posts: 3,408

    As previously stated on here, with alot of outside sports (ie, anything other than track and field) they send micky mouse teams and athletes anyway, yeah medals are great, but NOBODY took up ROAD cycling to win an olympic medal, they ALL took up road cycling with ambitions of winning a GT.
    .

    I wouldn't say these guys are Mickey Mouse riders.... http://tinyurl.com/627yjnd
  • hammerite wrote:

    As previously stated on here, with alot of outside sports (ie, anything other than track and field) they send micky mouse teams and athletes anyway, yeah medals are great, but NOBODY took up ROAD cycling to win an olympic medal, they ALL took up road cycling with ambitions of winning a GT.
    .

    I wouldn't say these guys are Mickey Mouse riders.... http://tinyurl.com/627yjnd

    Yes thats my point, We send top cyclist's when most other sports send micky mouse athletes...
  • Yes, that Lance Armstrong chap, a bit mickey mouse isn't he?

    And Indurain, he never really amounted to much outside the Olympics did he? :lol:
  • Yes, that Lance Armstrong chap, a bit mickey mouse isn't he?

    And Indurain, he never really amounted to much outside the Olympics did he? :lol:

    Again missed the point a little havn't you...

    My point was why are we sending our top cyclist to focus on the olympics, as is the norm with cycling when some OTHER sports send in the wannabe brigade..eg, olympic football...

    As for Lance Armstrong, he's probably the biggest Micky Mouse cyclist that ever lived, IMHO.