Quote Originally Posted by Graham Breeze View Post
I note you deliberately left out my words "the general UK press" in your desire to score a point ie I was not writing about Rouleur.

I prefer a great rider, of any nationality, to win the Grand Tours, not someone who happens to be British, unpopular though that view may be to readers of the Daily Mail.

If Wiggins does win the Giro he will not be "great" in the sense that eg Hinault is "great" with 5 wins in the Tour, 3 in the Giro and 2 in the Vuelta plus odd little things like Paris-Roubaix, but that opinion will not sell newspapers in Britain; so roll out the Union Jack.
Did Hinault ever win even a single Olympic medal? I agree a Giro win won't put Wiggins in the pantheon of cycling but equally I don't think you can be as dismissive of him as you're being. Also, as long as Hinault continues to answer the question whether he doped by saying I never tested positive rather than an outright no, I'll question his results.