Author Topic: Tour de France 2012  (Read 143082 times)

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #250 on: 09 July, 2012, 05:07:04 pm »
Blimey.
Rust never sleeps

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #251 on: 09 July, 2012, 05:19:38 pm »
Wiggins now has 1'53" over Evans, so I guess he has to try and keep that, or alternatively, take some more time off of Evans on the mountain stages.

Of course, there's also the next Individual Time Trial stage, the day before they get to Paris, and if Bradley can do half as well in that as he did today and in the Prologue, then he'll be sorted.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Wowbagger

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Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #252 on: 09 July, 2012, 05:32:09 pm »
I love Wiggins' response to the doping accusers:

Quote
Asked in the post-stage press conference on Sunday evening how he responded to accusations of doping, Wiggins said: "I say they're just f****** w******. I cannot be doing with people like that. It justifies their own bone-idleness because they can't ever imagine applying themselves to do anything in their lives.

"It's easy for them to sit under a pseudonym on Twitter and write that sort of s***, rather than get off their a***s in their own lives and apply themselves and work hard at something and achieve something. And that's ultimately it. C****."

Is there a blue jersey for the best swearer?  :D

From: http://www.itv.com/tourdefrance/news/wiggins-takes-aim-at-doping-accusers/
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

LEE

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #253 on: 09 July, 2012, 05:33:30 pm »
Evans and Nibali (and Froome?) need to assume Wiggins will get at least 60 seconds from that final time trial so they need to find 3-4 minutes from somewhere.  Since SKY appear to be the strongest climbers (and also capable of getting a good chain-gang going on the flat) that's going to be difficult.  If anything I could see Froome and Wiggins putting more time into the opposition on the long climbs.

Are there any mountain-top finishes? If so I wouldn't put it past SKY to try to do a Team Time-Trial style approach and see who can hang on to the end.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #254 on: 09 July, 2012, 05:37:15 pm »
Two more mountain-top finishes. Friday and next Thursday, IIRC.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Snakehips

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Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #255 on: 09 July, 2012, 06:36:00 pm »
There's a substantial amount of incredulity being expressed after today's results , particularly in the French tongue.
An nescis, mi fili, quantilla prudentia mundus regatur?

mattc

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Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #256 on: 09 July, 2012, 06:42:12 pm »
There's a substantial amount of incredulity being expressed after today's results , particularly in the French tongue.
They can refer to Brad's answer from yesterday  ;D


The polite version; Olympic track gold medallist (and WR holder) loses weight, trains like buggery, 3 years later wins a time-trial comfortably. Who'd have thought?  ::-)
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

David Martin

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Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #257 on: 09 July, 2012, 06:43:00 pm »
Why? the french riders did as well or better compared to Wiggins/Froome at the Dauphine. Or is it somewhat sour grapes..
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

jogler

  • mojo operandi
Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #258 on: 09 July, 2012, 06:46:02 pm »
There's a substantial amount of incredulity being expressed after today's results , particularly in the French tongue.

the typical gallic response to a winner not being French

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #259 on: 09 July, 2012, 06:49:50 pm »
Le cunts!
Those wonderful norks are never far from my thoughts, oh yeah!

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #260 on: 09 July, 2012, 06:57:16 pm »
Le cunts!

bobb mind your language please :o





It's les cunts! ;)
"Il veut moins de riches, moi je veux moins de pauvres"

Jakob

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #261 on: 09 July, 2012, 07:17:12 pm »
People need to stop taking Twitter seriously...
I am, however, afraid that this tour will be considered a victory by default. Not sure what has happened to the rest of BMC, but Evans is Wiggins only real competitor left in the tour and has seemingly zero support.
Barring any crashes, I can't see him losing this...which unfortunately makes for a boring tour.

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #262 on: 09 July, 2012, 07:30:44 pm »
I love Wiggins' response to the doping accusers:

Quote
Asked in the post-stage press conference on Sunday evening how he responded to accusations of doping, Wiggins said: "I say they're just f****** w******. I cannot be doing with people like that. It justifies their own bone-idleness because they can't ever imagine applying themselves to do anything in their lives.

"It's easy for them to sit under a pseudonym on Twitter and write that sort of s***, rather than get off their a***s in their own lives and apply themselves and work hard at something and achieve something. And that's ultimately it. C****."

Is there a blue jersey for the best swearer?  :D

From: http://www.itv.com/tourdefrance/news/wiggins-takes-aim-at-doping-accusers/

So he answers the question by not answering the question but instead mouths off nasty and expletive laden nonsense.

I haven't watch the Tour this year but in the previous years I've watched recorded programmes from the TV and whenever they show the interviews I always fast forward it. Either they come across as a complete knobhead, like Wiggins, or they only interview riders from"English speaking" countries, why do they assume viewers are automatically more interested in a domestique who happens to be Austrialian than the stage winner who might be be from say Belgium.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #263 on: 09 July, 2012, 07:35:38 pm »
Aww, you lot have gone and spoiled today's stage for me now.  ;) What time does it come up on itv player? Just looked and disappointed to find it's not there yet.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #264 on: 09 July, 2012, 07:44:15 pm »
I love Wiggins' response to the doping accusers.

I don't. It's the Armstrong tactic: don't answer the (entirely reasonable) question, but attack the character of the person asking. I'm sorry to see Wiggins adopting it.

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #265 on: 09 July, 2012, 07:46:57 pm »
... or they only interview riders from"English speaking" countries, why do they assume viewers are automatically more interested in a domestique who happens to be Austrialian than the stage winner who might be be from say Belgium.

I think that's more about the ease of interviewing people who can speak English vs having to either have a translation done afterwards, or do one simultaneously, which interrupts the flow of the interview.

I've seen many interviews on the UK TV coverage of Le Tour with cyclists from non-English speaking countries, and sometimes with those whose English is not that brilliant, although they try, which is probably the sort of agro you can do without after spending a somewhat exhausting day trying to finish and win a stage.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

mattc

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Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #266 on: 09 July, 2012, 07:54:29 pm »
I love Wiggins' response to the doping accusers.

I don't. It's the Armstrong tactic: don't answer the (entirely reasonable) question, but attack the character of the person asking. I'm sorry to see Wiggins adopting it.
I'm sure his team could have prepped him with some boring politician-spin-style answer that actually said even less. But I far prefer the honest answer - that's why we listen to interviews, not to hear the PR-department's version of things.
(I'd like to think I'd say the same thing even if I didn't believe his answer!)
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #267 on: 09 July, 2012, 08:00:17 pm »
I love Wiggins' response to the doping accusers.

I don't. It's the Armstrong tactic: don't answer the (entirely reasonable) question, but attack the character of the person asking. I'm sorry to see Wiggins adopting it.
I'm sure his team could have prepped him with some boring politician-spin-style answer that actually said even less. But I far prefer the honest answer - that's why we listen to interviews, not to hear the PR-department's version of things.
(I'd like to think I'd say the same thing even if I didn't believe his answer!)

If that's an "honest answer", then we'd all be better off not to listen to any more interviews.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #268 on: 09 July, 2012, 08:02:57 pm »
I love Wiggins' response to the doping accusers.

I don't. It's the Armstrong tactic: don't answer the (entirely reasonable) question, but attack the character of the person asking. I'm sorry to see Wiggins adopting it.
I'm sure his team could have prepped him with some boring politician-spin-style answer that actually said even less. But I far prefer the honest answer - that's why we listen to interviews, not to hear the PR-department's version of things.
(I'd like to think I'd say the same thing even if I didn't believe his answer!)
Yep. I'm getting to like Wiggins for his to-the-pointness. He does it with humour and good grace, on the whole - I haven't seen the contentious interview in q. He has cool sideburns too!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #269 on: 09 July, 2012, 08:29:53 pm »
(I'd like to think I'd say the same thing even if I didn't believe his answer!)

It's not really a matter of believing the answer or not. Given that everyone who won the Tour since 1991 (except for Sastre and Evans) has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, the doping concerns are perfectly legitimate and it's a bad sign when someone chooses to attack the character of people who bring them up.

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #270 on: 09 July, 2012, 08:33:21 pm »
I love Wiggins' response to the doping accusers.

I don't. It's the Armstrong tactic: don't answer the (entirely reasonable) question, but attack the character of the person asking. I'm sorry to see Wiggins adopting it.
I'm sure his team could have prepped him with some boring politician-spin-style answer that actually said even less. But I far prefer the honest answer - that's why we listen to interviews, not to hear the PR-department's version of things.
(I'd like to think I'd say the same thing even if I didn't believe his answer!)
Yep. I'm getting to like Wiggins for his to-the-pointness. He does it with humour and good grace, on the whole - I haven't seen the contentious interview in q. He has cool sideburns too!

No controversial Wiggins interviews have got so much as a mention on french eurosport or fr2/3. The french were rather keener to point out the purity of his tt riding and the "professionalism" of his approach to the stage (I was going to say preparation but there are those reading who might misinterprete my words). Laurent Jalabert, questionned on where Brad could be attacked, thought that the best possibility would be Nibali attacking on the descents, as the climbs and the flat seemed to be a bit problematic. He also said that he could have a bad day but that didn't help the opposition with Froome sitting at 3rd on GC. Everyone agrees that Paris is still a long way away.
Mr Wiggins actually interviews very well in french (not surprising given his background but still nice to hear). Asked about his tt ride he remarked that with the years of pursuit riding he had been using the position and the technique for a long time now.
I got the impression that the course conditions improved as the day got on, looking at the splits for even fairly modest tt riders. Anyone else think that?

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #271 on: 09 July, 2012, 08:36:01 pm »
Yep. I'm getting to like Wiggins for his to-the-pointness. He does it with humour and good grace, on the whole - I haven't seen the contentious interview in q. He has cool sideburns too!

 On Wiggo's sideburns...  POV on "Tour de France 2012: live"  DT    ;)

Quote
"Bradley Wiggins' sideburns will never be back in fashion", reckons Sandra T. Ingrassia.

"Besides, they look like they have the mange, with the top being thinned out by his helmet straps and/or his sunglasses. Really, he should just shave those awful things!"
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #272 on: 09 July, 2012, 08:37:54 pm »
I didn't see the interview but I suspect his tirade was against anonymous twitterers rather than against the journalist who asked the question; a case of "kick the cat".  If he really thinks that no-one else does a job in the world other than someone who starts off supremely gifted anyway, then he's just wrong.  Specifically, if he doesn't think someone who spends his day using his elbows to try and get near enough to stick his recorder in the face of a toilet-mouth then he has no respect.  I think he's as nervous as hell at the moment and I would prefer to put his juvenile response down to that.  Has he always had a short fuse?

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #273 on: 09 July, 2012, 09:04:48 pm »
It helps if you consider his early life. I get the idea that it wasn't exactly predictable and he didn't grow up in a nice stable middle-class family. His father (a racing cyclist himself back in the day) didn't have much time for who he considered fools, and left the lad when he was young and returned to Australia where he wanted nothing to do with him. Who know what drives Bradley on? Is he still seeking his (now dead father's) approval? Certainly having your personality shaped by an unstable dad in your formative years is not going to lead you to being diplomatic when you feel somebody has pretty much just insulted you. DAMHIKT
'Something....something.... Something about racing bicycles, but really a profound metaphor about life itself.'  Tim KrabbĂ©. Possibly

Re: Tour de France 2012
« Reply #274 on: 09 July, 2012, 09:11:31 pm »
I think Wiggins would have been on to a loser either way. He has a pop at the keyboard warriors who take advantage of the moral hazard of the internet to post stuff that would get their faces filled in if said face-to-face, and people are getting all po-faced.

If he had given a non-committal answer, or had avoided/polite dismissed the questions, he'd be accused of not tackling the issue, or be called characterless and corporate.

To put the outburst in some kind of context, he's normally quite good-natured in front of the press, even when he's being asked mind-numbingly inane questions (see http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=59208.0), but according to the Telegraph's Brendan Gallagher, in this instance, he had already had half an hour wasted by French TV as they showed him a "funny" film about how nobody in Britain likes cycling. And then his interviewer repeatedly pointed out that nobody back home will have been watching his yellow jersey ride because they will have all been watching Andy Murray.

Now it could be argued that he should have risen above the provocation, or that an extra helping of being dicked around by the media goes with the territory of being in yellow, but there are limits...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/tour-de-france/9386002/Tour-de-France-2012-strip-away-the-bad-language-and-Bradley-Wigginss-tirade-was-actually-very-eloquent.html
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