Brad Wiggins 2012 TDF - Best ever British Sporting Achievement?

[Dags11]

Chris Hoy thinks so, it certainly knocks Torvill & Dean into a cocked hat.

Can you guys think of a better achievement.........

 

[MattHB]

He's not won it yet!

 

[Dags11]

A fiver he does....

 

[black'n'yellow]

if Sir Chris thinks so, then it must be true...

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Sir Steve Redgrave comes to mind for messing about in some boats once apon a time.....

 

[raindog]

What about the lass who sailed single handed round the world? Was it Helen McArthur or something? I thought that was pretty exceptional.

EDIT
Ellen MacArthur it was - and she's from Derbyshire into the bargain.

 

[ohnovino]

Just had a look a past Sport Personality of the Year winners for ideas, but nobody stands out as better than Wiggins.

BTW, did you know that in the year Bannister broke the four-minute mile barrier he came second in SPOTY behind one of his pacemakers?!

 

[Ajay]

I'd say so.
I can only think of Linford winning gold in Barcelona to put in the same bracket.
Both iconic events with genuine worldwide competition.

 

[swansonj]

There must be a difference between best single achievement (eg Bannister) and best sustained series of achievements (eg Redgrave). With Wiggins, there are some people who are acclaiming him mainly just for the single achievement of winning the TdF (which presumably would be less noteworthy if Britain's previous record in the TdF was more similar to France, Spain, Italy etc), and others for the sustained achievement of (to summarise) winning the TdF after winning 6 Olympic medals.

 

[Noodley]

Shergar winning the horse hide-and-seek competition for 39 years in a row

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Shergar winning the horse hide-and-seek competition for 39 years in a row

Neptune Collonges for being the first Grey to win the National since 1960 or whatever it was!

 

[Dags11]

Shergar winning the horse hide-and-seek competition for 39 years in a row

No probs in who would pick up the comedy award......

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

There must be a difference between best single achievement (eg Bannister) and best sustained series of achievements (eg Redgrave). With Wiggins, there are some people who are acclaiming him mainly just for the single achievement of winning the TdF (which presumably would be less noteworthy if Britain's previous record in the TdF was more similar to France, Spain, Italy etc), and others for the sustained achievement of (to summarise) winning the TdF after winning 6 Olympic medals.

For me, it is, without a doubt, Sir Steve. In terms of sustained period of time at the top, few people will ever even dream of coming close to him. He is a living legend!

There are the other categories though, and undoubtedly Bannister et al will corner their own.

 

[Boris Bajic]

Wiggins is quite a rider and the team around him are unbelievably good. I am slack-jawed in my admiration of him, even as one of the gainsayers who thought he'd never win a TdF. He seems to have the job done and I find that exraordinary and wonderful.

I find it hard to compare achievement between disciplines and decades, but these are some names:


I recall the absolute domination of Coe and Ovett in 800, 1500 and Mile over a number of years. Cram and others came in on the end of that surge of fantastitude, but Coe and Ovett seemed somehow capable of hoovering up titles and records at will in what are some of the blue ribband track distances.

After many years of injuries at unfortunate times, I found Kelly Holmes' twin golds in the same Games quite a stunner. Most would have quit by then.

From the world of motorsport, I have a great regard for Barry Sheene and also Dave Thorpe.

Thorpe took several World titles in a sport hardly covered by UK media but hugely popular in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and elsewhere.... which sounds uncannily familiar to many a cycling fan. I saw him ride in a one-off event while living in France many years ago and he was greeted like some sort of deity by the crowd. Back here, he'd have gone unnoticed.

 

[Durian]

I would go for Steve Redgrave aswell. Winning gold in five different Olympic Games and in such a tough sport.