Bradley Wiggins - Can he win it ?

[doodab]

I don't even think Wiggins is the best rider they have, Froome has been kept on a leash for a number of days. I think were Froome allowed to, he could have easily put 3-4 minutes on wiggins.

Well, someone at team sky clearly knows something you don't.

I don't think Froome would put anything like that into Wiggins TBH, if you look at results from other mountain stages / races Froome shades it but it's pretty close.

Contador will not be anything like the force he was when he comes back, same as Vino. His ban may be "iffy" but it comes on the back of a lot of allegations and a suspicion that the banned substance came from contaminated blood because he was blood doping.

[Old Hack]

Wiggins last chance, Froome the man for sky for the future.

Froome has proven he can put kms on wiggins at will.

Contador was banned, and it was iffy. If you're into your cycling, you'd know that. As for Spent force, the man is incredible, incredible. I don't think Wiggins is from the top drawer, whilst I think Shleck and Contador are. Sagan will get better.

It's all opinion at the end of the day, but I would venture a large amount of money, were Froome to be let off his leash, he'd win the TdF; he's kept Wiggins in it, in my opinion.

[doodab]

Wiggins last chance, Froome the man for sky for the future.

Froome has proven he can put kms on wiggins at will.

Contador was banned, and it was iffy. If you're into your cycling, you'd know that. As for Spent force, the man is incredible, incredible. I don't think Wiggins is from the top drawer, whilst I think Shleck and Contador are. Sagan will get better.

It's all opinion at the end of the day, but I would venture a large amount of money, were Froome to be let off his leash, he'd win the TdF; he's kept Wiggins in it, in my opinion.

That's twaddle. His record in the grand tours might not match Schleck's or Contador's, but neither of those two have multiple Olympic medals, world championship medals, or world records to their name.

Froome's time will come.

[ZARDOZ]

How can someone on steriods be compared as an athelete to those who are clean. E.g. Is Ben Johnson better than Carl Lewis?

[Mich the Tester]

How can someone on steriods be compared as an athelete to those who are clean. E.g. Is Ben Johnson better than Carl Lewis?

Lewis won consistently for a long time, but he was caught on stimulants, although he claims the use was accidental; that's quite possible as there are stimulants in all sorts of apparently innocuous cough medicines. He was certainly an impressive athlete, dominating long jump, 100m and 200m for a long time.

Johnson was a prat; he used steroids to boost muscle growth to get faster, and probably could have built those muscles without steroids, but a little less quickly.

Part of being an athlete is using your brain as well as your body; in that respect, Lewis wins easily. Just a shame he has such an enormous gob.

[Old Hack]

That's twaddle. His record in the grand tours might not match Schleck's or Contador's, but neither of those two have multiple Olympic medals, world championship medals, or world records to their name.

It's not twaddle, not at all. Far from it, he's one of only five riders to have won all three Grand Tours of road cycling. Amongst his peers, and journalists inside the sport, he's considered to be the best climbing specialist and stage racer in the world. He's also already signed a contract to keep him in a top team until 2015. Unheard of.

Wiggins won Olympic golds on the track, not the road, as a time trial specialist.

He really isn't from the top drawer in road competition, but has had a good year, when the main man hasn't been around. Next year, he will be beaten like a ginger step child, by Contador, Froome and Schleck. In my opinion.

[Mich the Tester]

He really isn't from the top drawer in road competition, but has had a good year, when the main man hasn't been around. Next year, he will be beaten like a ginger step child, by Contador, Froome and Schleck. In my opinion.

Still twaddle. Next year will be interesting next year. Not this year.

[Old Hack]

Still twaddle. Next year will be interesting next year. Not this year.

Bollocks mitch, just saying this years TdF is diluted by not having contador.

[doodab]

It's not twaddle, not at all. Far from it, he's one of only five riders to have won all three Grand Tours of road cycling. Amongst his peers, and journalists inside the sport, he's considered to be the best climbing specialist and stage racer in the world. He's also already signed a contract to keep him in a top team until 2015. Unheard of.

I never said that Contador wasn't a top cyclist, I'm simply saying that Wiggins deserves to be considered in the same class as him and Schleck. Probably ahead of Schleck IMO, if you argue that Wiggins is winning by default then you have to say the same about Schleck.

Wiggins won Olympic golds on the track, not the road, as a time trial specialist.

Yes. I'm not sure why that means those achievements should be discounted.

He really isn't from the top drawer in road competition, but has had a good year, when the main man hasn't been around. Next year, he will be beaten like a ginger step child, by Contador, Froome and Schleck. In my opinion.

He's only been at it properly for a few years. He won't go down as one of the all time great tour riders but this year he's managed to win paris-nice, the tour de romandie, the dauphine and it's looking like the TdF as well, which is a pretty good season by anyone's standards, and we still have the Olympic TT and the Vuelta to come, although I think Froome will be given his chance there. No doubt you'll be saying Wiggins is keeping him in it

Wiggins and Froome ride well together and they do it a lot. It's almost a case of together they are invincible. I think it's purely speculative to say how either of them would fare with Contador in the race, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. I'd hope if Wiggins wins he's given the chance to defend it next year.

[DaveB]

Bollocks mitch, just saying this years TdF is diluted by not having contador.

Ahh, Contador fan boy. Makes sense now. Because the absence of one guy invalidates the entire event.