Giro d'Italia 2019 - Bradley Wiggins slams Jumbo-Visma DS Addy Engels in Roy Keane style rant
:focal(167x134:169x132)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2021/04/12/3041129-62378324-310-310.png)
Updated 28/05/2019 at 18:06 GMT
Bradley Wiggins has criticised Jumbo-Visma’s Directeur Sportif Addy Engels for the team boss’s comments about Primoz Roglic following Stage 16 of the Giro d’Italia.
Wiggins thumb
Image credit: Eurosport
Jeez, I feel like turning into Roy Keane now. I mean, come on, give him something ... I'm gobsmacked!
Roglic dropped down to third in the General Classification after struggling on the Mortirolo climb during a tricky day, and his DS Engels spoke to Eurosport’s Matt Stephens immediately after the stage.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2019/05/28/2599412-53886950-2560-1440.jpg)
Engels - What can you say to Roglic when he's struggling like that?
Those comments were not well received by Eurosport pundits Bradley Wiggins and Brian Smith, with the former particular critical of the Dutch DS’s lack of motivational skills.
“Jesus, I feel like turning into Roy Keane now,” Wiggins said, clearly riled by the interview he had just watched.
“When he said to Matt ‘What do you say to a guy… what can you say?’ It’s like come on!
“'Ride your tempo, just time trial now, everyone’s hurting'; give him a bit of support. Something! Give him something!”
Brian Smith was in total agreement, adding to the criticism of Engels.
“Imagine you go back to your hotel room, flip open your laptop and that interview comes up. These same guys lost you 40 seconds the previous day … what’s he going to be thinking!”
Orla Chennaoui - Eurosport's presenter for all three of cycling's Grand Tour in 2019 - posed a follow-up question when she asked:
It wasn’t a good day for him, but it wasn’t terrible, he didn’t panic and he rode at his own tempo. It could have been a lot worse. There are a few incidents in this race that could have been worse for him and he’s limiting his losses fairly well isn’t he?
And Wiggins replied: "You have to. It’s not the good days you have, it’s those bad days. You’ve just got to ride your race and forget everyone else.
"You’re a time triallist, when they’ve gone away just time trial now – just do your own race, forget them, they’re not going to sustain this.
"You just keep encourage him, positive encouragement – ‘You’re looking great, tomorrow’s another day let’s get through today’ … come on Addy, give him something!
Jeez, I bet his honeymoon was exciting, Gordon Bennett! I mean, come on, something! And then they keep putting this bloke on the telly every day.
But there’s not much between the big riders at this stage of the race, it’s mental, it’s tomorrow’s another day, it can change again tomorrow. Look what happened with Froome last year – Brailsford told us that all three weeks last year.
You’ve got to keep going to the… you can’t just… I mean, I’m gobsmacked!
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement