Wiggins looking ahead to first Tour mountain stage

Bradley Wiggins 2009

Thursday's sixth 2009 Tour de France stage starts in Garmin's home town of Girona on Thursday but Bradley Wiggins is already thinking ahead to Friday's stage to Andorra Arcalis, the first big mountain stage of this year's race.

Wiggins finished in 47th place in the peloton in Perpignan on Wednesday, in the same time as Mark Cavendish (Columbia), seven seconds behind stage winner Thomas Voeckler.

He has already put second place in the team time trial behind him and predicts a riot in the Pyrenees.

"I didn't think we'd win it (the team time trial) but I was hoping for yellow... but they (Astana) were better than us. We couldn't have gone any faster," he said munching on a bowl of cereal as he talked to Cycling Weekly.  

Wiggins remembers the climb to Arcalis from a past edition of the Tour of Catalonia.

"It's going to be a tough one and the s***'s going to go down with Astana," he predicted.

"I think Contador is going to rip it to bits. It's going to be crazy. That's the first big stage, then the next two after that will give the race a bit more of a pattern. Aynthing can happen in Andorra now."

"If we could start at one minute intervals at the bottom it'd be perfect..." Wiggins joked.

"The hardest thing is starting the race at the front, that's a race in it's self."

WIGGINS STILL AIMING FOR TOP TEN PLACE OVERALL

Wiggins is still sixth overall, 38 seconds behind Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) and Lance Armstrong (Astana). He is still convinced he can be an overall contender.

"I'm in the form of my life. I think I go top 15 physically, even top 10," he says.

"It's just that so much goes in to that, you've got to be on it every day. I lost 40 seconds the other day for lack of concentration. Cadel (Evans) is four minutes behind already for no fault of his own. I'm still there, I'm still in the ball park, so I've got to keep plugging away. I've got to stay with Dave (Millar) and Christian (Vande Velde) because they've got the experience. I've got to try and get through the Pyrenees as close as possible to the best guys."

Like most of the peloton, Wiggins was tired from the tension of fighting for position on the road to Perpignan.

"It was really nervous and there are so many different levels in this Tour. There  are 100 blokes who are good and 100 blokes who are no good and they're all mixed up. And as soon as there's a moment when it splits, it gets so hard to be at the front."  

Both Wiggins and Millar were looking forward to starting Thursday's stage in Girona, their adopted home town and team base.

"It'll be good," Millar told Cycling Weekly "It's always more relaxing when you start in your home town. I'll get to see my fiancee and hang out. It'll be very nice and homely."

TOUR DE FRANCE 2009 LINKS

Tour de France 2009 - the hub: Index to reports, photos, previews and more.

STAGE REPORTS

Stage five: Voeckler survives chase to win his first Tour stage

Stage four: Astana on top but Armstrong misses yellow by hundredths of a second

LiveTour de France stage four TTT coverage

Stage three: Cavendish wins second stage as Armstrong distances Contador

Stage two: Cavendish takes first sprint

Stage one: Cancellara wins opening time trial

LATEST TOUR NEWS


Tour de France 2009 News Index>>

Analysis: Why Contador's chances rose when Armstrong missed yellow

Delgado criticises Astana for Armstrong manoeuvre

Armstrong: Gaining time on Contador was not the objective

Stage three analysis: Why the bunch split and who gained the most

The Feed Zone: Monday, July 6

Analysis: Why Columbia must expect to do the bulk of the chasing

EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS

Mark Cavendish on the Tour's team time trial

David Brailsford interview

Mark Cavendish on the Tour

Jonathan Vaughters on Bradley Wiggins' chances

TOUR DE FRANCE 2009 PHOTOS

Stage four TTT photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage three photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage two photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage one photo gallery by Andy Jones

Stage one photo gallery by Graham Watson

Team presentation by Andy Jones

Team presentation by Graham Watson

TOUR GUIDE

Tour de France 2009 - the hub

Tour de France 2009: Who's riding

Tour de France 2009: Team guide

About the Tour de France

FEATURES

Tour de France 2009 on TV: Eurosport and ITV4 schedules

Big names missing from 2009 Tour de France

Tour de France anti-doping measures explained

Brits in the Tours: From Robinson to Cavendish

Cycling Weekly's rider profiles

TWITTER

Follow the Tour on Cycling Weekly's Twitter feed

 

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Founded in 1891, Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews, extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing, as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features. Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms, from good old-fashioned print to online journalism, and video.