Bradley Wiggins has promised he will do everything possible to win the 2012 Tour De France which begins in Liège, Belgium tomorrow, writes Ziad Chaudry.
This will be the sixth time the 32-year-old triple Olympic gold medallist from Maida Vale will ride in the annual three-week enduring cycle trek and heads a strong nine-man Team Sky outfit that also includes fellow Brits last year’s green jersey winner and sprint finish specialist Mark Cavendish and 2011 Vuelta a España runner-up Chris Froome.
Another key member of the team Norway’s Champion Edvald Boasson Hagen will assist support to Wiggins when the tour enters the mountain stages which begins at Côte de L'Éperche, near the border of north east France, on Tuesday.
The former St Augustine’s Kilburn school pupil crashed out of last year’s tour fracturing his left collarbone following a massive pile-up on back of the peloton 40 kilometres towards the end of 281km stage 7 Le Mans to Chateauroux route.
But he goes into the 99thedition of the world’s biggest cycle race in superb form with victories this year at Paris to Nice Race, the Tour of Romandie and Critérium du Dauphiné as he attempts to become the first British rider to end top of the podium at the famous Paris Champs Elysées come July 22.
With Luxembourg’s 2010 winner Andy Schleck out injured and disgraced Spaniard Alberto Contador serving a doping suspension, Wiggin’s main challenges for the prized yellow jersey are likely to come from defending champion from Australia Cedal Evans, 35, who rides for BMC Racing, Schleck’s brother Frank, Italy’s 2010 Vuelta a España champion Vincenzo Nibali, former Giro d'Italia champion Ivan Basso and Belgium’s Philippe Gilbert.
''For a kid from Kilburn, a chance like this to win the Tour de France is bloody incredible,” said Wiggins. “I realise what it would mean, that's why I've been working so hard over the last three years to get to this point.
“I’m really proud to be part of such a strong unit going into the Tour de France. The team’s preparation has been perfectly managed and our form this season gives us a great chance of being successful.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time and I’ll do everything I can to win the Tour de France. Hopefully we can do the business for ourselves and our fans, and become the most successful British-based cycling team ever.”
You can follow the progress of Wiggins, also the whole of the 3,497 kilometre route for the next three weeks on ITV4 and Eurosport.