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Cycling owns SPOTY

Top showing from the cycling boys and girls on the Sports Personality front then. BC were a shoe-in for the team but fantastic that Brailsford got the coaching award, and I can't believe that Hoy won out ahead of Hamilton - fantastic! That's even more cereal ads for the boy then...

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DaSy | 15 years ago
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The publics sudden rush to support a successful BC track squad reminds me of the rush of support the English rugby squad got after winning the world cup, a few years later and no-one remembers them or their acheivements now outside of the traditional rugby fans.

BC is riding the tide of public adulation after the Olympics, and maybe one or two names will become household names (as did Johnny Wilkinson), but I doubt it will have any long lasting affect on the public perception of cycling as a sport.

I also don't think that you can doubt Brad Wiggins commitment to cycling, to be at his level and be competetive requires 100% commitment, I just don't think he likes the publicity caravan that comes along with this sudden surge of interest in BC.

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DaSy | 15 years ago
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I don't really get what the whole SPOTY thing is about to be honest, are we just judging these people on their personality, or their sporting acheivments or some kind of a balance of both.

I assume you have to firstly win something popular and then be a nice chap, Cav's achievments for cycling are a lot more significant in my book, but he is not media friendly so won't score high enough on the affable scale to win the coveted SPOTY, it's a pretty irrelevant award to be honest.

I suppose it raises the profile of cycling to the general public...

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DaSy | 15 years ago
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I really dislike the desire of the more glamorous of Sports (football, F1 etc) to become a personality or celebrity nowadays. The culture of celebrity really annoys me within the entertaiment industry, let alone the sports world.

I much prefer Cav's tell it like it is attitude, or Robert Miller's disregard, they are doing what they love because they love it, not to become a household name and get recognised in the street.

Cycling is a tough sport, especially road racing, and tends to breed hard men, Hinault is still chucking people off the back of lorries even now.

The day I see a pro cyclist in the bloody jungle or watched 24 hours in a house full cameras along with Jade Goody and Ted Rogers will be a very sad day.

Long live the unapproachable, stand offish hero's of road racing I know and love today, Chris Hoy better not get sucked into some inane celebrity TV show, that really would be a disaster.

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dave atkinson replied to DaSy | 15 years ago
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DaSy wrote:

Chris Hoy better not get sucked into some inane celebrity TV show, that really would be a disaster.

heh. he'd probably win though. he's a winner.

Tony's spot on though: the reason he comes across as friendly and affable is because he is, that's just his nature and it makes him a good SPOTY candidate and no less a champion. Cavendish comes over as arrogant and self-assured, but hey - he can walk the walk too, so he's every right to be confident in his ability. Wiggins has got the results (at least on track) to back up his attitude as well, so he can be as moody and moddish as he likes...   1

I don't think any of the three are trying to be something they're not.

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mst replied to dave atkinson | 15 years ago
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That whether your a good cop or bad cop you need to come across as though you want to be there, Wiggins didnt...

Im all for mavericks, history tells us that there is no such thing as bad news, only news, and the same goes for PR. Some of the hardest riders have made the greatest legends we all remember Fignon, Hinault, Cipo and the rest for their 'fighting talk', but we also remember them for the results - the other stuff was a side show, and they knew it. Let Cav call whoever, whatever he wants, lets have people fighting on the finish line, lets have blood, sweat and tears and lets have the good guys just winning and going about their business (Sastre,Kelly, Ludwig, Schmil) . Then they can all write their books and make legends

Wiggo reminds me of the Catherine Tate schoolgirl (sorry cant remember her name) more and more each time I see him. I just wish he could be more bovvered.

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Tony Farrelly replied to mst | 15 years ago
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mst wrote:

That whether your a good cop or bad cop you need to come across as though you want to be there, Wiggins didnt... Im all for mavericks, history tells us that there is no such thing as bad news, only news, and the same goes for PR. Some of the hardest riders have made the greatest legends we all remember Fignon, Hinault, Cipo and the rest for their 'fighting talk', but we also remember them for the results - the other stuff was a side show, and they knew it. Let Cav call whoever, whatever he wants, lets have people fighting on the finish line, lets have blood, sweat and tears and lets have the good guys just winning and going about their business (Sastre,Kelly, Ludwig, Schmil) . Then they can all write their books and make legends Wiggo reminds me of the Catherine Tate schoolgirl (sorry cant remember her name) more and more each time I see him. I just wish he could be more bovvered.

I agree… with pretty much all of that.

The only point at which I might diverge is that it depends what rWiggins isn't bothered about: is it cycling, or all the sideshow stuff like SPOTY? If it's the former then he has a problem.

 If it's the latter, well… you could ask why he bothered turning up at all, maybe he was  contractually obliged to. He was probably all too aware that he was simply on the list to make up the numbers. Cavendish should have been on the list too - maybe at Wiggins', Victoria Pendleton's or Rebecca Romero's expense. He wouldn't have won, but not necessarily because he's an arrogant sod (plenty of them have won in the past I'm sure), but because the majority of the people that voted don't know enough about road cycling to understand the scale of his achievement.

If it was down purely to sporting achievement though I think Cooke should have won it, an Olympic Gold and a World Championship on the road is pretty awesome.

Either way though the really big plus of the whole event is surely that between them the cyclists accounted for more than fifty per cent of the total vote.

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Jon Burrage | 15 years ago
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Im not sure wiggins has an attitude problem, he said it is. Its not a shock, a suprise or magic...they have a really hard working team and they work well together. Look at the results, yes it sounds arrogant but if its true then thats fine. Im glad hoy won though, he should be recognised for his achievements but cooke, cav etc should have had a strong shout in any other year

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dave atkinson replied to Jon Burrage | 15 years ago
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Yes he told it like it is, but he did come over rather nonchalant about the whole affair, didn't you think. I know he's not SPOTY's greatest fan but he could have been a bit happier to be there...  1

like you say, cav and nicole should by rights have been up there too. but the Olympics is mainstream, world champs and the TdF aren't - people have to understand their achievement and i'm not sure that understanding was there with those two.

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mst replied to dave atkinson | 15 years ago
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Wish I had thought of that one. Bradley has always been thus, but Sunday night was not the night to be Mr Meldrew, Cookey lit the bonfire (she did go on a bit though!) and Wiggins pi**ed on it...

Perhaps Cav should have been there instead? Does anyone know who nominates the 10 in the first place?

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mst replied to Jon Burrage | 15 years ago
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Jon Burrage wrote:

...they have a really hard working team and they work well together.

Sure John, so do Man United, but when they interview Wayne Rooney (who has a few less intelligent cells than Brad) he is positive and professional. He has been versed in the new world of PR. Whether he likes it or not Wiggins is a highly paid professional and has a responsibility to all those who pay his wages.

His wife put her head in her hands as he spoke - nuff said...

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Jon Burrage replied to mst | 15 years ago
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good point well made!

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Tony Farrelly replied to mst | 15 years ago
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'A panel of experts', so some bods from the BBC Sports department. Interestingly looking at some comments on the BBC site going right back to August there were calls for Cavendish to be on the list - interesting too to see the number of people who called the final result correctly way back then.

One thing though, if Cav had been nominated do you think he would have given a more viewer friendly performance than Wiggins… form suggests otherwise Wiggins may be "nonchalant' about the whole thing, but he also got pissed off that at the SPOTY Awards in 2004 more time was given over to the death of Red Rum than his Olympic double.

On the other hand i get the impression that Cavendish REALLY couldn't give a shit what anybody thinks. Which is why I like him.

Hoy won because the public recognised that his achievements over two Olympics were immense plus it's always good to see that a genuinely nice guy can be a winner and he because he was patently just being himself - he doesn't have to try to be PR friendly he just naturally is.

if Wiggins had tried to be more PR friendly it probably wouldn't have rung true with the public and wouldn't have done him any good with the public anyway.

Rooney may well be versed in trotting out PR platitudes, but then maybe that's also why nobody takes any notice of a word he says.

As to Wiggins duty "to the people who pay his wages" I doubt that the management of Garmin Chipottle give a monkey's (they probably pay him waaaaay more than British Cycling do). If I was being really cynical I'd have said that his 'surly mod' personna is probably just as marketable, if not more so, than Chris Hoy. After all, there's more money in fashion, booze and rock and roll than there is in breakfast cereals.

 

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mst replied to Tony Farrelly | 15 years ago
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"On the other hand I get the impression that Cavendish REALLY couldn't give a shit what anybody thinks" this is changing. He has been very different this last few months...his interviews have been more measured and 'co-operative'

As for Brad's move to Garmin, it is part of that team's regime (same with Columbia and Saxo) that they are made super press / public friendly (I agree that that could still be a moody Mod, just look at Dave Z, he's craaaazy), so I suspect they may play to his moody manner but they will work on his comms skills, IMHO.

Still we all have our views, which is why this is nice place to be!

BTW "After all, there's more money in fashion, booze and rock and roll than there is in breakfast cereals"... my source tells me that this deal is approaching SEVEN figures is there that sort of money for ANYONE else in cycling right now, fashion, beer or cereals?

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Tony Farrelly replied to mst | 15 years ago
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that "co-operative and PR friendly" tends to mean bland and boring with nothing new to say. If most bike journos were being really honest they would tell you that they're not interested in what co-operative PR friendly bike riders tell them, and their readers aren't either because it's always exactly the same bland. boring, pap… off the record, now that's a different story.

Lance, I'm sure earns more, and Hoy may have got 2 mill (and good luck to him) but Kellogs will pretty much own him for that. And as I say, that wholesome image only works in certain markets – they don't make Brut 33 any more  3

Wiggins has always been open and approachable to journalists as far as I know, and the reason journos tend to like him is that he tells it like he sees it, ditto Cavendish, that's much better copy than the team/sponsor's line. 

As for Cav he didn't have many warm words for BC in that Observer interview last month.

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mst replied to Tony Farrelly | 15 years ago
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"must not lock horns with bike journos, must not lock horns with bike journos"

Im all for edgey personalities Tony, really, I suppose I have become too professional in my old age and swimming against the flow makes athletes tired eventually - Cav will be opening schools in 10 years  3 . I was offering a POV that you cant always be the maverick, there are times when you need to act up...

Off to sharpen my horns!

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Jon Burrage | 15 years ago
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Its a very nice feeling that cycling has been recognised. We all know how well the team did and how much effort and talent it takes to get to that level but its great that those outside cycling have noticed too. On the bbc spoty forum there are Hamilton fans going ballistic about the result, "chris who etc" saying how lewis has much more of a personality. I dont know why they are bitter. 3 gold medals at one olympics, 4 golds in total in different events is incredible. Well done to the whole gb cycling team inc, cav and pendleton who in any other year would surely have been nominated.
Bring on 2009!

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Tony Farrelly replied to Jon Burrage | 15 years ago
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Nothing against Hamilton, but I always wondered why the bookies were so convinced the British public would vote for a multi-millionaire 23 year old, who will get a shot at the World Championship every year for the next 10 if he wants it.

The Olympics only comes around once every four years.

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adeyho replied to Jon Burrage | 15 years ago
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There is no doubt that Lewis Hamilton is a tallented driver, the bitterness on other forums about Hoy's win is sour grapes. Realistically how many young kids who have been inspired by Hamilton will ever make it in Motorsport, Hamilton was in a very priveledged position having Focused(pushy) parents with lots of money, encouraging and supporting him from a very young age.

Hoy, Adlington, Wiggins, Romirez, Cooke etc have all proved their worth with performances in disciplines attainable by common people, the dedication of Cyclists and Swimmers who put many hours training in is truly praiseworthy
This will encourage the next generation to get on a bike or into a pool and to try active sport, agreed not all will compete and only a few of those will do very well, but I bet Hoy and Co. were ispired by former great Olympians like Redgrave, Coe , Ovett, Thompson, and Boardman.

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mst replied to adeyho | 15 years ago
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If it was down to pure sporting achievement in ONE Year, not 8 years, then Cookey should have walked it. Chris Hoy won because he charmed the public and he is a genuinely lovely guy and dont get me wrong was a very worthy winner, he won by almost double the vote that Hamilton got...

Wiggo's attitude problem may also explain why he got 5,000 vs Chris' 250000!!

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adeyho replied to mst | 15 years ago
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, Chris Hoy won because he charmed the public and he is a genuinely lovely guy

Sports "Personality" of the Year  3

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