LE TOUR STAGE 7 - [SPOILERS AHOY!!!]

Brian?

ednwireland wrote: »

doubt it downhill finish gives people time to get back on

Ah, you're probably right. Should have looked ahead there, thought it was another mountain top finish today.

zzzzzzzz

el tonto wrote: »

Enjoyed that. Looks like Bradley Wiggins' diet is really paying off:



Story of the day in my book, his performance.

Perfect result for Contador, makes time on his rivals, doens't have to defend yellow. Bad news for Roche. He won't be in any breaks until they lose that jersey.

Holy jaysus - I hadn't noticed how skinny he's gotten.

I bet he said no to that water too...

eggie

He doesnt look healthy at all, sick looking.

Lumen

Indeed, Wiggins was awesome.

He's so knackered, even his socks are seeing double! Or maybe it's just a Garmin bug.

eggie

Do you really think someone in that condition can cycle a tour without taking something?

No chance, he's like a guy in a famine.

Brian?

eggie wrote: »

Do you really think someone in that condition can cycle a tour without taking something?

No chance, he's like a guy in a famine.

That picture is taken at the top of a mountain after 6 hours in the saddle, I think that might have something to do with how he looks.

If he carb loads like a lunatic every evening and eats steadily during the race its believable. Look at some of the Columbians for the 80's and 90's, they looked in serious need of a sambo.

Not everything in cycling is about doping. I will always respect Wiggins for this one quote alone:

"It is nice to be recognised for actually achieving something in life as opposed to spending seven weeks in a house on TV with a load of other muppets." A reference to the television programme, Big Brother, after finishing fourth in the Tour de France prologue

scottreynolds

briankeating wrote: »

If he carb loads like a lunatic every evening and eats steadily during the race its believable. Look at some of the Columbians for the 80's and 90's, they looked in serious need of a sambo.

Have you seen the price of a sambo in France -- and no butter. No wonder those poor columbians were in need.

Diarmuid

el tonto wrote: »

Enjoyed that. Looks like Bradley Wiggins' diet is really paying off:

Not sure that's a legit picture. Here's one I took a few days ago

Trojan

Diarmuid wrote: »

Not sure that's a legit picture. Here's one I took a few days ago

Black socks! :eek:

Captain Havoc

briankeating wrote: »

"It is nice to be recognised for actually achieving something in life as opposed to spending seven weeks in a house on TV with a load of other muppets." A reference to the television programme, Big Brother, after finishing fourth in the Tour de France prologue

That has got to be up there for quote of the year.

How camp does he look in that photo?

Harrybelafonte

Sorry people, quick help here. Can't get TG4 live to work on mac at home. Works on work mac. Any theories?

Captain Havoc

Great another one of my fantasy tour riders wins!!!!!!!!! Still won't bring me near the top of the GC though

DeepBlue

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Sorry people, quick help here. Can't get TG4 live to work on mac at home. Works on work mac. Any theories?

TG4 uses windows media player so you'll need to download and install a windows media player plugin for the mac. Your work mac probably has one installed already.

Harrybelafonte

DeepBlue wrote: »

TG4 uses windows media player so you'll need to download and install a windows media player plugin for the mac. Your work mac probably has one installed already.

Thanks, I have WMP installed just something weird going on. I went to justin.tv in the end.

cunavalos

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

Holy jaysus - I hadn't noticed how skinny he's gotten.

I bet he said no to that water too...

Not sure that's a legit picture

i agree that there is something iffy about the photo. It has been doing the rounds since the spring classics (think it was paris-roubaix ) and if wiggins himself is to be believed he has lost another half stone between then and the start of the tour.
still his performances have been one of the highlights of the first week

blorg

eggie wrote: »

He doesnt look healthy at all, sick looking.

He looks functional.

JacksonHeightsOwn

thats gotta be a photoshop job, there`s no way he could be that skinny, its just not feasable

zzzzzzzz

It doesn't look photoshopped to me

petethedrummer

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/11072009/58/tour-de-france-lighter-wiggins-looking-good.html

TinyExplosions

Defo photoshopped. That, or he has 2 pairs of socks on!

mloc123

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Defo photoshopped. That, or he has 2 pairs of socks on!

One pair of socks and one pair of over socks?

michaelm

Incredible as it may seem I think the image might be genuine, I note that it appears to have originated on an official Garmin Flickr page.

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=wiggins&w=22919672%40N05

zzzzzzzz

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Defo photoshopped. That, or he has 2 pairs of socks on!

Nah, I have to disagree and I have a lot of experience in this area.

I was looking at the socks alright - i think he has 2 pairs of socks on.

1) The pixels don't look the same on any of the socks.

2) on the right hand sock (his left) you can see dirt that's spreading from one sock to the other.

3) Say if it is photoshopped, Leaving 2 logos on the socks like that would be a big oversight on the part of the person photoshopping - and the rest of the image is up to a very high standard.

It would be very easy to clean it up so there aren't 2 logos & stripes showing on each foot.

zzzzzzzz

You can deffo see that there's one pair of socks over his shoes anyway, and assumedly one pair under the shoes too

eggie

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

Nah, I have to disagree and I have a lot of experience in this area.

I was looking at the socks alright - i think he has 2 pairs of socks on.

1) The pixels don't look the same on any of the socks.

2) on the right hand sock (his left) you can see dirt that's spreading from one sock to the other.

3) Say if it is photoshopped, Leaving 2 logos on the socks like that would be a big oversight on the part of the person photoshopping - and the rest of the image is up to a very high standard.

It would be very easy to clean it up so there aren't 2 logos & stripes showing on each foot.

So its confirmed, he's using EPO:
Someone forward to UCI, another e-mail cycling news, someone phone David Walsh, anyone see Wiggins hanging with Lance lately? Let the dogs out!

Captain Havoc

eggie wrote: »

So its confirmed, he's using EPO:
Someone forward to UCI, another e-mail cycling news, someone phone David Walsh, anyone see Wiggins hanging with Lance lately? Let the dogs out!

zzzzzzzz

eggie wrote: »

So its confirmed, he's using EPO:
Someone forward to UCI, another e-mail cycling news, someone phone David Walsh, anyone see Wiggins hanging with Lance lately? Let the dogs out!

I genuinely believe the garmin team are clean. (Famous last words, perhaps...)

Chips Lovell

Wiggins is one the last riders I'd expect to get caught doping.

zzzzzzzz

Wiggins is one the last riders I'd expect to dope.

blorg

michaelm wrote: »

Incredible as it may seem I think the image might be genuine, I note that it appears to have originated on an official Garmin Flickr page.

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=wiggins&w=22919672%40N05

I think this is pretty definitive evidence that it is not a shop. Plenty of cyclists are pretty skinny, there are the famous photos of Rasmussen (not suggesting that Wiggins has anything else in common with him.) The angle accentuates it, his legs are skinny but clearly strong.

DirkVoodoo

blorg wrote: »

I think this is pretty definitive evidence that it is not a shop. Plenty of cyclists are pretty skinny, there are the famous photos of Rasmussen (not suggesting that Wiggins has anything else in common with him.) The angle accentuates it, his legs are skinny but clearly strong.

He looks like Bambi.

petethedrummer

He is 6'3, and his weight is down around 11st 2lb, I'm 5'10 and about 12st 2lb. So i'd imagine he'd be a skinny as hell.

We should ban these sort of images in case this becomes some sort of pro-anorexia forum!!! Also ban them right after i've eaten. They turn my stomach.

@eggie, I'm not a Lance supporter, but I don't think he's doping this time. So it shouldn't be too difficult for Wiggins to live with him.

Running Bing

petethedrummer wrote: »

He is 6'3, and his weight is down around 11st 2lb, I'm 5'10 and about 12st 2lb. So i'd imagine he'd be a skinny as hell.

Thats a normal weight tbh. I think the average person now is really pushing at the upper limits of normal, bordering on overweight so it tends to stand out more.

He's thin yes and looks sh1t in that pic but I imagine most would after doing what he just did. Its a bad photo, thats all, nothing to do with anorexia:rolleyes:

blorg

Running Bing wrote: »

Thats a normal weight tbh. I think the average person now is really pushing at the upper limits of normal, bordering on overweight so it tends to stand out more.

Professional athletes have a high amount of muscle mass which is substantially heavier than fat; I don't think you would say that Wiggins is "normal" even for a pro cyclist, he is definitely on the light side (not that this is in any way a bad thing.)

Chips Lovell

petethedrummer wrote: »

We should ban these sort of images in case this becomes some sort of pro-anorexia forum!!!

And in case we start to see protest from a groups calling themselves "Concerned Parents Against the Boards Cycling Forum".

Running Bing

blorg wrote: »

Professional athletes have a high amount of muscle mass which is substantially heavier than fat; I don't think you would say that Wiggins is "normal" even for a pro cyclist, he is definitely on the light side (not that this is in any way a bad thing.)

Fair point Blorg, like I said he is defo thin but I dont think it is anything extraordinary or that merits concern.

Like I said he looks sh1t in that photo but looks fine in other photo's. It just p1sses me off a bit that nowadays if you have a BMI of less than 23 people think your sick:rolleyes:

petethedrummer

Running Bing wrote: »

Like I said he looks sh1t in that photo but looks fine in other photo's. It just p1sses me off a bit that nowadays if you have a BMI of less than 23 people think your sick:rolleyes:

Being skinny suits some people. Being that skinny does not suit Wiggins. But then again he's getting up the mountains quicker, so it does in a way.

Lumen

I would put decent money on Bradley getting regular calls from his mother along the lines of "I know you really love being out on the bike with your friends, but can't you find the time to eat just a little more?"

Captain Havoc

Lumen wrote: »

I would put decent money on Bradley getting regular calls from his mother along the lines of "I know you really love being out on the bike with your friends, but can't you find the time to eat just a little more?"

I reckon his dad won't let him out to play on his bike until he's finished his dinner!

DirkVoodoo

He does seem to have very long legs, especially below the from knee to ankle, which seems to make it look a lot worse.

eggie

His body fat percentage must be verging on the dangerous side of healthy, looks like a heart attack waiting to happen if sustained for any length of time. Then again, he's the pro with expert support so i'm sure he aint that dumb.

blorg

I would imagine he knows what he is doing, you need to get the weight off to climb effectively and he is making some transition from track to road at the moment. He is thin but hardly unique in the world of professional cycling (just Google Rasmussen and look at the pics.)

Armstrong even credits his cancer and chemotheraphy for eating away enough of him to make him into an effective climber, he reckons he would not have won the Tour but for it (now that is extreme.)

jefferson73

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/5734504/Tour-de-France-2009-Bradley-Wiggins-in-best-shape-of-his-life.html

amazingly shed just over 7kg since the Olympics and when you think the UCI minimum weight for a bike is 6.8kg at the last two Tours he's effectively been dragging a spare bike on his back over the mountains.
Dropping that weight has been an eight-month ordeal of calorie counting. "I'm only four per cent body fat. It's been timed and programmed, it's opened my eyes at what it is possible and I believe I'm in the best shape I can be naturally."
Doctors have warned that he must put weight back on after the Tour to avert illness and muscle wastage.