Bradley Wiggins was perhaps a little disappointed with his ride in the Giro d?Italia time trial but his coach Matt Parker was very proud of him and happy to be in Italy to see him ride so well.
Parker knows Wiggins more than anyone else as an athlete after working together for years chasing Olympic and world championship gold on the track. He knows the pain Wiggins went through in the gruelling 60.6km time trial but also knows all the hard work done in the last six months as Wiggins worked on his metamorphosis from track pursuiter to stage race rider.
Parker congratulated Wiggins on his ride near the finish in Riomaggiore and then analysed his performance for Cycling Weekly.
?Brad?s shown that when you prepare for the specifics in these events, he?s as good an athlete as anyone and he?s still improving,? Parker said.
?He?s worked hard over the winter and he?s proved that he?s far more than just a time trialist. It?s the first winter for a long time where he?s just concentrated on doing the job for the road.?
?I think it?s one of the best time trials I?ve seen him do. But there?s still lots of improvement in there and there?s still lots to come because it?s still quite early in the season. Saying that, this is no means a training event for the Tour de France. He?s come here to go well and put himself up there to show that he can ride. And he?s doing that.?
Dropping Lance
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Parker watched Wiggins drop Lance Armstrong on the first big Dolomite stage to Alpe di Suisi last week.
It was a breakthrough moment for Wiggins but Parker was expecting it after seeing how Wiggins had improved his power and dropped his weight in recent months. He even expects more in the future, perhaps in the Tour de France in July.
?I wasn?t surprised because that what he was aiming to do. He?s a big powerful guy and at race weight for the major Tours, he can climb as well as anybody,? Parker told Cycling Weekly.
?He?s missing that last little bit at the moment, just those last few kilometres, but he?s never been there before. Everything he?s done and is doing at the Giro will stand him in good stead and then he?ll move on from there.?
?When we get to the end of the Giro we?ll review everything and look at the targets he?s set himself. He?s putting it all together so well. It?s not only about training. It?s about putting into the race and he?s doing that fantastically well. Hopefully he can improve in a few areas and move on again.?
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Giro d'Italia 2009 links
Stage reports
Stage 12: Menchov storms to Giro TT win and race lead
Stage 11: Cavendish romps to second Giro stage win
Stage 10: Di Luca lays down the gauntlet
Giro rest day review (May 18)
Stage nine: Cavendish blitzes rivals to win in Milan
Stage eight: Siutsou makes it two in a row for Columbia-Highroad
Founded in 1891, Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews, extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing, as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features. Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms, from good old-fashioned print to online journalism, and video.
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