Wiggins fumes at doping talk
BRITISH cycling hopeful Bradley Wiggins held onto the yellow jersey after stage eight of the Tour de France yesterday, yet reacted angrily after the race when asked about doping allegations made on the social network Twitter.
“I can’t be doing with people like that,” Wiggins said during an expletive-fuelled rant against critics who have suggested that winning the Tour is impossible without the use of performance enhancing drugs.
“They’re just ****ing ******* … it’s easy for them to sit under a pseudonym on Twitter and write that kind of **** rather than get off their ****es and apply themselves and work hard at something,” he told reporters.
His sentiments were later backed up by fellow Team Sky racer Chris Froome, who took to Twitter itself to make his point. “Critics need to wake up and realise that cycling has evolved. Dedication and sacrifice equals success,” he wrote.
Wiggins even took a jibe at the popularity of tennis, on a day that millions were glued to the men’s final at Wimbledon. “Tennis is nothing. It only lasts one and a half hours,” he barked.
Yet the Team Sky man had reason for a rosier outlook, after retaining the overall lead of the Tour ahead of today’s stage nine.
French crowds cheered on youngster Thibaut Pinot yesterday, as he rode to victory in three hours, 56 minutes and 10 seconds.
Wiggins finished fourth, one of a pack that came in 26 seconds behind. Overall he stays 10 seconds ahead of Cadel Evans.