No Wiggo for TDF, WTF!

[SWSteve]

Hardly like Bechkam. Wiggo is still very prime.

They both have lots of tattoos and change hairstyles regularly, all we need now is Wiggo in a sarong

 

[suzeworld]

They both have lots of tattoos and change hairstyles regularly, all we need now is Wiggo in a sarong

Good point.

 

[smutchin]

Wiggo is still very prime.

Is he though? He's shown some good form of late but nothing like the form he showed in 2012. I still rate him very highly and he would be an awesome superdomestique for Froome if only they could get over their differences, but not a GC contender in his own right.

Anyway, the parallel isn't just about form, it's about how he would fit in the team. You can't just pick someone because they're a National Treasure if their presence would unbalance the team.

And if you have to pick one or the other, which sadly seems to be the case, then it has to be Froome.

 

[TissoT]

Hardly like Bechkam. Wiggo is still very prime.

And they both have the same Agent .... I think wiggo will take a simular role to bechkam
Who wants to ride a grand tour (he has proved his point) ... when you have his popularity off the bike ...
They treat him like a god when he arrives at the Manchester velo ...

 

[suzeworld]

@ Smutchin, Yeah, I am not saying he'd be a better GC contender than Froome on this year's course, but he would be a massive asset to the team, you'd think.

But Brailsford's latest comments seem designed to hint at a broader issue than just how the two prima donnas get along, read this on the Eurosport site:

But Brailsford dispelled suggestions that Froome would have the final say on the selection of the team, especially given the fractious relationship between the two riders after Froome helped Wiggins win the 2012 Tour.

"Trust and harmony are important considerations and it is a difficult decision," he added. "I'm not just talking about the harmony between Chris and Brad but harmony amongst the riders and staff.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I'm still a bit puzzled by the reasoning behind this. I can see three potential reasons:
* Wiggins, despite his recent statements that he is willing to ride for Froome, has thrown a hissy fit and stepped out of line with his recent statement.
* Froome has thrown a hissy fit and, in line with his recent anti-Wiggins spin, refused to ride with Wiggins on the team.
* Brailsford has decided that, despite his obvious advantages on the road, the cost to team unity means that on balance Wiggins should not be picked.

I'd tend towards the third, with a bit of the other two thrown in. And I wonder how wise it is.
After all pro cycling is not just about winning races, it's also about pleasing the sponsor. Sky would appear to be relatively unpopular with non-British fans ("tested positive for smug" etc), and the resevoir of goodwill with casual British followers of cycling will be tested by this. The current perception, looking at various sporting fora on the web, and the press, seems to be that good ole Brad has been kicked out by a big headed South African. Not a fair assessment of the situation, but I don't think it's an inaccurate description of current perception.

Being seen to discard the twin Queen Mothers of British cycling, Wiggins and Cavendish, may worry the moneybags in Sky, especially if Froome doesn't deliver.

A bit more Strauss/Pietersen than Cooper/Bugner (and yes, I do know where Andrew Strauss was born, and Bradley Wiggins, come to that).

 

[Ganymede]

I'm still a bit puzzled by the reasoning behind this. I can see three potential reasons:
* Wiggins, despite his recent statements that he is willing to ride for Froome, has thrown a hissy fit and stepped out of line with his recent statement.
* Froome has thrown a hissy fit and, in line with his recent anti-Wiggins spin, refused to ride with Wiggins on the team.
* Brailsford has decided that, despite his obvious advantages on the road, the cost to team unity means that on balance Wiggins should not be picked.

I'd tend towards the third, with a bit of the other two thrown in. And I wonder how wise it is.
After all pro cycling is not just about winning races, it's also about pleasing the sponsor. Sky would appear to be relatively unpopular with non-British fans ("tested positive for smug" etc), and the resevoir of goodwill with casual British followers of cycling will be tested by this. The current perception, looking at various sporting fora on the web, and the press, seems to be that good ole Brad has been kicked out by a big headed South African. Not a fair assessment of the situation, but I don't think it's an inaccurate description of current perception.

Being seen to discard the twin Queen Mothers of British cycling, Wiggins and Cavendish, may worry the moneybags in Sky, especially if Froome doesn't deliver.

A bit more Strauss/Pietersen than Cooper/Bugner (and yes, I do know where Andrew Strauss was born).

Yes - what puzzles me is Froome publicly stating that if he was out then Sky should back Richie Porte. Seems inflammatory to me and also - is Porte really a likely winner of the Tour? I'm not anti-Froome but to me this doesn't show great judgement, either thinking it or saying it in public.

 

[Ganymede]

Yes - what puzzles me is Froome publicly stating that if he was out then Sky should back Richie Porte. Seems inflammatory to me and also - is Porte really a likely winner of the Tour? I'm not anti-Froome but to me this doesn't show great judgement, either thinking it or saying it in public.

In the interests of full disclosure I should add that I am a bit of a Wiggo fan and it was his success that got me into cycling, even though I'm only a utility cyclist not a racer.

 

[Hont]

Brailsford is saying that the decision has not been made yet.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/brailsford-speaks-about-wiggins-froome-spat

So now we can have four pages of debate on whether that's just PR fluff or whether that's actually the case.

 

[Apollonius]

Yes, but if it is to be one or the other for team harmony reasons then it has to be Froome. On the other hand, most top sports managers, and I firmly believe Brailsford to be one such, care little for team harmony and may well like a bit of frisson in the ranks.

 

[Crackle]

Brailsford is saying that the decision has not been made yet.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/brailsford-speaks-about-wiggins-froome-spat

So now we can have four pages of debate on whether that's just PR fluff or whether that's actually the case.

Interesting that. I read that and thought it was either damage limitation or true and Wiggins was being extremely clever and provoking a backlash against him being excluded. I love the intrigue.

 

[Hont]

Interesting that. I read that and thought it was either damage limitation or true and Wiggins was being extremely clever and provoking a backlash against him being excluded. I love the intrigue.

Yes! Maybe Wiggins saw which way the wind was blowing and has played a master stroke.

God the race is going to be so boring after all this.

 

[Ganymede]

Yes! Maybe Wiggins saw which way the wind was blowing and has played a master stroke.

God the race is going to be so boring after all this.

 

[themosquitoking]

Froome is clearly the better rider between him and Wiggins but at the moment Wiggins is the better rider out of him and Porte. Froome would be a fool not to accept any help offered that is better than he can expect from those he wants.

 

[Chris Norton]

Having watched todays climb, Wiggins would have been perfect domestique in that grind big power and just explode yourself for your leader. The question is not could he do a job for Froome, it's whether the job needs doing by Wiggins and all that entails. If he smashes it switzerland then this thread will reach boiling point. LOL.