Author Topic: Wiggins - third day in red!  (Read 13225 times)

Wiggins - third day in red!
« on: 03 September, 2011, 07:41:39 am »
Bradley W has retained the leader's jersey in the Vuelta after the first serious mountain stage.  He's in with a chance of winning the overall, which would make him the first British rider to win a  Grand Tour since when? 

Perhaps we should be wibbling about it more than we are!

Justin(e)

  • On my way out of here
Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #1 on: 03 September, 2011, 08:07:49 am »
Bradley W has retained the leader's jersey in the Vuelta after the first serious mountain stage.  He's in with a chance of winning the overall, which would make him the first British rider to win a  Grand Tour since when? 

Perhaps we should be wibbling about it more than we are!

It'll never happen.  The title of this thread gives it away - if you have to number the days in red that he has so far from the finish, it means that each day is a surprise.

Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #2 on: 03 September, 2011, 08:43:46 am »
I'd love to see it happen for Brad but Nibali is nibbling away.......

Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #3 on: 03 September, 2011, 04:15:19 pm »
I'll bet Sky are rueing that dreadfull TTT  :-\
Working my way up to inferior.

Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #4 on: 03 September, 2011, 04:44:45 pm »
My fingers are crossed for Wiggins.

Justin(e)

  • On my way out of here
Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #5 on: 03 September, 2011, 04:45:40 pm »
Froome is really impressing.  He does heaps of work as a domestique and yet is still in a very good second.

Nibaldi had a poor day today so ....   just maybe Brad might do it.  How would he have gone at the tour, we will never know.

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #6 on: 03 September, 2011, 04:48:35 pm »
Tomorrow will be interesting.
(click to show/hide)

Brad looked a wee bit weary when he crossed the line today.
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #7 on: 03 September, 2011, 04:59:08 pm »
Tomorrow will be interesting.
(click to show/hide)

Brad looked a wee bit weary when he crossed the line today.
(click to show/hide)
The journey is always more important than the destination

CrazyEnglishTriathlete

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Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #8 on: 03 September, 2011, 09:26:26 pm »
Brad has not been the strongest on the really steep hills and it is the Angliru tomorrow.  Doubt he will still be in red tomorrow night - and shame that Eurosport can't find it in their hearts to provide live coverage....
Eddington Numbers 130 (imperial), 182 (metric) 571 (furlongs)  114 (nautical miles)

Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #9 on: 03 September, 2011, 10:06:03 pm »
ITV are streaming live coverage, but that seems the only option.

Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #10 on: 03 September, 2011, 10:08:52 pm »
Brad has not been the strongest on the really steep hills and it is the Angliru tomorrow.  Doubt he will still be in red tomorrow night - and shame that Eurosport can't find it in their hearts to provide live coverage....

Did you watch today's stage? All the "real climbers" left struggling when Wiggins and Froome just stepped up the pressure a bit?

In the words of Matt Rendell (who I'm beginning to like in spite of those glasses),the Angliru is a circus trick. If they have any energy left (which seems not to be the case) the "real climbers" might be a worry - but they're all a long way behind overall.
The journey is always more important than the destination

Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #11 on: 03 September, 2011, 10:09:30 pm »
ITV are streaming live coverage, but that seems the only option.
I knew that. Pathetic, isn't it? And even Eurosport isn't showing it live. Idiots. I'm going for a ride instead (unless BBC Weather's promise of liquid Armageddon happens).
The journey is always more important than the destination

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #12 on: 03 September, 2011, 10:16:02 pm »
Brad has not been the strongest on the really steep hills and it is the Angliru tomorrow.  Doubt he will still be in red tomorrow night - and shame that Eurosport can't find it in their hearts to provide live coverage....

Brad does not cope with the change of pace that a bunch of climbers will usually race with - attack, ease, attack, ease until someone breaks. Brad and Froome rode instead to their strengths, riding at threshold which is harder than the pure climbers can sustain. Very few can attack when the pace is that high as they know that the group will just ride back to them when they ease off. Very much an Indurain style - set an intense pace and keep it constant. And ride everybody else off your wheel.

This is why he doesn't do as well on the short steep climbs. The angliru however is a long steep climb. The longer the better for Brad.
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

Steve Kish

  • World's No. 1 moaner about the weather.
Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #13 on: 03 September, 2011, 11:11:36 pm »
Quote
I'll bet Sky are rueing that dreadfull TTT 


Perhaps they should have picked Alex Dowsett. :smug:
Old enough to know better!

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #14 on: 03 September, 2011, 11:41:16 pm »
I think David M has it spot on. Let's not forget how well Wiggins rode up the Ventoux in 2009 - he lost only 25 seconds to Contador and Schleck that day. And only five seconds to Nibali. And he's an even stronger rider now than he was then...

Wiggins won't win the stage tomorrow, that much is obvious. The question is whether or not he can limit his losses. Maybe Mollema - or possibly Cobo or Fuglsang - could take enough out of him to snatch the lead by a few seconds, but not Nibali, surely.

But I confidently predict he'll do enough to stay in red tomorrow. If a non-climber like Cadel Evans can win the TdF, there's no reason Wiggins can't win the Vuelta.

d.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #15 on: 04 September, 2011, 12:28:53 am »
Oh, and if anyone in London wants to see live coverage, it'll be on the big screen at Look Mum No Hands.

I'd so love to go up for that. Can't see my wife being too keen on the idea though. Dang it.

d.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #16 on: 04 September, 2011, 04:21:56 pm »
Wiggins is riding strongly up the Angliru at the front of the field.  Nibali is dropping back..  Justa  handful of Km to go.

Juan Jose Cobo is attacking but needs to get 40 secs on Wiggo to take the red.

Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #17 on: 04 September, 2011, 04:36:15 pm »
Nooo!  Wiggins has been dropped by the lead group. 

Looks like he's lost the overall lead to Cobo, although Chris Froome will be very close behind him with wiggo a few seconds behind that. 

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #18 on: 04 September, 2011, 04:59:32 pm »
Oh well, it was a brave effort by Brad but it wasn't to be. Still, he actually increased the gap over Mollema, Nibali et al, which is quite an achievement in itself. Great ride by Cobo, to be fair. Would like to think it's not yet race over for Brad but can't see where he'll pull that much time back. Shame.

d.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #19 on: 04 September, 2011, 05:11:23 pm »
How big a disaster does that TTT performance look now? Intermediate bonuses and one more mountain stage to go - is Cobo beatable?

"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

Billy Weir

Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #20 on: 04 September, 2011, 05:12:56 pm »
Fingers crossed he at least makes it to the podium along with Chris Froome.  It's been a good show for Team Sky so far, the opening day's team TT aside (without which, the current standings would have been different...)

Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #21 on: 04 September, 2011, 08:07:06 pm »
How big a disaster does that TTT performance look now? Intermediate bonuses and one more mountain stage to go - is Cobo beatable?

Yes, that was a costly disaster. But now... Just how strong are Geox? They seem now to have three leaders (Cobo+Menchov+Sastre) and one other climber (de la Fuente) and that's about it. There's only one serious mountain stage to come. Will they be able to keep Cobo up there?
The journey is always more important than the destination

Chris S

Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #22 on: 04 September, 2011, 08:17:19 pm »
It's a shame this is such a non-story in the media.

I had to drill three layers deep into the BBC-News website to see any mention of Wiggins. There it was as a small one liner link at the bottom of the page. Just above "Walliams tackles the Thames". Sigh...

Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #23 on: 04 September, 2011, 08:57:56 pm »
It's a shame this is such a non-story in the media.

I had to drill three layers deep into the BBC-News website to see any mention of Wiggins. There it was as a small one liner link at the bottom of the page. Just above "Walliams tackles the Thames". Sigh...

Whatever you do, don't look at BBC teletext or whatever they call it.

The Vuelta (and all cycling - they didn't have even a TdF section this year) is in "Other sport" if they mention it at all and didn't even make the "Sport headlines" when Wiggo got red.

At other times I turn to "Regional sport" and expect to read about Germaine Burton or the Herne Hill Good Friday International and what is there? Bugger all.

Apparently overpaid prats kicking balls about and losing (and that's just Leyton Orient) are more important. And apparently, golf, snooker and darts are sport. Weird!

Mind you, the BBC has never used its digital facilites properly. No feedback on Any Questions, no update for last-minute programme changes, no real interactivity at all.
The journey is always more important than the destination

Steve Kish

  • World's No. 1 moaner about the weather.
Re: Wiggins - third day in red!
« Reply #24 on: 04 September, 2011, 09:17:11 pm »
Quote
And apparently, golf, snooker and darts are sport.

Golf, maybe but the others .... ?  Their popularity is linked to the ease in which any Joe Public can dive down the pub and get stuck into them.  Once in a blue moon, just like the blokes on TV, they get treble 20 or a fluke shot.  Surprised the BBC don't televise the Embassy World Shove Halfpenny Tournament.
Old enough to know better!