Sir Bradley Wiggins reflects on Chris Froome’s early-season form
Britain’s first Tour de France winner looks at Froome’s slow start to 2019
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Sir Bradley Wiggins says Chris Froome is still his favourite to win the Tour de France, despite a slow start to 2019.
Froome has suffered crashes and fatigue in the early season as he targets a fifth Tour victory.
But Wiggins, the first Brit to win the yellow jersey, says Froome will not be phased by the setbacks.
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Speaking on his podcast, The Bradley Wiggins Show by Eurosport, Wiggins said: “He’s probably the greatest Tour rider of our generation and my favourite for the Tour de France this year.
“He’s the old master at this now, he knows how to prepare to win a Grand Tour.
“People will look at him and judge him, but I don’t think this will really concern him at this stage.”
Team Sky leader Froome started his season at the Tour Colombia in January, where he finished 91st overall but supported team-mate Ivan Sosa to second and Egan Bernal to fourth.
He then pulled out of the UAE Tour before the start, citing fatigue after racing and training at altitude in Colombia.
The 33-year-old’s second race of the year was the Volta a Catalunya, where he lost 14 minutes on stage two after a crash.
Froome was involved in a collision 35km from the line and was left isolated as he tried to chase back on with a group of five other riders.
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But he finished well down, taking him out of contention for the general classification.
Sky said the plan had always been for Froome to support Bernal, who finished third overall in Catalunya.
Wiggins added: “He doesn’t actually give a s*** to be honest, his mental resilience is amazing.
“Most athletes at this level you’ve got to be a bit of c***.
“He’s able to focus on what he does, with [his family’s] support, and just be self-centred, selfish and get the job done and he does that year after year.”
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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