Bradley Wiggins - MOD Warning - see Opening Post

GT_TDI_150 · 30-09-2012 09:09PM #1

Just wondering what peoples opinions on B.W are?

I find him/his tactics/style hard to warm to.

I'm sure it is hard to hold a constant tempo up over the mountains but there is no exitement in how he/sky ride.

my 2c

Mod Note - I set out below the warning I posted at post #126

Final warning

Doping speculation is not allowed. Posters continuing to indicate they have "suspicions" about riders or teams is pushing this to or indeed beyond what we can permit on Boards. Boards requires us as mods to step in at the merest hint of anything that could potentially get Boards or its users into trouble. Whatever Paul Kimmage says, he can look after himself.

Now if you want to go ahead and discuss what Sky and Wiggins have done within the rules, as suggested by ROK ON yesterday evening, that's fine. However any more discussion of doping or "suspicions" surrounding any team or rider will result in sanctions being taken against the poster and the likely closure of the thread

Thanks

Beasty

Henlars67 · 30-09-2012 09:15PM

I hate his sideburns. I don't think any cyclist should have facial hair but his is revolting.

He seems like a bit of a tosser as well.

Beasty · 30-09-2012 09:30PM

Multiple Olympic Golds, TdF - an absolutely fantastic rider in my book. Just because he and his team talke a completely professional approach does not in any way detract from his achievements

I'm a Who rather than Jam fan and do have some reservations over his hairstyle and sideburns though ...

Mycroft H · 30-09-2012 09:44PM

Henlars67 wrote: »

I hate his sideburns. I don't think any cyclist should have facial hair but his is revolting.

He seems like a bit of a tosser as well.

At least you can spot the sideburns in the petelon

Don't see the problem with facial hair (or his head hair) tbh, it made no difference to how he rides. Great cyclist apart from that (especially at the Olympics)

Beasty · 30-09-2012 09:58PM

I would like to clarify one thing. Are sideburns considered "facial hair"? Even those that may only be a couple of cm long? Alternatively where is the line drawn?

billyhead · 30-09-2012 10:00PM

There were a lot of accusations going around that he was doping throughout his career but if was always clean I think hes a fantastic rider

07Lapierre · 30-09-2012 10:06PM

Side burns are like cycling socks. They can be too long or too short... Brads are WAY to long, end of.

Gipo3 · 30-09-2012 10:09PM

Henlars67 wrote: »

I hate his sideburns. I don't think any cyclist should have facial hair but his is revolting.

He seems like a bit of a tosser as well.

Does this mean you shave your eyebrows?

Staro · 30-09-2012 10:45PM

The cycling Modfather, Legend, does not suffer fools & takes no sh1t! Share a birthday with him so be is cool in my book :-)

Mycroft H · 30-09-2012 11:30PM

Beasty wrote: »

I would like to clarify one thing. Are sideburns considered "facial hair"? Even those that may only be a couple of cm long? Alternatively where is the line drawn?

:P:D

Beasty · 30-09-2012 11:34PM

Phew!!! Looks like I'm just on the right side of it then ...

shaka · 01-10-2012 12:00AM

irritating guy and i do wonder about the whole sky team but if it is legit fair play..

alexanderomahon · 01-10-2012 12:30AM

LEGEND!! MAN OF THE PEOPLE !!!end of STORY!!!! Here's proof

happytramp · 01-10-2012 12:55AM

His tactics dictate that he'll never be as popular as the likes of Rodriguez or Nibali but that shouldn't devalue the magnitude of his achievements this season. I wonder if he'll have the drive to do as well next year. And I do think he'd find it very difficult to match Contador, Schleck, Froome and current form Rodriguez in the mountains.

spoke2cun · 01-10-2012 02:20AM

He won the softest tour de france in years. He's lucky he didn'nt enter this year's vuellta. He would've been blown away just like Froome. A marketing stunt for british Cycling was this years TDF.

corny · 01-10-2012 02:35AM

spoke2cun wrote: »

He won the softest tour de france in years. He's lucky he didn'nt enter this year's vuellta. He would've been blown away just like Froome. A marketing stunt for british Cycling was this years TDF.

I'm not really one for conspiracy theories but if he's a non factor next year, like he has been in the past, the above might be true. The most TT friendly course ever coinciding with a suspiciously dominant team performance. Makes you wonder.

Cee-Jay-Cee · 01-10-2012 02:40AM

I have to admit that i like him but like others have said wonder how much of a contender he'll be in next years tour.

I do wonder how the hell he rode so well this year considering he seems to have no muscle anywhere in his body not even his legs and yeah his sideburns are a bit if a side show on their own but I suppose it's his trade mark now.

Brian? · 02-10-2012 05:21PM

Boring, boring, boring and tedious to watch.

I respect him as he's not a naturally gifted climber like Schleck or Contador but I hope he never wins another Tour.

kumate_champ07 · 02-10-2012 05:53PM

Beasty wrote: »

I would like to clarify one thing. Are sideburns considered "facial hair"? Even those that may only be a couple of cm long? Alternatively where is the line drawn?

this is facial hair

CptMackey · 02-10-2012 05:58PM

Would have liked a closer fight for the yellow, He is some thing else when it comes to tting. He won the tour and that's no mean feat regardless of the team tactics. It was up to bmc etc to bring the fight and they didn't.

Raymzor · 02-10-2012 06:04PM

is that seabass-former french rugby player sebastian chabal?

kumate_champ07 · 02-10-2012 06:11PM

Raymzor wrote: »

is that seabass-former french rugby player sebastian chabal?

2002 sprint world champion Sean Eadie (Aus)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Eadie

Mycroft H · 02-10-2012 06:12PM

Raymzor wrote: »

is that seabass-former french rugby player sebastian chabal?

I thought that too

I enjoyed Wiggens TdF. He's no sprinter nor climber but a real real solid all rounder. (he's the wrong shape to be either a climber or a sprinter)

Wishbone Ash · 02-10-2012 06:30PM

briankeating wrote: »

Boring, boring, boring and tedious to watch

In fairness though, one doesn't have to be exciting to excel at a particular sport. Steve Davis was exceedingly boring to watch at snooker and Geoff Boycott was probably the most boring exponent of cricket but they both excelled at their game.

As the great Hinault once said "I race to win, not to please people".

Macy0161 · 02-10-2012 06:32PM

I always liked wiggins, and didn't have an issue with this years tour (up to the others to take it to him, and the route suited Evans as much him in theory).

However, his recent ambivalence to doping and sky's ambivalence to transparency, along with his outspoken respect for Armstrong and Indurain take the gloss off for me I'm afraid.

ashleey · 02-10-2012 06:37PM

spoke2cun wrote: »

He won the softest tour de france in years. He's lucky he didn'nt enter this year's vuellta. He would've been blown away just like Froome. A marketing stunt for british Cycling was this years TDF.

Yes. I've always thought that the French bend over backwards to make the English look good.

Good grief

RobFowl · 02-10-2012 07:05PM

I think it's disappointing that a previously vocal anti doping cyclist like Wiggins has gone quiet. That said I'd blame his team management for that (see the infamous TDF press conferance where they annnounced any questions about doping and they would stop, also the poor reaction to the questions re the ex rabobank team doc).
Personally I like him and to be fair to him he has ridden to his strenghts this year. In any race you can only beat those who turn up...

dave_o_brien · 02-10-2012 07:24PM

I find him impossible to warm to, or get enthusiastic about, but as an athlete I think what he has achieved in the sport of cycling is outstanding. To transform yourself over time from a track pursuit specialist to a grand tour contender requires dedication and commitment that would put the pope to shame. His absolute focus and understanding of how long is necessary to allow things to happen, and then a complete understanding of what an individual needs to do to perform on a given day, is simply brilliant. I can think of few athletes in any sport at any time in history who have been capable of transforming themselves so completely over time, and then succeed at the pinnacle of each discipline. The fact that he achieves this through a dedication to numbers is just him using the science available to him. It might be dull, but it's smart.

And even then the way I don't like him, I understand it. He doesn't like the media, and doesn't want to be a celebrity. If I don't like him, I don't think he cares.

Over the years, he has been an outspoken critic of the doping culture that existed/exists in cycling. Fair play, we need more of him. Except more like Voeckler. They should have kids and train them to be great cyclists.

ROK ON · 02-10-2012 07:55PM

I have mixed feelings about him.

He is a character and shoots from the hip when he is minded to speak.
His honesty about past failings has endeared him to me - for example bus-side interview when Sky flopped at first event.
His interviews are a breath of fresh air. I found his speech about doping at this years tour highly plausible.

The tour cannot be the same every year - organisers mix it up for diversity. This was a tour that he had to go all out for and he did. It was a great season for him and Sky. Everyone knew he would be competitive on such a parcours but he still had to go out and win. He did that and should be lauded as a very worthy champion. What a year.

The things I don't like.
1. The toning down the very worthy aspiration to win with a cometely clean team. If Sky cannot employ Dave Millar then IMHO they cannot employ Gert Linders either.
2. Petethedrummer posted a link a while back which alleged Sky used carbon monoxide to boost performance. While this is not outlawed in my book it is doping - legal doping, but doping nonetheless. Winning a tour on bread & water in my estimation means eating and drinking normally for an elite athlete and not tampering with the bodies bio/chemical make up. Ones body should Chavez from training, racing and diet - carbon monoxide should not feature here.
3. The admission that guys like Rogers and Porte tap out a certain wattage kills my view of what sport should be about. Not Sky's fault tbh, simply using available technology to the max. I think that computers and race radio should be banned from races completely. By all mean use a PM for data recording and training - but do not have a computer feeding live info to the riders in-race.
4. Sky have been building for this year for about 18months. They deserve this. But by Christ they are by and large monotonous to watch. When I watched a lot of rugby (Shannon and Munster) I never cared about entertainment - I simply wanted victory. For cycling I want entertainment. It's why I love Gilbert et al.

I hope he hasn't doped but lots of things like his training regime leave him open to being questioned. Thus far his defense has been a bit of a curates egg.

alexanderomahon · 02-10-2012 08:30PM

I thought this thread was a joke one, hence my earlier post.

But seriously for me this guy is a massive talent who has achieved what no Brit before has achieved. His record on the road and track speaks for itself and yes the TDF course suited him this year but so what, the course varies from year to year and that is one of the things that makes the TDF so interesting. Due to a shared language I also find him more accessible as a person than other non English speaking riders.

As to the question of doping/stretching rules, well given cycling's history everybody is under a cloud. If he is doubted then the winner of everything is questionable.

Finally, I have really enjoyed this year watching and listening to him, Froome and Cavendish and hopefully next year will bring me as much enjoyment as this one.

letape · 02-10-2012 08:55PM

Macy0161 wrote: »

However, his recent ambivalence to doping and sky's ambivalence to transparency, along with his outspoken respect for Armstrong and Indurain take the gloss off for me I'm afraid.

This too is my concern. I find it disappointing that he will no longer speak out against convicted dopers. The sport needs established riders to openly condem those that have been found out.

Bradley Wiggins - MOD Warning - see Opening Post

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