'They did milk it at the Worlds when they beat us but that's what makes it great'
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Bradley Wiggins on the front during the Team GB team pursuit training session
Great Britain team pursuit - 2016 Olympic Games
Jack Bobridge, Alexander Edmondson, Michael Hepburn and Mitchell Mulhern of Australia during the Mens Team Pursuit semi-final
Bradley Wiggins (Team Wiggins) at todays sign on(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Great Britain’s team pursuit coach Heiko Salzwedel and Paul Manning watching the training
Over the years Bradley Wiggins has had his fair share of battles with Australian athletes, whether on the road or the track, but he has pinpointed the men in green and gold as the squad to beat in the team pursuit at the Rio Olympics.
Great Britain have won the last two editions of the Olympic team pursuit - in London (2012) and Beijing (2008), beating Australia in the final four years ago and setting a new world record in the process. However, in the Olympic cycle since those heady days in the British capital the competition has become tougher, with Australia setting the benchmark at the World championships in February against a Wiggins-led Britain in the final.
When the track programme starts on Thursday and the team pursuit riders start their qualifying round, Great Britain and Australian will not be the only teams to monitor, but Wiggins believes that with he and his teammates reportedly setting world records in training, and Australia brimming in confidence, the gold medal could be decided by the two long-serving rival nations.
"I've said that it's going to take a world record to win the gold. We don't need to mince our words. We know it's going to take a sub 3:50 to win and that's the bar we've set ourselves. We've been training towards that goal in terms of power, cadence and gears for the last 18 months. We're still aiming to do that but by how much it drops by remains to be seen. I'm sure that the Aussies are thinking that way as well," Wiggins told a small group of reporters, including Cyclingnews, before the Games.
"I'm the first to go over and shake their hands but they're the worst winners in the world and also the worst losers as well," he said with a smile.
"They did milk it at the Worlds when they beat us but that's what makes it great. It’s a good rivalry."
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
