BRADLEY WIGGINS SET TO JOIN GARMIN-CHIPOTLE

Cycling Weekly understands that Bradley Wiggins is on the verge of confirming a two-year contract with American squad Garmin-Chipotle.

Cycling's equivalent of the transfer window opened yesterday, meaning riders can now sign their contracts for 2009.

Wiggins, 28, who won two gold medals on the track at the Olympic Games in Beijing last month, almost joined the team ? then called Slipstream-Chipotle ? last winter.

But at the time the team could not guarantee a place in the Giro d'Italia ? a race that was critical to Wiggins's Olympic preparations.

Other teams were interested in him but he signed a one-year deal with T-Mobile, which later became High Road and then Team Columbia.

However, Jonathan Vaughters remained interested in Wiggins and it is believed that the contracts are set to be exchanged any day.

At Garmin, Wiggins will join fellow British rider David Millar. One of the big targets for 2009 will be the Tour de France, particularly the prologue in Monaco.

Garmin will be Wiggins's fifth professional team in seven years as a pro. Technically he turned professional with Linda McCartney in 2001, but the team folded right at the start of that season and Wiggins spent the year racing with the Great Britain squad.

In 2002 he turned professional for Francaise des Jeux. After two seasons with Marc Madiot's squad he moved on to Crédit Agricole for two years, then rode for Cofidis in 2006 and 2007.

Wiggins will be in action on home soil when he starts the Tour of Britain for Columbia on Sunday (September 7).

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