Cars
New member
Sure his English? And not born in Belgium.....
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Bradley wiggens tour de france
- Thread starter pottert
- Start date
Sure his English? And not born in Belgium.....
No Belgian ancestry, English mum and step dad, and grew up here.
somerset
New member
English mother, Aussie dad, returned to England at 18 months, lived in London from then...... so yes, as English as can be thank you...... what's your point?
Cars
New member
He was born Belgium, that's my point.
ifuhatepalacestandup
New member
not if the riders who finish behind him are not trying to finish in front
still seems a good system for uk schools( who dont seem to like competitive sport) ect to adopt lets decided who is gona win before we start the "race" then all work to make this happen even if it means the faster riders slowing down a bit, so poor johnny can win somthing
a race should be a race and everyone in it should be trying as hard as they can to finish as near to the front as posible just my opinion though
this is why i dont watch (seems a bit like team orders in f1 not realy right)
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somerset
New member
...and having British Father and a British passport is perhaps the point most are missing in this debate eh?!
somerset
New member
OK thanks for that incisive bit of info.....
Cars
New member
Your welcome!
somerset
New member
Its called a contract, you are employed under those terms, in your world then you would take a job as a post man then bleat about not being able to deliver milk.
I don't know what that means?
Lord Bracknell
On fire
The winner is the man who spends the least time cycling. That's just WRONG. The rules seem to penalise the guys who have the endurance skills to last the longest. Some of the riders have kept going for four more hours than Wiggins. What reward do they get for that? NOTHING.
ifuhatepalacestandup
New member
so coz i sign a contract that says you must let me win that makes me faster than you ?
This thread is doing my head in.
I can't stop reading it, but there's so much bollox and misinformation.
Whereas back 'home' there's concise, considered opinion, based on knowledge and facts, from a group of fans who know their sport, and really want to help explain it to 'the masses'.
somerset
New member
No it just negates the need to even discuss it as a relevant point, its a moot point sir.
Brimmermusic
New member
Bandwagon
somerset
New member
So in your world, Messi I shouldnt get world player award because without his team mates he wouldn't achieve any results..... tdf is a team sport as much as anything, live with it.
ifuhatepalacestandup
New member
ok ill leave it there i gave up watching f1 coz of team orders, and have never watched tdf for same reason, in mho a race should be won by the fastest person on the day not the one who everyone else lets or helps win and i dont think at 53 i am gonna change that (however if BW is in front of an olympic race on his own merit) i will still be shouting for him to win
Lord Bracknell
On fire
Well ... he certainly didn't win it when he played club football in Argentina.
Seagull over Canaryland
Well-known member
Actually many commentators point out that the pace and top speeds of recent TdFs are slower than say 10 years ago probably because the riders are cleaner so not assisted by artificial stimulants. So even Wiggo may not be spending the least time cycling compared to the past - but at least he is clean (in spite of some mischievous comments in the gosspiing media).
I've been pondering your perspective too, but concluded that all of the riders have to complete the same distance, its just that some are able to do it much faster, so its right they should get the accolades. A bit like top marathon runners are able to complete the distance in around 2 hours while some rivals might take an hour or two longer. I'm not much of an athlete these days but suppose I could attempt to do one of the stages of the TdF or run a marathon and would easily take several more hours to cover the same distance as the winner. I would feel the pain and need to find the determination to complete the distance and so gain even more respect for the top guys who can do it so much faster than me - not only for that achievement but not forgetting they have do this level fo performance for 3 weeks!
The thing that I found a bit odd was the Yellow Jersey winner being paced by his team mates and not having to win many stages to win the overall TdF. But on reflection its no different to athletics with a pacemaker setting the pace (as in Coe and Ovett's day) to favour the runners with the sprint finish. What makes the TdF special is that it takes place in a variety of conditions over 3 weeks so strategy becomes essential and the role of the team in supporting the lead riders is pivotal. The culture of the domestiques within each team being there to support the top guys has long been a part of cycling. Sky are just doing it very effectrively at a very high level.