Wiggins, Tour etc

I'm not sure I really understand some of the things said yesterday about the Tour de France. I've been watching it on Channel 4 and now ITV4 since the 80s and the performances of Delgado, LeMonde, Indurain, Roche etc etc.

The wider coverage has always been much the same with decent broadsheet reporting, without necessarily grabbing the national consciousness in the same way as our bigger sports.

But then, that has mainly been because our own involvment in the event, as a nation, has been largely peripheral. Only in the last four years or so, because of Cav and our (albeit track) supremacy at Beijing has the interest and therefore the coverage increased.

Now, with a British winner, the coverage is on a different scale and quite understandably. This is the biggest annual sporting event in the world and with a British winner for the very first time, it's understandable that the media are all over it. Where's the hysteria in that?

As for comparing it to the 66 World Cup, well that obviously wasn't a particularly remarkable achievement at all. 16 teams, at home (and the only winner to ever play all their games in one stadium).

Doesn't mean that the majority of English sport watchers would rather a Brit won the Tour but to suggest that England's success in 66 comes even remotely close to Wiggins' in terms of achievement is beyond ridiculous.

Posted By: norway on July 23rd 2012 at 10:04:16

Message Thread

Wiggins, Tour etc (General Chat) - norway, Jul 23, 10:04:16
- winning the world cup wasn't a remarkable achievement? (General Chat) - Tombs, Jul 23, 11:07:46
  - Relatively speaking, no it wasn't! (General Chat) - norway, Jul 23, 11:14:12
    - How many teams are there in the TdF? (n/m) (General Chat) - Dog, Jul 23, 12:01:42
    - Basically, you don't (General Chat) - duke of york, Jul 23, 11:23:25
      - it depends whose opinion is better i guess (General Chat) - Tombs, Jul 23, 11:27:16
        
        Strop trolling tombs (General Chat) - norway, Jul 23, 12:42:15
        
        would you two stop flirting?! (General Chat) - Cheltenham_Canary, Jul 23, 13:07:51
        
        I think he's got one of his headaches (General Chat) - norway, Jul 23, 13:13:18
    - people have never shut up about it ffs (General Chat) - Tombs, Jul 23, 11:22:48
      - I'm not sure I understand that argument (General Chat) - norway, Jul 23, 12:44:28
- Road racing was illegal in this country until 1956. The culture is of the event is... (General Chat) - UtterlyHuckerby, Jul 23, 10:53:12
- isn't Team Sky's Tour success basically the same as Man City's in the Prem? (General Chat) - mr carra, Jul 23, 10:36:13
  - no, in a word (General Chat) - Tricky Hawes, Jul 23, 11:28:56
  - That's a difficult one to answer in a straightforward way (General Chat) - norway, Jul 23, 10:41:28
  - they're certainly planning on domination (General Chat) - SCC 28, Jul 23, 10:39:00
- i agreed up until the 66 stuff (General Chat) - SCC 28, Jul 23, 10:12:58
  - Fair enough - and yes I understand the 'bigger sports' point (General Chat) - norway, Jul 23, 10:34:19
    - and of course the 66 World Cup was virtually rigged (General Chat) - mr carra, Jul 23, 10:38:28
      - Brazil, Portugal and Hungary all in the same group (General Chat) - norway, Jul 23, 10:42:10
  - also cycling has only recently been taken seriously by GB (General Chat) - SCC 28, Jul 23, 10:29:39
- True dat! Just listened to a series of ideots on radio 5 saying that if Mo Farrah or Jess (General Chat) - woody, Jul 23, 10:10:27
  - i think farah would be (General Chat) - SCC 28, Jul 23, 10:14:29

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