[Closed] Robert Millar on Wiggins/Froome/Sky situation.

I just hope Froome doesn't win. I don't like him and would rather Contador won (who I dislike slightly less).

Sounds like a lot of conjecture to me..

Who cares who you like. I'm interested in who is the best rider.

It's pretty much a load of gossip.

nickc +1

That article did read like a bit of Guess work spun out into a shit-stirring diatribe TBH...

Wiggins isn't on Top form and Froome has proven he can graft and deserves a shot at TDF GC, it may well have been that this was always the planned re-jigging of the orders.

Any Announcements yet for SKY's Vuelta team?

well in anycase Uran could well beat Froome in the Tour

That's the cycling equivalent of a daily mail story...

It could be true of course but it's just gossip for now.

Who cares who you like. I'm interested in who is the best rider.

That's fine. I still hope he doesn't win.

Front to the left?!

Michelle Cound, not adverse to starting a few rumours herself, has just tweeted "complete & utter rubbish, he signed a 3-year contract following the Vuelta in 2011"

Who cares who you like. I'm interested in who is the best rider.

Well there are many aspects to enjoying sport, you can appreciate the effort, commitment and skill of all the participants. But you can also make make an emotional investment in following riders and rooting for them, feeling the disappointment when they don't perform and the elation when they win.

People like Wiggo, Cav and Sagan have a bit of personality and charm to them, it's easier to follow them as fans of the sportsmen and not just the sport overall. Froome doesn't have that, not yet anyway. Maybe as he comes out from Wiggins shadow he will show a little more character, but at the moment I just can't find myself rooting for him.

I think it's the cycling gods punishing Sky for all their he said/ she said Wiggo/ Froome infighting publicity they love to spout ahead of World Tour selection/ starting.

Will be watching the Dauphine intently to see what form Froome and Contador are in/ pretending to be in.

That's fine. I still hope he doesn't win.

well I hope you don't win.

If there's any lying about Wiggins it will be because either his form is not quite good enough or he does not want to ride in support. Or it could just be true that he's hurt.

well I hope you don't win.

Will be watching the Dauphine intently to see what form Froome and Contador are in/ pretending to be in.

[url= http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/06/news/dauphine-may-hint-at-2013-tour-contenders-but-the-real-tipoff-is-the-2012-vuelta_289454 ]Apparently it was all Decided last year in Spain[/url]

not sure I like that article very much at all

especially when I got to this bit

In fact, Contador doesn’t seem to be packing the same lethal punch as he did before his ban

and wondered if the writer realises why...

Front to the left?!

That's what I thought. Do the crazy Euros do it that way?

Millar's clearly not a fan of Wiggo then. I'd give about as much credence to most of that column as I would to random bike forum gossip.

Or it could just be true that he's hurt.

I'm told by a mate of Wiggins that he's been spending time in Harley Street recently.

and wondered if the writer realises why...

You do know who Robert Millar is don't you? If any writer might realise why, I think he would be just about as informed as anyone on the planet.

The article is just a bunch of speculation, but I'd take RM's speculation over a proper journo's "informed" conjecturing any day of the week.

I'm told by a mate of Wiggins that he's been spending time in Harley Street recently.

Nose job?

You do know who Robert Millar is don't you?

yes. do you know who David Millar is? 😀

yes. do you know who David Millar is?

Yes, but why would David be relevant here? RM knows what it takes to climb a GT stage and perform well in GC. He was also active in the murky days of dodgy goings on so I doubt there is much of the dark arts he is not familiar with.

In one of his previous articles he wrote:-

The pink jersey battle was always looking like it was going to be Nibali [b]versus nature[/b] as each of his pre-race rivals gradually succumbed

Which I wondered if it was a gentle dig at what might make Nibali tick...

Wiggins is boring to watch. Froome actually rides. C'mon Froomedog!

Alberto Contador..... he isn't looking to be in the same all conquering form he once enjoyed

simultaneous amusement and disgust.

and wondered if the writer realises why...

The comment about Contador not packing the same punch doesn't come from the Millar article, it comes from the one by Andrew Hood, posted by cookeaa above.

Yes, but why would David be relevant here?

sorry, it was a stupid question to answer another stupid question.

I don't like the subtext in Robert Millar's writing and his implicit gentle digs are a waste of copy.

What annoys me is why would Wiggo not ride if he was injury free even if he hadn't got his training spot on? Even if he wasn't the leader he is still an incredible cyclist and could surely help the team? Seems a bit petulant to me, and I don't believe Wiggo is like that.

EDIT:

it comes from the one by Andrew Hood, posted by cookeaa above.

ah crap, sorry. ignore me.

Am I the only person who actually likes Froome?

No, I think Michelle does. But it could just be the two of you 🙂

Am I the only person who actually likes Froome?

To be fair to Froome, a lot of stuff seems to be based on media gossip, wives fighting, etc. Froome himself has had very little to say, so it'll be interesting to see how the big gangly alien handles himself at the Tour.

Speaking of gossip, is Robert Millar still a lady?

Quite like Froome. I don't think he gets the same level of love from the media that Wiggins does, which probably does a lot to shape people's opinions. Probably not as good for a soundbite as Wiggo. He seems pretty tenacious on a bike though and appears to have a lot of respect within the team.

He doesnt have the gold medals, the rockstar friends and the penchant for a few too many g&ts that wiggo does.
I like his unassuming spidery-riding style.
He needs to not wear those Oakleys though - makes him look like the Newborn alien/human hybrid from Alien Resurrection.

I am a Froome supporter.

Suppose he is not British enough for some cos of his Kenyan and South African upbringing.

It's not that - he just seems devoid of personality to me.

It's not that - he just seems devoid of personality to me.

the cycle equivalent to Nigel Mansell 😯

tony greig, alan lamb, zola budd....

the cycle equivalent to Nigel Mansell

Mansell behind the wheel and Mansell behind the microphone... very different indeed!

Suppose he is not British enough for some cos of his Kenyan and South African upbringing.

And is resident in Monaco

He is a bit quiet, so hate him.
And here are some of your fave personalities acting a bit naughty, how cool

Sir bad Brad salutes you
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Cheeky perv Sagan
[URL= http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff215/sputnik_photos/Peter-Sagan-008_zpsb889e858.jp g" target="_blank">http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff215/sputnik_photos/Peter-Sagan-008_zpsb889e858.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

what about the man of the hour, Nibali? he doesn't say much and keeps himself to himself.
is he just cool because he's Italiano?

Suppose he is not British enough for some cos of his Kenyan and South African upbringing

He does seem to have less personality than brad and cab and well most folk really good cyclist though

brakes - Member
is he just cool because he's Italiano?

Racist stereotyping 🙄

Jeez. This place, maaaaaaan.

EDIT - But serial, Nibbles is just awesome.

It's a good thing Wiggins is a 'character' as otherwise they'd just talk about how flat his back is more than they do now. Oh and what chainrings he's using.

sputnik - Member
I am a Froome supporter.

Suppose he is not British enough for some cos of his Kenyan and South African upbringing.

Or maybe just that he has suddenly 'blossomed' into a fantastic all rounder capable of winning the tour out of nowhere and just happens to have had a weird blood disease. Hmm, just as well that he's a Brit and we don't have a doping culture, eh? Otherwise it might just look a little suspicious...

Thank god all that stopped in 2008.

I much prefer Froome to Wiggins. Froome has a proper personality rather than a put on facade that Wiggins has.

I can understand why an understated guy like you would object to a put on façade and then prescribe it to Brad ...sometimes you are very funny , this is not one of them

Or maybe just that he has suddenly 'blossomed' into a fantastic all rounder capable of winning the tour out of nowhere and just happens to have had a weird blood disease. Hmm, just as well that he's a Brit and we don't have a doping culture, eh? Otherwise it might just look a little suspicious...

Thank god all that stopped in 2008.

Oh come on he did get 36th in the 09 Giro before becoming the best climber in the world in 2010.

I want Riche Porte ..to be let loose ....now there is a real grafter

Chris Foome take your pick between 3 monkeys or the whos pinball wizard. I misheard the call honest guv, what crash I didn't see a crash I'd planned to attack then. If he had the balls to stand by his convictions instead of weaselling about I'd have more respect for him, but in the grand tours he pedalled forward fast during the stages and then back pedalled as fast during the interviews.

Metalmuppet, there's nothing weird about bilharzia , very common in Africa .
According to the World Healh Organization 200 million people are infected as we speak.
Kenya is Africa, a place Chris still visits ( apart from Monaco ).
You are at risk of schistosomiasis ( this weird thing called bilharzia)if you live in or travel to an area where schistosomiasis occurs and you come into contact with fresh water that contains the snails that act as the intermediate host. This contact can be through, for example, swimming, boating, rafting, water skiing, bathing, working on irrigation equipment, or drinking from streams or irrigation ditches.

Whoever wins it should be fun to watch! 8)

Spunknit (see I can play that game also): name me one other pro cyclist with a red blood cell munching disease... go on. It's definitely not normal is it?

Which would be just oh so handy for completely screwing up the BP values and great for explaining away any, well, abnormalities. But then I'm just an old cynic who remembers all the other wunderkind who turned out to, well, not...

Mm.

Who cares who you like. I'm interested in who is the best rider.

Naturally, or with chemical assistance?

Front to the left?!

Well anybody with any sense has their brakes that way round. Just because you lot are all stuck in the dark ages.

I'd take Robert Millar's opinion over that of the STW collective any day of the week, especially when talking about road racing. I met him once, and he liked my shoes, which was nice.

you love him you do

It was weird, meeting someone who turned the hero thing on its head by talking about my shoes. Nice guy, private, cautious, but willing to talk to us after we were introduced by a friend of his.

..and one of the best people for insights into the pro cycling scene.

and one of the best people for insights into [s]the pro cycling scene.[/s] shoes

FTFY

The shoes in question...

[img] [/img]

Well I'm a Froome fan, like his understated manner and calm aproach. Don't mind Wiggins either, would liked to have seen them on different teams and seen them racing each other properly.
You guys constantly going on about who you reckon's on drugs blah, blah, blah. Give it a break every pro cycling thread its the same stuff over and over again. Get over it, just go and watch something else or just ride your bikes more.

As long as its not tat contador cheat. I don't think he should even be on the start line

The shoes in question...

He did very well in cycling for somebody who is obviously seriously visually impaired.

Warm up for the TT Worlds at the Vuelta for Wiggins and then retirement, why would Sky continue with a GC rider who is getting long in the tooth compared to Froome, and the Colombiand as well as Porte.

My heart goes out for JTL who was either having a spectacularly good year in 2012 but seems to have gone all quiet now?

Not entirely sure the Sky pursuit of power and figures works out quite so well on the road as well as it does on the track, well unlesss...

Should be a good Tour I rather suspect the warm up races being very quiet as riders try not to show their hand.

Personalities aside, I'll be rooting for Froome purely because another British winner would be a massive boost for British cycling. And with Le Yorkshire next year, it really is a big opportunity for cycling to kick off in a huge way.

My heart goes out for JTL who was either having a spectacularly good year in 2012 but seems to have gone all quiet now?

Yeah, was looking forward to seeing JTL shine through, he did really well in the Worlds, but haven't seen anything of him since. Though admittedly I haven't caught many races, so it may just be me out of the loop?

It was weird, meeting someone who turned the hero thing on its head by talking about my shoes.

Nathan Rennie commented on how great my shoes were the other year. I was somewhat surprised until I realized I was wearing my Rennie FiveTens.

My heart goes out for JTL who was either having a spectacularly good year in 2012 but seems to have gone all quiet now?

I was wondering what had happened to him? I hoped we might have seen him in support of Brad at the Giro or maybe Froome at the tour.

I was wondering what had happened to him? I hoped we might have seen him in support of Brad at the Giro or maybe Froome at the tour.

Given the Worlds was the longest race he'd ever done by that stage, I'd imagine he'll need a year of smaller stage races before they throw him into a Grand Tour. Looks like he was a DNF on the last race he did and I remember the same from Paris-Nice. I'd imagine he just needs conditioning for World Tour level and they'll be looking for a step up from him in 2014 to get a contract renewal.

[i]He needs to not wear those Oakleys though - makes him look like the Newborn alien/human hybrid from Alien Resurrection. [/i]

As indeed does anyone wearing cycling glasses.

I'm not mad keen on Froome either to be honest though. For some reason he reminds me of one of those little terriers on a piece of string that people down the job centre have with them. And I believe he called Brad a nasty name so he MUST DIE.

Raouligan - Member
Warm up for the TT Worlds at the Vuelta for Wiggins and then retirement, why would Sky continue with a GC rider who is getting long in the tooth compared to Froome, and the Colombiand as well as Porte.

Retirement? 😆 He's 33!

Although I can see Wiggins leaving at the end of the season and forming his own team a la Radioschleck while Sky pushes it's younger prospects.

I suspect Froome dog might be rather more popular if his gf kept a bit quieter.

Although I can see Wiggins leaving at the end of the season and forming his own team a la Radioschleck while Sky pushes it's younger prospects

A continental team perhaps, but there's already too many teams vying for the world tour licenses that it could be interesting.

is this her?
[img] [/img]

This is from an article in Velonation from last year.

Froome has said that he would like to have leadership of the Sky team if a more mountainous 2013 Tour route favors his strengths over Wiggins’. Barring injury or other catastrophic change to Wiggins’ form, that will not happen, regardless of the route. Wiggins is and always has been the team’s darling, its marquis rider. The current yellow jersey is as already a British Olympic hero, a Commander of the British Empire, an avowed Mod as comfortable being wrapped in the Union Jack as Pete Townshend. For a British team backed by the nation’s cycling federation, it doesn’t get much more ideal. Should Wiggins return to the Tour as defending champion and not receive the full and unquestioned support of his team, there will be a national outcry.
Froome might be stronger than Wiggins this year, and he may be stronger next year, too. But as a born-in-Kenya, raised-in-South Africa rider whose British citizenship and racing license are reflective of his father’s country of birth, Froome will never be management’s preferred choice if both men are within reach of the victory. In professional cycling, being the more marketable rider is sometimes more important than being the stronger one. Sky may be able to pacify Froome with a Giro or Vuelta arrangement, but if both men are on the Tour’s start line for Sky next year, the most Froome can hope for is to inherit leadership on the road.

My heart goes out for JTL who was either having a spectacularly good year in 2012 but seems to have gone all quiet now?

I spotted him twice in Majorca last month out riding with/waiting for a female of similar age, who I correctly/incorrectly assumed to be his girlfirend.

atlaz - Member

Although I can see Wiggins leaving at the end of the season and forming his own team a la Radioschleck while Sky pushes it's younger prospects

A continental team perhaps, but there's already too many teams vying for the world tour licenses that it could be interesting.

I don't know, Radioshack pulling out of cycling at the end of the year and the Schlecks don't have the power to attract sponsors like they did a couple of years ago (Frank doping and Andy struggling to finish races this year - although improving and hope to see him back in form) so I think Trek will be looking to build a new team at the end of the year.

[url= http://road.cc/content/news/84896-trek-set-take-over-radioshack-leopard-worldtour-licence ]Trek to take over Radioshack licence[/url]

No place for Frank, Andy's contract finishes at the end of the year but they hope to build a classics team around Spartacus...so a place for a GC contender? Wiggins for Trek like Cuddles at BMC?

Although Wiggins does need more support than Cuddles does...

The problem with the Trek plan is that Cancellara and the Schlecks are close friends so although they can jettison Frank, it may be they try to keep Andy if he wants to hang around. In any case, it'd be worth taking a punt on Andy because he's one of a handful of true GC riders capable of winning the big mountain stages when he's on form.

One slightly sad thing is they're shutting down the local junior team Leopard Trek from the reports. It's had a few really good riders in the programme (Bob Jungels moved to RSLT this year) and it's a shame that so many young riders are going to be out on their ears.