Boardman: Wiggins should focus on Tour in 2012

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Chris Boardman has told the BBC that Bradley Wiggins (Sky) would do better to focus solely on the Tour de France in 2012, rather than attempting another bid for Olympic gold. Wiggins crashed out of this year's Tour with a broken collarbone on stage seven, but many had tipped the British rider to challenge for a high position on general classification.

"The key thing is you have to choose what your priority is because you are taking a risk," explained Boardman. "If you are going to do the double then you are risking the Olympics and saying the Tour is most important - and frankly for Bradley I think it should be at this stage of his career."

Wiggins won the Criterium du Dauphine in June and made the podium of Paris-Nice back in March. According to Team Sky principal, Dave Brailsford, Wiggins went into the Tour de France on 'the form of his life'.

"When something's broken, there's no answer. All the decisions are taken on your behalf, so you just get on with it," Boardman said, recalling his own curtailed Tour of 1995, when a crash in the prologue ended his race. "I came back the next year in '96 and had the best form I ever had."

Though mindful of the importance Wiggins places on Olympic success, Boardman said that at this stage of his career, Wiggins should be looking to focus entirely on road riding.

"He's done the gold medal thing. This [the Tour de France] should be more important for him."

Fellow Sky teammate Geraint Thomas has already flagged his intention to ride the Olympics in favour of the Tour, but speculation remains as to exactly what Wiggins will choose to do.