Giro

[nikalas]

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.

[Derby Tup]

You really do come across as a smug, backwards looking and condescending so and so sometimes...

Sometimes? I wonder if Graham's opinion would be different if Wiggins had been born in Leeds?

[Richard Head]

Team time trial win for Sky today, 14 secs gained by Wiggins over Nibali and with a 55K time trial to come next Saturday Wiggo could be 4 minutes ahead of him by the time the high mountains come along

[Richard Head]

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.

For Wiggins to span events from the Individual pursuit to the Giro and Tour sounds pretty 'great' to me. It's about on a par with Usain Bolt winning the London marathon

[Alf]

For Wiggins to span events from the Individual pursuit to the Giro and Tour sounds pretty 'great' to me. It's about on a par with Usain Bolt winning the London marathon

Agree! Come on Wiggo :thumbup:

[Graham Breeze]

Did Hinault ever win even a single Olympic medal?

Ah! The Olympic Gold Medal argument that makes Wiggo so special.

So, do you recall who won the Olympic Road Gold Medal? In case you cannot it was:
Алексaндр Винокуров (Alexander Vinokourov).

And he has won the Vuelta; so another "great" rider?

[Graham Breeze]

Sometimes? I wonder if Graham's opinion would be different if Wiggins had been born in Leeds?

Andrew,

Some people have to be born in Ghent, Belgium and I hold nothing against any of them!

Toodle pip,

Graham

[Witton Park]

There's some rubbish put on here sometimes (and before you say it yes perhaps I've contributed) but this is a bit like my Dad's harder than your Dad sort of stuff. They are all great cyclists that will be revered by cycling fans world wide in a generations time.

I do think when someone resorts to the Daily Mail reader jibe they show themselves up for their own bigoted and narrow minded views

[Alf]

Andrew,

Some people have to be born in Ghent, Belgium and I hold nothing against any of them!

Toodle pip,

Graham

I have a business trip to Ghent in June so hopefully I will be basking in Wiggo's reflected glory after the Giro :thumbup:

[dominion]

So what makes a cyclist a 'great' cyclist? Seems that all the 'greats' were doped up to the eyeballs? Or does that normalise the debate?