Sir Bradley Wiggins dismounted on The Struggle climb during stage two of the Tour of Britain, and ran up the hill just as Chris Froome did on Mont Ventoux during the Tour de France
Sir Bradley Wiggins gave what appeared to be an impromptu homage to Chris Froome during stage two of the Tour of Britain on Monday, dismounting his bike and running up ‘The Struggle’ climb.
Wiggins ran through the huge crowd of spectators on the way up to Kirkstone Pass in the Lake District, perhaps in a cheeky homage to former Sky team-mate Chris Froome, who famously ran up part of Mont Ventoux in the Tour de France in July after suffering a mechanical problem.
While Froome left his broken bike behind on Ventoux, Wiggins kept his Pinarello safely at hand as he trotted up the hill, much to the delight of fans.
Roadside spectator Lee Black took a photo of Wiggins, and posted it on Instagram – which was then shared by Wiggins himself, with the comment: “Taking things very seriously at the top of the Struggle, took my mind off being in a world of pain #onetomanyginandtonics”.
Wiggins is riding/running in the Tour of Britain as one of his last appearances on the road. He claimed a gold medal in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the team pursuit, making him the most decorated British Olympian in history with eight medals, five of which are gold.
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Wiggins is riding for his eponymous squad during the race, but has yet to announce firm plans and a date for his official retirement from the sport.
Stage two of the Tour of Britain from Carlisle to Kendal was won by Belgian Julien Vermote (Etixx-QuickStep), who had attacked alongside Brit Steve Cummings (Dimension Data) in the final 10km. Vermote beat Cummings to the line to take the overall race lead. The race concludes in London on Sunday, September 11.