We have reported earlier this week that Christopher Froome and Bradley Wiggins are expected to rejoin their forces on several occasions this season in the common goal of claiming the third consecutive Tour the France title for the formidable Team Sky, and now the latter has confirmed those news in the interview for Sky Sport News, where he admitted that participating in la Grande Boucle again is one of his biggest dreams concerning his career in cycling.
“I’d love to be back at the Tour de France,” Wiggins told Sky Sports News.
“I missed it last year and I was watching it on the TV. When you see it from the outside, you see just how great the Tour de France is.”
Even though Wiggins seemingly lacked enough motivation throughout the whole 2013 season to compete on the level he has shown a year before, when be became the first ever Briton to win the Tour the France, and he added an Olympic gold medal in Individual Time Trial only one month later, now the knighted Team Sky rider is eager to bounce back.
Claiming the third consecutive Tour the France title, undoubtedly with a British rider leading the formidable squad, would be the case of a great matter for Team Sky this season, as the French Grand Tour event kick-offs in Great Britain this year, particularly in Yorkshire.
Wiggins admits, that the Tour the France starting from Great Britain plays an important role in his ambitions to return to an event, as well as the perspective of two former yellow jersey winners riding arm in arm in the event, under the banner of the very same British team. However, if Sir Bradley regains the spot in Sky’s Tour squad, it is more likely that he will be forced to ride in the supporting role for sunburned Christopher Froome, as a title defender.
“The opportunity, with it starting in the UK, to be back there as an ex-winner will be fantastic,” Wiggins explained.
“Having two British winners at the Tour de France, with it starting in the UK will be quite an experience for us all.”
The duo have raced together only on one occasion, at the Tour of Oman, last season, after the conflict between former Team Sky leader and his so-called loyal lieutenant during Tour the France 2012 edition almost provoked the older Briton to abandon the race as Wiggins felt betrayed by Froome.
However, Wiggins and Froome claimed that they are on good terms with each other again, and are expected to rejoin forces at Milan-San Remo and Tirreno-Adriatico, before the 101th edition of the Tour the France kicks-off.
In the interview for Sky Sport News Wiggins also admitted how disappointed he was to discover, that the prize money story has been revealed.
“There’s a whole story behind that,” he responded.
“I think the thing with that is that it was an internal thing. It’s disappointing that things like that become public knowledge. Because there’s reasons for all the things that go on. Yeah, it’s a stage old one that…”
Quite obviously, after a rather disappointing 2013 season, British rider wants to once again hit the disposition He manager to maintain throughout his major campaigns with Team Sky in 2012 and finally reached a level of motivation suggesting, that his will could indeed become a reality.
“Yeah, I’m in a good place at the moment,” he said.
“I want to get off to a flying start like I did in 2012. I want to be performing well all early season. I’ve got some good goals in the early season, with the Tour of California in May.
“It’s something that I want to start doing, performing well out there in America. Beyond that, to be back in the Tour de France and back in the team, in whatever capacity, alongside the defending champion Chris.”
Wiggins will start his season at the Challenge Mallorca on February 9.
Norman VAHTRA 28 years | today |
Maité BARTHELS 23 years | today |
Chris HARPER 30 years | today |
Hijiri ODA 26 years | today |
Luis Guillermo MORA 30 years | today |
© CyclingQuotes.com