Sky Procycling's Bradley Wiggins of Britain cycles during the 14th stage of the Tour of Spain "La Vuelta" race between Astorga and La Farrapona, Lagos de Somiedo, on Sept 3. Felix Ordonez / Reuters

 

Star British cyclist has to perform a juggling act next year with Tour de France and home Games obligations clashing

Three-time Olympic pursuit champion Bradley Wiggins, who finished third overall in the Vuelta and won silver in the road World Championships time trial, will target the Tour de France next year, even if it hampers his chances at the London Games.

The Briton, who pulled out of the Tour de France with a broken collarbone in July, stressed again that he has unfinished business with the world's greatest stage race.

Team Sky rider Wiggins sat down with a couple of reporters at his Team GB hotel in Ballerup, Denmark, to reflect on a dramatic 2011 season and look ahead to 2012.

Question: You said you would decide in the Winter what you were going to do in 2012. What is going to help you decide?

Answer: We've got a good chance to win the gold medal in the team pursuit, but obviously I want to do the Tour next year. And I want to try and win the Tour, so if I try and win the Tour it's going to jeopardize slightly winning gold in the time trial. (German) Tony Martin is the clear favorite and he is going to ride through the Tour with one ambition - win an Olympic gold.

I'm not able to do that because I'm going for GC (general classification) in the Tour. I've certainly got a chance to get a medal in London in the time trial, but we've also got a strong chance of winning gold in the team pursuit.

So for sure it's 100 percent the Tour, no doubt about it, and everything training towards the Tour, but then obviously it's deciding what I'll do after the Tour - whether I go straight to the time trial and do the team pursuit or I just leave the time trial and aim for the team pursuit.

That's something we've got to sort out in the next few weeks, we have to make a decision either way. I think there's an option to do both or dropping the time trial and doing the team pursuit. I think after last month and finishing the Vuelta third and coming here and finishing second, it's doable.

I can get a medal and compete in the Tour, but in terms of winning the Tour then coming and winning the Olympics time trial is very, very difficult with the level Tony is at ... It wasn't like he beat me (on Sept 21) by 20 seconds, but by a minute, 15.

Q: How much did it take you power wise on Wednesday (Sept 21) coming off a grand Tour?

A: On this occasion it did not take a lot. I had my best ever performance yesterday on a time trial over one hour. The Vuelta wasn't the main goal, so it's not like I prepared for the Vuelta like it was the Tour and everything had come perfect.

I came onto the Vuelta under-prepared and I came through the Vuelta and just got better and better so it's not quite the same circumstances as next year, when I'll be at my peak at the start of the Tour.

So it's slightly different in that sense because, obviously, I did not ride my bike through much of July, but it still gives me information nonetheless.

I've got too many options and that's the problem. This year I've done pretty much everything from (the Tour of) Qatar, to team pursuit World Cup in Manchester, to Three Days of De Panne, Dauphine, Tour de France, Vuelta, World Championships time trial. I'll do Lombardy and Paris-Tours, I've done pretty much everything this year and competed well in everything, so I've got so many options.

I know what I'm capable of doing now. I have to slim it down and make one or two goals and really stick to them. At this stage I can't afford to miss the Tour, given how open it was this year.

The Tour seems more doable than ever before - watching the performance of (Frenchman Thomas) Voeckler (fourth in the Tour de France) this year, (Australia's Tour de France winner) Cadel (Evans) was inspirational too and I think cycling has changed so much in the past few years for the better.

Q: There are not many riders in your position. You are quite unique having performed in grand Tours, on the road and on the track ...

A: I'm getting pulled left and right from a lot of different areas. The team pursuit wants me, the road wants me, Team Sky wants me on the Tour. But my saving grace is that I've got one boss who is Dave Brailsford so I think that's also a nice position to be in.

Q: What is Dave's take on your schedule for next year?

A: It has become apparent this year that you can't miss the Tour, it would be crazy to not do the Tour next year. As big as the Olympics are, being in London, it's kind of "been there, done that". I've made so many improvements in (grand tour) GC this year ...

The guys who will get the medals in the time trial and the Olympics (on the road) will certainly come from the Tour, that's the way road cycling works.

The track is completely different obviously. These Aussie kids will have one goal next year: to prepare solely for the team pursuit, they're going to be bloody hard to beat.

We are going to have to be careful not to chase too much next year. The priority is the Tour de France, and then we'll go on from the Tour and do the Olympics.

But the good thing is you can come out of a grand tour, hold form, recover well, although the Vuelta is completely different from the Tour in so many ways - the emotional side of it if you do well at the Tour, you can't underplay (it) because that's something that the Tour isn't matched by any other race, the media circus ...

Q: If you had finished the Tour this year, you would not have competed in the Vuelta. How would your expectations have been coming into the World Championships time trial?

A: I don't know because we hadn't thought past the Tour. We had no plan in between the Tour and here. It was like, 'let's get the Tour done and see'.

The Vuelta was a massive bonus. I ended up with the (overall leader's red) jersey and surprised myself and finished third and then came here, got second. This wasn't ever really planned. Look at the guys who did well at the Tour, Voeckler, Cadel, they're nowhere now. I think that's the Tour, it just takes so much out of you.

Q: The fact that teammate Geraint Thomas will miss the Tour to prepare for the Olympics is not going to help you.

A: We've strengthened the team so much for next year, hopefully Michael Rogers will be back to full fitness, we've got this (Sergio Luis) Henao kid who is supposed to be amazing, Richie Porte.

Reuters

(China Daily 10/06/2011 page11)