Wiggins' Tour ride 'inspired by Cavendish and Vande Velde'

Bradley Wiggins, Tour de France 2009, stage 1 TT, July 4 2009

published 14 July 2009

Bradley Wiggins revealed he has asked Lance Armstrong for advice on dealing with the constant media attention after becoming a Tour de France contender. Fortunately, he has not lost any of his sincerity, wit or bluntness.

Speaking on the first rest day of the Tour de France in Limoges, Wiggins revealed he was inspired to go for the overall classification at the Tour after seeing Garmin team leader Christian Vande Velde and fellow Brit Mark Cavendish do so well.

“I didn’t have the work ethic then to be honest. I was coming off back of the Olympics, being Olympic champion aged 24 and I thought I was it a bit, to be honest, for how much I was feted for winning a four-minute race, I thought I’d made it. But I was in a (pro) team that I disliked, surrounded by people that disliked me. In 2006 I just wanted to do the Tour to say I’d done the Tour and I didn’t think I’d come back.”

“I might have had the same year if I’d stayed at Columbia, but they were definitely building a team around Cav for the sprints. They’ve got so many riders who can win bike races, you almost just become a number there. I wanted to blend into a team of similar riders with similar attitudes, this team gives you freedom to be who you want to be, no one really cares. They’re all different characters here.”

“It’s satisfying to be doing well and I’m trying to enjoy it. good thing is I’m not expected to do anything. I know a lot expect something now. But I can play off that, take the piss with it a bit, almost go along with it, get to that time trial which I know suits me. Play around with my form a bit, which perhaps I wouldn’t do if I’d prepared all year for it and was really stressed about it.”

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Wiggins' Tour ride 'inspired by Cavendish and Vande Velde'

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