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...it's just he gets the yips and has a tendency to reach for the bottle when it gets touch, possibly a gift from his father....
Jimmy, please show some class.
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Right, yes, why don't you come back and tell us what it feels like once you have first hand experience of winning the TDF and multiple Olympic gold medals ... oh.
Fine them, be satisfied with watching a sporting hero ride as a domestique for another rather than for the win. I'm not, just sayin'
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Jimmy, please show some class.
His father was an alcoholic, by his own admission Wiggins has flirted with alcoholism. Not sure how suggesting the two are connected is classless.
Sorry if I offended people's delicate sensibilities about Wiggins, I'm not on the attack, just expressing frustration he's no longer a key man at Sky and riding as a domestique, not sure how that is so controversial.
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Perhaps the point is that he isn't a key man anymore at Sky. There is no obvious role for him there now.
He is a goal orientated athlete - the idea that he should be in GC leading form at the drop of a hat when he's effectively 3rd choice is just stupid.
He's obviously entering a different part of his career. Is it really OK to slag him off because he's not living up to your expectations?
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I gather it took him a while to figure out what he wants next, then he had a shit year.*
Jimmy's frustration (and mine and that of others) comes from high expectations. People bought polo shirts, tv packages, grew their facial hair for this guy remember.
*as any pro can – luck plays a part.
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Thank you Miro, someone who saw what I was driving at, thought I was going mad.
And Dan clearly you don't. I haven't been slagging him at all, rather expressing frustration he's playing second fiddle to Porte. As far as the rider goes, I've spent the best part of three years vigorously defending him in other parts on the Internet.
As for goal-orientation, what are they? Last year it was the Giro and and Tour double wasn't it? Then he faded at he Giro, popped up to claim second at the Worlds ITT (combined with a dreadful showing at the World's RR) before winning the ToB. This year we've heard talk of Paris-Roubaix, talk of supporting Froome at the Tour, talk of riding the Vuelta, although seemingly to build form for the Worlds again. But nothing really concrete, the rider himself doesn't seem to know and his team looks clueless how to best deploy him. He's not part of the core of the classics squad and seems to be on the periphery of the stage-racing team. I'll lay a bet now he won't make the Tour, for all his talk.
I just want the Wiggins back that I loved watching ride in 2009, 2011 and 2012 rather than this confusing, dithering rider I watch today. And for the record I was saying similar things about him last year, not to slag him off but rather to hope a hero of mine returns to the pomp I enjoyed watching so much.
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Jesus you lot are precious, it's a forum people are expressing opinions, and there's no 'slagging off', stop being so myopic and partisan. I've seen plenty of laughing at Schlecks here and frankly Wiggins isn't far off being them at the moment. Maybe you stop being such a fan and reacting with indignation when someone dares to say something you don't like about a sportsperson you do.
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Can I judge his 2013 season then? Look seriously can people stop reacting like I want eat his children. I don't, what I want is for the real Bradley Wiggins to step forward and start racing properly again. My frustration is born of the fact that a rider that I love seems to be continuing the slump we saw last season, and I'm bemoaning that fact he's now reduced to carrying bottles for Richie Porte in T-A when Froome is injured, rather than Sky making him leader on the road and leaving Porte at Paris-Nice.
Is that slagging him off? Wanting him to compete for GC again?
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Don't you think the Sky management might have asked him to step up and lead at T-A? And he declined because he knew the course was one that was too mountainous for where he's at physically?
He's been crystal clear in his goals for this season; Roubaix in the spring, then the Tour of California and riding the Tour in support of Froome later in the season.
In today's cycling it's next to impossible to suddenly switch goals at short notice. I'm struggling to think of someone who's successfully done this in the past 5 years.
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Anyway, back to the racing. I thought Thomas rode very intelligently today in taking the lead at Paris-Nice. I think the race will be won by a handful of seconds and he's now in a strong position but with the hardest stages yet to come. It'll be interesting to see how Sky defend his lead, as the terrain on Friday, Saturday and Sunday is not amenable to their usual approach of locking down the race.
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I have no idea what Sky management asked him to do, and his reply might have been. As for his goals I find them confusing too, I'm just keep waiting to watch him race again, properly and with some heart. I'm hoping I'll see that at Paris Roubaix then. I realise Sky would want him at T-A because they want to win the TTT and the ITT with him, and that's why he didn't go to Paris-Nice. Pulling Porte at the last moment was disrespectful and ASO isn't impressed. Seems unnecessary with Wiggins there, but I'll concede he would have little chance on that route.
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Right, yes, why don't you come back and tell us what it feels like once you have first hand experience of winning the TDF and multiple Olympic gold medals ... oh.