If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Wiggins himself admitted after his London 2012 win that his career can't possibly deliver anything better than Tour success and a home Olympic gold back-to-back. Which is why now is the right time to elevate the lad from Kilburn to the status of sporting knight. Go Wiggo.
No expensive and hard-to-come-by ticket required. A front row seat guaranteed. Precious little commercialisation, bring your own barbecue. And a Gold Medal performance. Wednesday's Cycling Time Trial had all the components of the better Olympics I have made the case for in my book Why The Olympics Aren't Good For Us And How They Can Be.
The red-hot favourites didn't win, but that's road racing. After watching Team Sky's astonishing success at controlling the peloton in the recent Tour de France, it's obvious why the opposition was determined to stifle them at London 2012.
If Cavendish is to win, it will require a far greater performance from him and his team than the excellent one that made him world champion last year.
Watching Bradley Wiggins and his glorious sideburns rocketing down the Champs Elysees this weekend, was a sight to behold. His victory, so comprehensive, he may as well have stopped to take a ceremonious wee on the Arc du Triomphe.
After the flags have come down in Regent Street, the athletes have departed the village, and the nation reflects on Britain's performance as both host and competitor, a particular observation may dawn on public and punditry alike. The extent of Team GB's medal table standing may well be due to the disproportionate success of its women athletes.
Bradley Wiggins' success in the Tour de France was testament to the willpower, training and raw talent of an individual. His stellar status in the media- whilst certainly not hindered by his victory - has more to do with his suitability as a new kind of celebrity in the post-Leveson world.
"Have a safe journey home and don't get too drunk!" - the parting words of Bradley Wiggins, addressing the crowds along the Champs Elysées on Sunday, having just become the first Brit in history to win the Tour de France.
Make no mistake: the failure of G4S to provide the requisite security staff is a true debacle, and lampooning a pitiful British summer has always been fair game. But one of the less helpful stories to have emerged in recent weeks is the discussion of so-called 'Plastic Brits': members of the British Olympic team who were born overseas.
There was an unpleasant sense of déjà-vu at the start of stage 16. Frank Schleck's positive drug test continued a dishonourable Tour de France tradition of rest day drug busts. Schleck himself denies taking any banned substance and withdrew from the race awaiting the result of his 'B' sample. But it was a reminder of cycling's darker days ahead of this year's showpiece. A punishing 197 km stage combining four substantial climbs, including the Col du Tourmalet, one of professional cycling's great arenas. If there was ever a stage to truly test Bradley Wiggins this was it.
In the wake of our plodding footballers and hard-to-love tennis players, why do we insist on worshipping the least deserving sporting heroes?
