Wiggins after his TT and GC win on Sunday
The following is a round up of what some of the British papers have been saying about Bradley Wiggins’ Paris-Nice win and what it means for his chances of victory in the Tour de France. You gotta love the gracious Australian contribution at the bottom of this lot……
The Guardian
William Fotheringham On Monday:
The Col d'Eze mountain, high above the Riviera coast between Nice and Monaco, is one of cycling’s iconic locations, having served as the climax to the eight-day ParisNice for over a quarter of a century, from 1969 to 1995. It has smiled on greats such as Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche, Miguel Indurain and Eddy Merckx, and Bradley Wiggins is now racing in their ranks having achieved the double of stage win on the Col and overall title in the "Race to the Sun".
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Gradually, the triple Olympic champion is producing a stage-racing record of achievement that approaches that of the other British greats in this domain. His fourth place in the Tour de France in 2009 equaled the British best of Robert Millar. His victory last year in the eight-day Dauphiné Libéré stage race put him in the company of Millar, and the British Tour pioneer Brian Robinson.
He has already bettered the late Tom Simpson's Tour best of sixth; before Sunday, Simpson had been the only British victor in Nice, and that triumph dated back to 1967.
Those close to (Wiggins) say that while he has hit this season in fine form, there will be more to come in a few months.
Wiggins writing himself on Monday under the headline: 'If I can win Paris-Nice, I can win the Tour de France'
“I don't believe any of that stuff about peaking too early. I went into Paris-Nice with the form I had. We had a plan, I'm not ahead of it, but there are still some areas to work on. My trainers have pushed me hard all winter with a view to peaking for July and I think I'm at about 95% of my potential now. The rest will come from the work I do between now and July.”
“It's more realistic that I can win the Tour now. I said during the week that Paris-Nice, for all the respect I have for it, is a stepping stone. If I'm capable of winning it, I'm capable of winning the Tour de France. I've now won the two biggest stage races in France. There is no longer any question of my fourth place in the Tour in 2009 being a fluke.”
“In terms of measuring my career, there is only one race left and that is the Tour. I have no doubt about it now. The more consistent I become in gaining world-class results the less doubt there is in my mind. That showed in the time trial on Sunday. I knew what I had to do and I knew that no one could challenge me if I got out the ride I was capable of doing. The key difference is that it's happening on a regular basis now.”
The Independent
Alasdair Fortheringham on Monday:
British cycling's seemingly unstoppable rise over the last decade saw it pass another major landmark yesterday when Bradley Wiggins became the first Briton to claim a victory in the Paris-Nice stage race in 45 years.
A GB record-equaling fourth in the 2009 Tour de France, third and a week-long leader in the Tour of Spain last year, the winner of the Giro d'Italia's prologue in 2010 were all breakthroughs for Wiggins. However, to take a second major week-long stage race after the Criterium du Dauphiné last year confirms he has yet to stop pushing back the frontiers for British road-racing.
"The Dauphiné was huge as well, but to put my name on both those races is an absolute honour really, especially with the finish on Col d'Eze," Wiggins said.
"I grew up watching [seven-times Paris-Nice winner] Sean Kelly winning Paris-Nice on that summit, so coming round that final bend to do that today was even more special."
Traditionally seen as a stepping stone for the Tour de France, this latest win will inevitably raise the pressure on him in July.
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"I'm on that list of riders who won Paris-Nice, the Dauphiné. There's just one left now to win now," Wiggins said – and it is a sign of his, and GB's relentless improvement in road-racing that he did not have spell out which race he was referring to, either.
The Telegraph
Brendan Gallagher on Monday:
Bradley Wiggins hinted at great things ahead in this year’s Tour de France when he produced a gutsy late burst to win the final day time trial up the Col d’Eze to become the first Briton to claim the Paris-Nice classic since Tom Simpson in 1967.
That win for Simpson alas heralded a tragic year which ultimately resulted in his death when he collapsed on the slopes of the Mont Ventoux during the Tour de France. When Simpson took the Paris-Nice title, however, it was part of a master plan to become the first Briton to win the Tour, a challenge that Wiggins has now taken up in earnest.
There might still be four months to go before the Depart in Liege but Wiggins startling early season form is indicative of a man who has identified the 2012 Tour as his best shot at cycling immortality.
As his considerable cycling career has repeatedly shown once Wiggins clears his mind and concentrates fully on a cycling project, all dreams are possible.
Gallagher in a separate, opinion, piece on Monday under the headline: “Is Bradley Wiggins the greatest cyclist we’ve ever produced?”
As Wiggins kept his cool and conquered the Col D'Eze yesterday to take both the general and points classifications at Paris-Nice, it struck me yet again that despite his extraordinary achievements he still doesn't quite get the credit he deserves. Somehow his supreme all-round talent gets overshadowed a little amid the growing list of Britons whose sensational skills are, or have been, more specific.
This morning let's hear it for Wiggins. Cool cat that he is, Wiggins is not brilliant at the PR game and singing his own praises so somebody else will have to do it for him.
This is a guy who on the track first of all has won three Olympic gold medals – just one fewer than Hoy – and six world championship golds in three disciplines. For most of the last decade he ruled the world in the individual pursuit – the purest event of all on the track – and was a key component of the British team pursuit squad that 'dared to dream' and eventually returned from Beijing with both the gold medal and a stunning world record which still stands.
The Sydney Morning Herald
From a column by Rupert Guinness:
Not everyone is convinced Paris-Nice winner Bradley Wiggins has what it takes to win the Tour de France this year. Australian Phil Anderson, long touted as a Tour contender in a career that saw him finish in the top 10 five times in the '80s, says of Wiggins: "He had one good year and was fourth. It was a great result, but he was an unknown. He hasn't been there and raced a full Tour with the pressure of being a leader. He started as leader last year, but crashed out. So we haven't seen how he copes over three weeks. He's still an unknown."
Guinness in a separate news story:
While Bradley Wiggins was winning the Paris-Nice stage race, Cadel Evans was off the pace racing in a mountain stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico tour in Italy that finishes tonight.
Wiggins is now riding on Evans's shoulder as a favourite for this year's Tour de France because of the way he and his team defended the leader's yellow jersey the Briton took in stage two.
The challenge for Wiggins will be to avoid peaking too early; handling the huge wave of expectation on him to win while racing on a Sky team that will also have British sprinter Mark Cavendish trying to win stages and defend his green jersey as last year's points champion.
Evans' challenge will be to make sure his plan to peak for the Tour is as accurate as it was in 2009 for the world road championship he won, or last year when he won the Tour.
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