Wiggins and Froome – defensiveness on the road and off it

May 1, 2013

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Does anyone else wish that Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome would just knock it off? They both know that wattage speaks louder than words, so why all this public campaigning to be the designated team leader at the Tour de France?

What’s going on?

It’s primarily Wiggins’ fault. He’s been doing it all year. Whenever he’s asked about the Tour, he basically floats the idea that given the opportunity, he would love to win the race again this year. The journalist then asks how that could possibly happen if Wiggins is riding for Froome. Wiggins then outlines some subtly different leadership scenarios.

At first he was nobly riding in support, but poised to take up leadership if Froome were to crash or fall ill. Now it’s more like they’re co-leaders and ‘the race will decide’. Wiggins may rarely light up a race, but it seems he’s not averse to fanning the flames before it.

How has Froome reacted?

I wouldn’t call it a tantrum, exactly, but the more attacking rider is getting enormously defensive. He just wants Wiggins to shut up so that he can focus on preparing for the Tour. After Wiggins said the two might share leadership for the first week of the Tour, Froome went to the trouble of putting out a statement, the general gist of which was:

“No, no, actually that’s not what’s happening. Actually I’m going to be team leader, actually. I asked Mum and Dad and they said that I’m going to be team leader because it’s my turn and Brad has to work for me this time.”

That’s not a direct quote.

Anything else?

Then Froome’s missus took to Twitter:

https://twitter.com/michellecound/status/329180038949900288

Maybe Wiggins is secretly hoping that Team Sky will think Froome’s not up to withstanding the media scrutiny, to which Froome could reply: “Yeah, but I can cycle uphill faster than you can” – which is surely the main thing here.

What are Team Sky doing about this?

What you have to understand about Sir Dave Brailsford is that he is an actual psychopath. Not in the hacking-people-to-pieces-with-an-antique-scimitar sense. More in the having-no-regard-whatsoever-for-people’s-feelings sense. He only cares about other people’s emotions in terms of how they might affect his goals.

If a rider is angry or irritable and it doesn’t affect his goals, he doesn’t care. If a rider is angry or irritable and it spurs on a rival within the team, he’s delighted. We can therefore expect more of this bickering in coming weeks, unless Wiggins falls at the Giro and breaks his collarbone. Sometimes it’s best to focus on the task in hand.

Bradley Wiggins Chris Froome

Comments

4 responses to “Wiggins and Froome – defensiveness on the road and off it”

Bill Winward

May 1, 2013

Great post. I am annoyed with Sir Wiggo for his posturing. He said after last year’s Tour that he would support Froome. Whether that was all part of a ‘look at me, how honourable am I’ campaign, I don’t know. All I do know is that he said he would ride in support of Froome this year so he should, unless the psychopath Brailsford decides otherwise.
Meanwhile Froome needs to be told that if his fiance is tweeting with his co-operation then they should both desist. If she is genuinely acting independently out of ‘lurv for her man’, then Mr. Froome needs to rip her smartphone out of her hand and throw it against the wall. Accidentally.
Let’s hope none of this impedes Sir Bradley’s attempt on the Giro.

Reply
1. Alex
  
  May 1, 2013
  
  Yeah, there’s been a shift from: “I’ll ride for Froome” to “I’ll ride for Froome if it really does turn out that’s definitely what’s being asked of me” – or something like that.
  
  On the other hand, winning the Tour is normally a good enough qualification for leading a team the following year, so I can understand why Wiggo feels a little frustrated.
  
  I guess when you’re the kind of person who dedicates himself to being the best, you naturally want it all. Voluntarily accepting second billing probably doesn’t come naturally.
  
  Reply
daneel

May 1, 2013

Parallels with Hinault and LeMond? Hard to have two potential winners in the same side and not have handbags.

Froome and Wiggins are at the top of their sport. You don’t there by meekly accepting that it’s the other guy’s turn this time. They’re ultra competitive because they wouldn’t be there if they weren’t. Doesn’t matter if grand tours are really a team sport. Nice guys come last. Look at Formula 1 and what Vettel did to Webber recently.

Winning isn’t the most important thing. It’s the only thing

Reply
1. Alex
  
  May 1, 2013
  
  Who is the better Tour rider? Wiggins or Frome?
  
  There’s only one way to find out…
  
  FIIIIIIIGHT!
  
  Reply