That's Entertainment: Bradley Wiggins reinvents the post-race press conference (+ video)

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!

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...

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.

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.

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"

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 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

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!

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 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

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 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.

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.

British sportsman wins major international competition: not bad.

British sportsman gives press conference in French: c'est formidable!

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.

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!

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

So ... quick count ..

Wiggo supporters: 16
Deriders: 4

...although my interpretation of opinions may be wrong!

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.

Glad i got that off my chest

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.

Ha! Then he could be accused of doping.

Which would you like Mr Wiggo - the rock or the hard place?!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

He's alright.

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!