‘Entertaining’ isn’t perhaps the first word that springs to mind when thinking of post-stage press conferences – typically, riders would rather get back to the team hotel for a massage, food and rest rather than face questions from journalists, but Bradley Wiggins adopted a novel approach at the Tour de Romandie, with a series of one-liners in both English and French earning him a round of applause as he departed the press room.
In a video posted to YouTube by race organisers complete with appropriate subtitles in English or French as the case may be, in true showbiz tradition the Team Sky star, who had just won Stage 1 of the race following an uncharacteristic sprint to the line, left his audience wanting more.
The British champion’s relaxed demeanour may of course partly be explained by the fact that he is in the form of his life on the road – on Sunday, he sealed overall victory in the Tour de Romandie which coming after his win earlier this year in Paris-Nice has seen him widely tipped as favourite to win the Tour de France, which starts in Liege at the end of next month.
Perhaps more worryingly for his rivals, that unfazed attitude also seems to be manifesting itself in his behaviour on the bike, with Wiggins himself highlighting at the Tour de Romandie that when he encountered a mechanical problem on his bike during the final time trial, a couple of years ago he might have thrown it into a ditch, as he had done at the World Championships in Mendrisio; instead, on Sunday he calmly remounted, and went on to win both the time trial and the overall title.
Should he confirm expectations and challenge for the maillot jaune at the Tour, we could be seeing a lot more of the Bradley Wiggins show in France this summer, both on the road and in the press room afterwards – the evidence from Switzerland shows he’s on top form in both situations.
46 thoughts on “That’s Entertainment: Bradley Wiggins reinvents the post-race press conference (+ video)”
Seems like a timely point to
Seems like a timely point to revisit Wiggins’ classic morphine sozzled post-hospital interview in last years TDF
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL3_qGQ0mYk
I feel fabulous
He is abit of an idiot, I
He is abit of an idiot, I still cant make my mind up about his attitude. Which tour was it last year where he said in an interview ‘we have been welcomed like dogs’.
Why do you say he is an
Why do you say he is an idiot?
There is so much more to the life of a pro cyclist that goes on around just riding your bike. He was obliged to meet the press and did a good job.
He wants to get back to the hotel,shower, eat, massage, team briefings, more media,maybe, phone the family, Sleep etc etc.
Bradley has always had a strong character but the nature of the job can make you introverted, just think of all the interviews with most cyclists you have seen. Its great to see a sportsman use his wits in an interview.
festival wrote:Why do you say
Quite. Especially compared to the average football player:
“Well, you know, it’s, you know a game of two halves, you know, we gave, you know 110%…”
Coleman wrote:festival
I’m reading David Millar’s bio at the moment and he’s no fan of Bradley. Relates to when after the team helping him get 4th in the tour he didn’t do his turn in Paris to help Farrar.
He’s an athlete, not a
He’s an athlete, not a poet.
Does it really matter how much of your preferred qualities he shows in a press conference or interview?
I would prefer him to just try his best to win races and be Bradley Wiggins.
i think rule #43 applies
i think rule #43 applies 🙂
Do you follow this guy on
Do you follow this guy on twitter? Have you watched any of his other interviews? Come on I mean lighten up! The guy is a great cyclists with a great chance this year. Just wish he would relax and crack a smile (Not when juiced on morphine)
mancsi wrote: Just wish he
1. Why on earth should he ‘crack a smile?’ He’s a top pro cyclist, he’s not there to perform and please an audience by grinning and being nice.
2. He does in fact smile a lot in this interview, and in others sometimes.
I think he’s caught between not wanting to bother with interviews and having an obligation to do them. He seems to see them as a contactually necessary pain in the arse. If he feels resentful at having to be there, it would explain the snipes and the lack of too much smiling. Also, the annoyance you might feel would allow you to be free enough to bat things around like he does above, make jokes etc., because you wouldn’t care.
He does come across as a bit arrogant sometimes, and, worse, as cool, which must be linked with his ‘mod’ image. Look however you like, obviously, but being a ‘mod’ at thirty – forty plus years old, and being cool is a bit of a contradiction in terms. In my humble opinion.
bikeylikey wrote:mancsi
A bit harsh – The Mod Father P Weller still looks better than the average old bloke ( well – like Dot Cotton in a punk wig to be honest..) so if Brad wants to keep the feather cut into old age good for him.
I remember the massive amount of interest in Wiggo’s hair two years ago when he first grew it. There was a lot of conservative comments then along the lines of “For godsake get your hair cut for the good of British sport!” I suspect it was a few slap-headed journos without Olympic Gold medals pushing that story..
And you wonder why Wiggins is bored of answering piss poor questions… 😀
Wiggin’s post tour morphine
Wiggin’s post tour morphine interview was probably the only time he has actually seemed decent! Personaly I think he’s a bit of a tool and doesnt have the right ‘team’ attitude other racers have like Cav for instance who’s all about the team around him and what he can do for them as well as what they can do for him.
Dont get me wrong he’s a decent rider and good for a track cyclist to prove the sceptics wrong and start pulling wins out of the bag and to see a Brit up there at the top.
But I for one will certainly not be cheering him on during the TdF, I’d like to see him help out his team mates instead of always wanting to be the leader of the pack!
Just my opinion tho! B-)
81bambi wrote:Wiggin’s post
Ha! Brilliant! Gotta love the British attitude “But I for one will certainly not be cheering him on during the TdF” That’ll have him worried.
Yeah, let’s have another gallant loser who’s a ‘team player’. Much better than having someone who may be a little bit selfish but actually wins the Tour.
Tour winners are selfish, they’re team leaders, the team is there for them. It can’t be any other way and never has been.
pwake wrote:Tour winners are
Well, at the Tour, yes, but other leaders have been prepared to ride as domestiques in other races to show their appreciation to their team-mates (Hinault gives examples of him doing so in his book). And when it was the last day of the Tour, and Wiggo wasn’t going to win it, and he had nothing else to save his legs for, he could have pulled for Farrar, couldn’t he?
It seems that he’s changed his attitude a bit though – he rode brilliantly for Cav at the World’s last year and he’s been thanking the team in a more Cav-like way at races this year. And yes, it’s nice to see someone with a little character give the journalists a bit of a hard time when they can’t ask anything interesting.
step-hent wrote:And when it
The day after he’d buried himself going up Mont Ventoux to hang onto fourth place?
pwake wrote:Tour winners are
I’d say its more than selfish to have the leader of the Vuelta working as his domesique as Wiggins did last year.
Though I think the main reason I can’t cheer him on with any real enthusiasm was the way he joined Sky while still under contract. In my book that’s breaking your word in a sport where this type of thing was sruprisingly rare (though will no doubt become more and more common).
TheHatter wrote:pwake
I think you will find that Wiggins always said he would not ask to leave Garmin and it would be upto them to negoatiate with another team (aka Sky) as to whether he would leave or not. He never asked to leave always saying he was under contract and Sky paid Garmin a massive amount of money for him.
stumps wrote:
I think you
I know he said that – he also made the comment about needing to leave a team he compared to Wigan to go to a team he compared to Man Utd so I think its fair to question how uninvolved he was in the process.
TheHatter wrote:
I know he
Does depend on context though – cycling teams are known for not having a hugely refined or polished approach, whereas Sky is known for the complete opposite, and this probably would feel very different. Bernie Eisel echoed the same sentiment when he moved across, if I recall correctly he said Sky was run more like an F1 team, something like “everything is catered for, for the riders, all we have to do is ride our bikes. It’s how a professional team should be”.
The other thing is, we don’t know if a spat occurred between him and Garmin during the negotiations, that might have been enough to encourage a little dig.
Anyway, not being funny, but for someone with the psyche required to have the drive necessary to compete as a top-level athlete, he seems relatively normal to me.
<:P GO GO WIGGO! <:P
He’s alright.
He’s alright.
And if you think he doesn’t
And if you think he doesn’t have the right “team attitude” I suggest you watch the last lap of Cav’s Worlds victory. Massive pull by Wiggins and a massive contribution to a fantastic team effort.
I’m worried, when people
I’m worried, when people start acting like that in public it usually means one of two things
a) their idiots
b) their starting to crack up.
I don’t think Wiggins is an idiot, so I fear he’s starting to crack.
I agree with you Pwake. The
I agree with you Pwake. The English eh. Gloom and doom merchants. For the first time in a long time we have a cyclist winning stage races, who could possibly win the TDF, and yet there is always a large contingent of cycling fans who say he’s got no chance, the aussie will win, or some European – it’s like they don’t want a english winner. As for Wiggin’s attitude. How do you expect elite sportsmen to be. At least he has got Attitude, and he speaks his mind. As for press the conference: you ride on the rivet for 5 hours and then you have to reply to the dullest of questions from a gaggle of journalists. Any one with a brain or a personality would have to resort to some kind of tactic as wiggins does, just to get through the monotony. All Wiggins needs to do now is keep his Mod-barnet as it is and those black socks pulled up and he will win the Tour.
Wiggins has done massive
Wiggins has done massive turns on the front for Cav and Richie Porte (Catalunya?) in the last 8 months.
Saying he is not a team player just shows your ignorance of pro-level cycling.
British mentality to build someone up and try to knock him down. Sickening.
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but some people’s opinions are just wrong!” Wiggins himself.
Just back from a mini break
Just back from a mini break in Nice, catching up on Romandie via Cyclingfans videos, Wiggin’s sprint win (with time to glance behind) and post race effusive “I owe it all to my team mates” was it all a new level of Wiggin’s impersonation (which I have read he is known for) it was all so Cavendish, the interview was really amusing. A confident win for Wiggo and Sky.
Ha! Then he could be accused
Ha! Then he could be accused of doping.
Which would you like Mr Wiggo – the rock or the hard place?!
So many armchair experts
So many armchair experts lining up to knock a winner.
(|:
Like Cav, he’s not paid to talk or please faceless ‘internet forum people’.
Unless you’re in the Sky bus you won’t know what Brad’s really like as a team player. I’ve just finished his book, published in 2008, and I don’t really know any more about his public personality than before.
As far as i’m concerned –
As far as i’m concerned – which doesn’t count for a lot – but it is typical of this country (and i mean England – you dont get it with the Scots, Welsh or Irish) to try and find fault before praising someone.
Wiggins is an enigma that only his family and close friends will understand. He “appeared” not to care about anyone but himself, but as a leader of a team he relies on the others and its the others that bury themselves for him. If he was a knacker i dont think it would happen. This season though he seems to have come out of his shell a lot more which is good.
I for one will be cheering him on at every opportunity so if people dont like him they can always watch the footie and become as anally dead as the players they are watching. X(
Glad i got that off my chest #o
So … quick count ..
Wiggo
So … quick count ..
Wiggo supporters: 16
Deriders: 4
…although my interpretation of opinions may be wrong!
As much as I would class
As much as I would class myself as a fan of Wiggo, I am fearful of the fact that he appears to be turning into Bryan Brown:
http://www.virtual-history.com/movie/photo/m01/large/00977.jpg
Wiggins is a legend. He has a
Wiggins is a legend. He has a real chance of making history this year and to do that he needs to ride like the team leader not one of the boys. I think the fact that guys like Geraint will bury themselves for him shows you the respect he has. go Brad!
Now I’ve had chance to view
Now I’ve had chance to view the video (it was blocked at work) back to the crux of the matter. An entertaining press conference. How often does this happen? Half-wit footballers and very dull tennis players are given far too much time in front of the camera.
He’s paid to ride a bike. Journalists are paid to write stories that sell newspapers, attract advertisers to websites etc. Entertaining bloke. I hope he does well.
British sportsman wins major
British sportsman wins major international competition: not bad.
British sportsman gives press conference in French: c’est formidable!
Wiggins = Lad.
Remember the
Wiggins = Lad.
Remember the interview where they were like; what are you doing to prepare each morning.
He replied; Just getting up, eating my weetabix.
:)) :)) :)) :)) :)) :)) :)) :))
Raleigh wrote:Remember the
I bet that had some members of the foreign press scurrying for the WADA banned list 😉
I always held his 2008
I always held his 2008 Madison performance with Cav against him until the World Championships last year he was a ledgend and “made up” for any previous.
I thought it was a funny press conference and all the best I will be shouting for him in all his races.
I think he’s pretty
I think he’s pretty passionate but also pretty patient with the press. He says what he likes and Sky shows no sign of even trying to reign his press style in – so good for him.
I live near Wiggins. I’ve yet to meet him but we have friends in common and he’s apparently a normal bloke trying to stay normal with all that demanded of him from a lot of idiots he’d rather not deal with. He rides with the local chainy when he’s home, his wife races with our club and he supports local riders with no attitude or publicity.
I like him. 🙂
I shall be cheering on Wiggo
I shall be cheering on Wiggo because it would give many of my friends and me immense pleasure to see a Brit finally win the TdF
There’s zero point trying to ‘know’ someone through the distorting prism of the media, and people who claim incredible knowledge and insights into celebrity or sportspeople’s personalities are seriously deluded
Had a good chat to him in
Had a good chat to him in Nice, really nice guy, mind you get him on the right subject, cycling history or music, and hes fine.
I actually thought it was a
I actually thought it was a great set of responses to some poor questions from Swiss journalists (I live in Switzerland).
I think if Wiggins is leaving no stone unturned to get his maximum performance then it’s not unreasonable to expect the journalists to do the same.
“Was the last kilometer downhill?”
That’s like asking how long the stage is, it’s in the road book for the race, which was given out for free to all fans and of course would have been in the media tent.
It’s an opportunity to get some real insight from the riders, no-one asked questions about the next day’s stage which was medium mountains and included sections of this years TDF route.
Would he ride TT or adapted road bike for the Sunday TT that was 70% up hill?
Was Cav planning on contesting any sprints or just Giro d’Italia training?
What is Wiggins planning in the schedule for his next race?
Will he ride Tour de Suisse?
Does he enjoy Tour de Romandie’s scenery?
Where did he learn his French?
There are lots of questions better than those that were asked!
I think hes a legend! But to
I think hes a legend! But to say he isn’t a team player is ridiculous! After paris nice and wvery stage of romandie he thanked ‘the boys’ and said its good to get the win ‘for the boys’! ‘its nice to pay them back with a win! Those ‘boys will ride themselves into the ground for that guy!!! I hope to be standing on the streets of Paris on 22nd of july cheering both a british green jersey and a british yellow jersey! Allez Sky
Perhaps a bit disappointing
Perhaps a bit disappointing after such a hard effort to have, what appeared to be, uninterested press taking up his time. Poor performance by the journalists.
I don’t care what he says
I don’t care what he says during a press conference, as long as he keeps winning! Remind me again what’s that old saw “judge a person by their deeds not their words”
Sports press conferences have
Sports press conferences have become so dull that if anyone acts differently to the norm they’re seen as weird.
This is a masterclass in confidence and charisma. He is in a very good place mentally right now.
A pleasure to see.
Just logged in to say how
Just logged in to say how funny and charismatic this is, so quite amazed by some of the negative comments on here. Would you rather listen to Wayne Rooney struggling over the same lines about giving 100% in a game of two halves? A lot of premiership footballers struggle to string together a sentence in their native tongue, and this guy can flip between 2 languages with enough eloquence to make his interviewers laugh!
Great sportsman, genuine personality.
Allez Wiggo, I’ll be cheering ’till I am hoarse.
The best bit:-
Wiggo: ‘Have
The best bit:-
Wiggo: ‘Have you ever ridden a bike? Never, it shows.’
Journo: ‘…I did ride.’
W: ‘Oh really? Have you ever won the tour of Romandie?’
J: ‘No, But I’ve won Zurich’s Championship’
W: ‘Really?’
J: ‘Yeah, it’s good, no?’
W: ‘Yeah, sure, it’s good.’
J: ‘Do you know it?’
W: ‘…no.’
I almost died laughing at that part. But hey, look, a sportsman with a personality and a sense of humour! Lets chastise him for having a laugh >.< Seriously, guys, lighten up...
It is nice to see a sportsman
It is nice to see a sportsman with a positive attitude. It was scary though to hear of his accident with a van last November, but luckily he is fine. As a driver of a BMW car, I’m always wary of cyclists turning into my lane out of nowhere. I’m not blaming anyone, but I think all of us need to be educated about cycling on the road. I was on the way to get my car serviced for swirl flaps faults when a cyclist swerved into my path. I almost hit him!