# Wiggins quitting road racing in 2014



## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

Wiggins To Quit Major Road Racing In 2014 | Cyclingnews.com



> Briton plans to target the track at the 2016 Rio Olympics
> 
> Bradley Wiggins has confirmed that he will ride with Team Sky for one more year before focusing on the track and the 2016 Rio Olympic Games with Great Britain.


I wasn't expecting this at all.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Is Team Sky that much of an attention ***** or is Wiggo really that much of a drama queen? 

Moreover, why wouldn't they divide and conquer GTs instead of pitting Wiggo vs. Froome?


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

I'm dying


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## upstateSC-rider (Aug 21, 2004)

love4himies said:


> I wasn't expecting this at all.



I wasn't expecting it either although when he said he planned on gaining weight for the track I figured he wouldn't try for a GT win again.
Didn't he say he'd go for the Hour record one day?


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## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

good on him to pursue something he loves, but he'd been telegraphing it for a wile.

i think that whole drama that played out with him earlier this season was mourning the stark reality that his career as a gc rider was unsustainable. denial, anger, bargaining, etc.

i really thought he'd have go at some of the one day classics, particularly paris-roubaix.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

spade2you said:


> Moreover, why wouldn't they divide and conquer GTs instead of pitting Wiggo vs. Froome?


Exactly what I was thinking. Unless he's worried that they are going to do that with Porte & Froome. He's a very talented rider, yeah, he's had a bad year, but I think he still has enough in him to train really hard this winter and GC at a GT.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

dnice said:


> ...t his career as a gc rider was unsustainable. denial, anger, bargaining, etc.
> 
> i really thought he'd have go at some of the one day classics, particularly paris-roubaix.


Classic case of a TT rider who can't stand the reality that road races don't automatically go to the fastest TT rider. He'll be happier in the controlled environment of the individual pursuit.


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## RagbraiNewB (May 21, 2008)

One and done helps keep the dope doctors away. Look what happened when Contador went for a second TdF victory. Tested and popped.


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

a 'TT rider' who also won a Tour.... not sure why so many people fault someone like Wiggins who doesn't want to sacrifice everything in his life to pursue multiple Tour victories. There's no way he's going to win a Giro or Vuelta with the routes they now have, as there is too much climbing featuring steep ascents. The 2012 Tour route was ideally suited to him and he's unlikely to see another as well suited. So what if the guy doesn't want to live like a monk preparing for another Tour - refreshing to see a guy who wants some balance in his life and time to spend with his family, etc.

For the record, the Olympics no longer feature an individual pursuit. If you think a team pursuit is a controlled environment, you should go try one. They are one of the most hair-raising events around - they require tremendous precision among members. 



Creakyknees said:


> Classic case of a TT rider who can't stand the reality that road races don't automatically go to the fastest TT rider. He'll be happier in the controlled environment of the individual pursuit.


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## MG537 (Jul 25, 2006)

RagbraiNewB said:


> One and done helps keep the dope doctors away. Look what happened when Contador went for a second TdF victory. Tested and popped.


Actually Contador has 2 TDF wins, 2 Vueltas and 1 Giro under his belt.
With the stripped wins he's got 3TDF's, 2 Vueltas and 2 Giros.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

stevesbike said:


> a 'TT rider' who also won a Tour.... not sure why so many people fault someone like Wiggins who doesn't want to sacrifice everything in his life to pursue multiple Tour victories. There's no way he's going to win a Giro or Vuelta with the routes they now have, as there is too much climbing featuring steep ascents. The 2012 Tour route was ideally suited to him and he's unlikely to see another as well suited. So what if the guy doesn't want to live like a monk preparing for another Tour - refreshing to see a guy who wants some balance in his life and time to spend with his family, etc.
> 
> For the record, the Olympics no longer feature an individual pursuit. If you think a team pursuit is a controlled environment, you should go try one. They are one of the most hair-raising events around - they require tremendous precision among members.


1. Humour. Get some.
2. I am part of the current TX state champ team pursuit squad. I know a bit about it. 
3. I bet if the Giro had only left turns he'd have a pretty good shot at the GC.


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

not all stupid comments are funny. Wiggins' decision has nothing to do with control of outcomes and everything to do with not wanting to make the sacrifices necessary for another Tour win. Kind of refreshing in the post-Armstrong era. Most people I know at the track know what track events are in the Olympics - doesn't add to your credibility not even knowing what event Wiggins would be targeting. 



Creakyknees said:


> 1. Humour. Get some.
> 2. I am part of the current TX state champ team pursuit squad. I know a bit about it.
> 3. I bet if the Giro had only left turns he'd have a pretty good shot at the GC.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

stevesbike said:


> not all stupid comments are funny.


Yes, I accept your proof here.



stevesbike said:


> Most people I know at the track know what track events are in the Olympics - doesn't add to your credibility not even knowing what event Wiggins would be targeting.


Oh golly now I'm exposed as a liar and fraud. Oh the horror.


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## joeinchi (Sep 24, 2010)

Well c'mon, it wasn't ALL about family and the rigors of GT training:



> When Team Sky opted to back Froome as team leader and for the future, Wiggins was forced to do a lot of soul searching.
> 
> "At that point it was clear," he said. "We've got this 28-year-old guy [Froome] who looks like he can dominate for the next few years and they are going to back him. Then there's me: 32, knocking on a bit. In a sense I kind of accept that," he said.





> I love this team. This is my home. I'm not going to go,* 'I want to be the leader still, so I'm off.'*


His honesty is refreshing. I think about all those athletes who hang on AFTER their prime and it often diminishes their legacy. I like my heroes to go out on top.

Great read! Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

joeinchi said:


> Well c'mon, it wasn't ALL about family and the rigors of GT training:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Exactly. He's not willing to put in the effort to stay on top of his form and he's not willing to be a domestique, therefore his only option is to move on. 

Creakyknees: from your point of view, will his age come into play in track? Is it still possible to compete and be on top at 32?


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

love4himies said:


> Creakyknees: from your point of view, will his age come into play in track? Is it still possible to compete and be on top at 32?


Sure but he's an endurance guy anyway, team him in a Madison with the next Cav-like youngster, they could win lots of races, even six-days maybe. 

Same with the team pursuit; Wiggo may not be the fastest guy but he's still fast enough to be part of a 4 man team and provide lots of wisdom to the youngsters.


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## albert owen (Jul 7, 2008)

I am no Wiggins fan and much prefer warrior types like Contador, Nibali and Froome. 
But, I do appreciate his fantastic record as both a track rider AND a road racer. It is hard to imagine what more he could have done in 2012 - a wonderful year indeed. 
"How can I possibly top that" was probably his attitude. 

He can now go on to win more Olympic Golds I reckon and after getting these (as he surely will) he can retire, happy in the certain knowledge that he will be remembered as one of, if not THE very greatest all round riders in history.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

albert owen said:


> I am no Wiggins fan and much prefer warrior types like Contador, Nibali and Froome.
> But, I do appreciate his fantastic record as both a track rider AND a road racer. It is hard to imagine what more he could have done in 2012 - a wonderful year indeed.
> "How can I possibly top that" was probably his attitude.
> 
> He can now go on to win more Olympic Golds I reckon and after getting these (as he surely will) he can retire, happy in the certain knowledge that he will be remembered as one of, *if not THE very greatest all round riders in history*.


let's not get way carried away. Merckx owns the "greatest all around", by a far stretch IMO


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## albert owen (Jul 7, 2008)

aclinjury said:


> let's not get way carried away. Merckx owns the "greatest all around", by a far stretch IMO


Fair enough, of course Wiggins doesn't compare as a road racer pure and simple with lots of riders.

By "all round" I was including track, where Wiggins already has 10 Olympic and World Championship Gold Medals (and more to come I'll wager) + several Silvers and the odd Bronze or two. In excelling at these two distinct aspects of cycle racing Wiggins has few if any equals.


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## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

Wiggins to stay at Team Sky in 2015 | Cyclingnews.com

back with sky, back on the road although no longer a gc man.


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

Eddy certainly raced on the track, but it doesn't appear he had nearly the success at it that Wiggins is having. Not to compare Tour wins though, OMG, Eddy is a god. But Wiggo has a TdF and lots of Olympic medals and world championship medals, that's some versatility. He has never been caught doping right? Eddy was caught 3 times from what I can tell in a quick search? 

Eddy certainly owns greatest road racer, but greatest all around seems open to debate. Even on the road, how many times did Lance get caught doping by comparison and does his 7 (I think) TdF wins make an argument for him? Just a thought...


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## RRRoubaix (Aug 27, 2008)

dnice said:


> Wiggins to stay at Team Sky in 2015 | Cyclingnews.com
> 
> back with sky, back on the road although no longer a gc man.


Wow, I did not expect that!
I really figured he'd be off to another team after getting dissed for Le Tour...


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## Herbie (Nov 12, 2010)

doesn't his current contract include 2015, which would explain why he is back with sky next year. 2016 he trains for the track. My prediction he is back with a different team as leader in 2017


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## adjtogo (Nov 18, 2006)

Wiggins was interviewed by a major sports network a week prior to the TdF. Wiggins had made a previous statement that he was on the TdF team, before the TdF team was announced. He ASSUMED he was going to be a part of this year's team. After the team was selected and he was left off, Wiggins couldn't understand why Team Sky left him off and made Froome the clear choice for captain and to build a team around him. 

What Wiggins didn't say was that he suffered injuries and wasn't 100% healthy for the TdF.


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## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

PBL450 said:


> Eddy certainly raced on the track, but it doesn't appear he had nearly the success at it that Wiggins is having. Not to compare Tour wins though, OMG, Eddy is a god. But Wiggo has a TdF and lots of Olympic medals and world championship medals, that's some versatility. He has never been caught doping right? Eddy was caught 3 times from what I can tell in a quick search?
> 
> Eddy certainly owns greatest road racer, but greatest all around seems open to debate. Even on the road, how many times did Lance get caught doping by comparison and does his 7 (I think) TdF wins make an argument for him? Just a thought...


Don't forget--in Eddie's era, once you turned pro, you could not ride the Olympics--so he never really had the chance to win medals.

OTOH, his _professional_ track record is pretty impressive:

17 six-day races
3× European championship
7× Belgian madison championship (with Patrick Sercu)

The thing about 6 day racing--the pros in those days had to race in the winter, because they were not making enough as pros to spend their time training and recovering. And you don't win in those sorts of track races unless you have the raw speed and endurance.

(One of the tidbits that I picked up along the way--Eddie's career may have been even more impressive if he had not a horrific crash on the track while being motor paced--his derny driver was killed. Eddie has said that he was never able to sit as comfortably on a bike after that crash:


> In 1969 Merckx crashed in a derny race in the Blois velodrome towards the end of the season. A pacer and a cyclist fell in front of Merckx's pacer, Fernand Wambst. Wambst died instantly, and Merckx was knocked unconscious. He cracked a vertebra and twisted his pelvis. He said his riding was never the same after the injuries. He frequently adjusted his saddle while riding – including coming down the col de la Faucille on the way to Divonne-les-Bains – and was often in pain, especially while climbing.


Eddy also could do it all--climb, TT and sprint--in the 1969 TdF, he won the Green, the Polka Dot and the Yellow jerseys (the only one to do so). And he won the hard man classics--a lot of them, while Wiggo has not won any.

Not to mention he had the 'clock in his head' of a true time trialist--something you need for minor things like the Hour record. 

While it is always the case with these cross-generational questions, I would love to have seen Eddie rise to prominence in an era that treated professional cyclists better to see if he would have had an even longer and more illustrious career.


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## J24 (Oct 8, 2003)

Sir Bradley reached his "Sell By" date in May 2013 when he turned into Dame Bradley at the Giro. Its truly been downhill for him ever since;

except for this spring when he was towed around Flanders by Thomas.


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

paredown said:


> Don't forget--in Eddie's era, once you turned pro, you could not ride the Olympics--so he never really had the chance to win medals.
> 
> OTOH, his _professional_ track record is pretty impressive:
> 
> ...



Thank you you for such a GREAT reply! Forgot about the Olympic rule change and how that effects a cyclists records... Great point. I wish we went back to amateur competition, but that's me and it's about more than cycling.

How does the fact the we was doping effect this legacy? Or, how should or shouldn't it? It killed Lance. Eddy was popped 3 times... Are his records real? Thanks again!


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## Maximus_XXIV (Nov 10, 2008)

Herbie said:


> doesn't his current contract include 2015, which would explain why he is back with sky next year. 2016 he trains for the track. My prediction he is back with a different team as leader in 2017


I doubt he will be back as a team leader at 37. He will be either on the track or watching pro racing on his big screen TV.


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## mambo (Jul 29, 2012)

Good riddance to the most boring GC rider since Indurain


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## PJay (May 28, 2004)

Wiggins secret motive: he is going to get competitive in the triathlon and rival lance.


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