Wiggo -  man or mouse?

make the most of it

So Sky have confirmed that Sir Bradley Wiggins,
darling of the media2012 will not ride the 2013 Tour de France.   Was he darling of the cycling fraternity?   He certainly wasn't mine. 
It was clear to see that Chris Froome was the main man in last years Tour de France, he could  - and should have won it.
As an avid Cycling Weekly reader  for many years I remember Wigging with the ill-fated Linda McCartney Racing team.  He then appeared on the road scene in the 2006 TDF for Cofidis.  On the 6th stage he went on a lone breakaway but was caught with approx 6k to go.  No shame in this as he was still learning his trade.

The hype of the GB track team was in full swing by now, with Wiggins part of it.  Road cycling was  barely getting a mention.  It was medals galore on the track, but for a roadie like me it just wasn't the same.

Wiggins had a great tour in 2009 but he rarely attacked and you could see he was never a climber and his TT abilities was where he was going to make his name and come close to win a tour.

Wiggins in my opinion got lucky last year; then again you need luck to win a tour.  Allegedly he's training was achieving better results this year than  2012.  So what went wrong.  He had a chest infection, yes we all know  how bad they can be.  I doubt if a fit Wiggins would have achieved anything in this years Giro, and I doubt if  a fit Wiggins would have helped Froome as much as Froome helped him last year in the forthcoming TDF.

My point is Wiggins isn't a great all round cyclist, media friendly yes, is Froome as media friendly?   That's why Team Sky made sure he won last year in my opinion.  Wiggins will never win another grand tour in my opinion and if  Froome fails this July Team Sky have a problem, there isn't that many potential tour winners about, Nibali could dominate the grand tours if he wanted, but the Giro will do for him this year.

 

Wiggins had his day, hero no, overrated yes.
Tommie Collins

Ffestiniog360

Tîm photo



Ffestiniog 360:

Glaw, tap, Gai Toms ac Anweledig, pethau sy’n cael eu cysylltu â Blaenau Ffestiniog.  Ond ar fore hyfryd ddoe Mai 27fed, roedd yr awyr yn las ac nid oedd smotyn o law ar y gorwel.

Roedd wyth aelod o  Glwb Seiclo Madog yn cymryd rhan yn yr ail Ffestiniog360, sef her o 62 filltir ar feic rownd Eryri.  Y reid hon oedd ‘début’ cit seiclo’r clwb.

Roedd yr her agoriadol blwyddyn ddiwethaf wedi mynd yn groes i’r cloc, blwyddyn yma roedd yn cymryd cyfeiriad clocwedd, sef i lawr am Fanod cyntaf, a gorffen i fyny ‘r Crimea -ouch!   Roedd Clive Aspden yn bendant na bai fi oedd hyn oherwydd wnes ei awgrymu, cymerai’r bai;-)

Roedd dau aelod o’r clwb wedi cychwyn am 08.30, yr hogiau sydyn oedd y rhain, roedd y gweddill ohonom am fynd fel criw a chymered ein hamser.   Roedd yr ardal tu allan i westy Tŷ Gorsaf yn llawn bwrlwm gyda phawb yn tynnu lluniau ar fore mor hyfryd, roedd y seiclwyr yn gwirio ei beiciau a llenwi eu pocedi gyda bwyd am y reid.

Golygfeydd

Gwnaethom ni fynd  lawr allt Manod am Faentwrog a throi’r dde am Ryd.  Hon roedd yr her gyntaf ac roedd pawb wedi distewi  wrth ddringo i dop Rhyd.  Roedd y reid yn eithaf gwastad wedyn tan y ddringfa o Feddgelert i Ryd Ddu, gyda chopa’r Wyddfa i’r dde yn ei holl ysblander.  Mae’r ffordd wedyn yn rhoi cyfle i gael dipyn o gyflymdra’u tan y tro yn Waunfawr am Geunant.  Mae’r allt lawr i Lanrug yn wych i gael cyflymdra’u ond mae’n eitha technegol.  Mae’r golygfeydd yn y fan hon yn wych , gydag ynys Môn yn y pellter ar mor yn disgleirio.  Cyrhaeddom ni'r stop diod cyntaf ym Mrynrefail ,oedd problem yn fan hon, roedd Paul French ar goll!   Ar ôl tua deng munud mi gyrhaeddodd, oedd yn meddwl bod Clive ar goll - ac wedi aros amdano. Chwarae teg iddo - ond ??

Gwynt

Roedd drag caled wedyn am gylchfan Llandegai, roedd y galon yn gweithio rŵan, ond roedd gwaeth i ddod.  Roedd y lôn o Fethesda i Lyn Ogwen yn dorgalonus, gyda gwynt blaen cryf.  Roedd  yr ail stop dŵr ger y Llyn yn groesawus.

Llyn Ogwen

Ar ôl y stop yma roedd adeg gorau o’r reid, gyda’r GPS wedi colli’r signal yn ardal Tregarth, roedd y nôl ar y lôn yma.   O Lyn Ogwen i Fetws y Coed roedd cyfartaledd ni’n 26.6 m.y.a.!   Roedden fel Tîm Sky yn gwibio mewn llinell a helpu’n gilydd wrth gymryd tro yn y blaen -  Profiad byth cofiadwy.  Ar ôl y profiad gwych, oedd  hunllef  ar y gorwel gyda gwynt blaen eto’r holl ffordd i Ddolwyddelan.  Roedd pawb angen panad yn y fan hon cyn rhiw Crimea, roedd hyn yn dric sâl gan y trefnwyr, y Crimea ar ôl dros bumdeg milltir yn y coesau - creulon,

            Ffwrdd a ni am her olaf y reid.  Roedd un seiclwr yn cerdded i fyny’r allt, roedd y gwynt yn chwythu’n hwynebau ac nid oedd llawer o siarad!   Rwyf wedi dringo’r Crimea llawer gwaith, ac roeddwn eith falch o gyrraedd y copa a chael disgyn lawr  i Flaenau lle'r oedd bara brith yn aros amdanom ni, a chyfle i rannu ein storiâu ân brofiadau.

Ystadegau:

Cymryd rhan -300

 64.5 milltir

4awr 18 munud amser reidio

14.8 cyfartaledd

Llwyth o jelly babies

Fig rolls

 Dŵr

Positifau – pris mynediad £12

Stop Brynrefail wedi ei symud o’r briffordd

Negyddol

Dim marsial yn dro ger Pentir

Stop dŵr Betws - anhrefn( angen rhywle arall )

Dim crys -t pe bai chi heb gofrestru yn gynnar!

Gwynt, gwynt a gwynt

The Special One

the Special One

The Special one:

Much has been said  - written about the impeding return of the special one to Chelsea, but also the phrase be careful 'what you wish for' has been widely used.  My own opinion is never return to the scene of a crime or an ex!  Although some would probably disagree on that one!
 Yes Mourinho was great for Chelsea and gave us many magical  moments, and god only knows (  Roman)  why he ultimately left.

I honestly fear that with him about its a circus and along with other 'top' managers he only goes to clubs with a fine chance of success, OK you could argue that only them clubs try for him.  Would he now drop a  level say to a mid table team like Liverpool, Sampdoria or Seville  - probably not.

 Chelsea have a fine squad with many decent young players on loan, we don't need more big super stars.

On to Rafa, I didn't want him more than  I would want Anton Ferdinand at Chelsea, but we used him and he used us, was he a success - no.  Although we have no divine right to win every game, we performed poorly in the World club championship, got out thought by Laudrup over two legs and out muscled by Citeh at Wembley. We were only 4 points off Man ure when he came in and 14 by the end.  We struggled to qualify for 4rth place after Rafa's bizarre team selections and points thrown away to QPR, Reading , Newcastle and Southampton.  We were neither good or convincing during our Europa run and eventual triumph in Amsterdam.

Next manager for me,
now let me think.............