Former Tour de France winner confirms plans to ride the 2016 Tour of California
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Bradely Wiggins after winning gold int he team pursuit.(Image credit: Bettini)
Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain)(Image credit: Guy Swarbrick)
Bradley Wiggins sits second wheel(Image credit: Swpix)
Bradley Wiggins led Great Britain to victory with blistering final laps.(Image credit: Bettini)
Bradley Wiggins driving Great Britain in the team pursuit gold medal ride(Image credit: Guy Swarbrick)
Bradley Wiggins on the podium in Paris in 2012(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Great Britain has sent a strong team to the first round of the 2015-2016 UCI Track World Cup, in Cali, Colombia which begins on Friday. However Bradley Wiggins – who will ride in the team pursuit, has played down the team's chances after a first training session on the covered track.
Wiggins was part of a second group of Great Britain riders that arrived in Colombia on Monday following Saturday's Revolution event on the Manchester velodrome. They joined up with riders who have been in Colombia for several days. In Manchester, Wiggins won the Elimination race and was second to Elia Viviani in the points race, seeming to enjoy being back on the track and away from the pressures of road racing with Team Sky.
Wiggins is part of a strong Great Britain team pursuit squad that also includes Owain Dull, Steven Burke, Andy Tennant and Jon Dibben. Ed Clancy was not selected for the Cali World Cup due to a back injury. Great Britain face serious opposition from the likes of Australia and New Zealand as nations continue to chase vital qualification points for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Great Britain dominated the recent European track championships in Switzerland, with the team pursuit squad setting a time of 3:55.243. However true to character, Wiggins looked to cool any expectations after his first taste of the track with his teammates.
"I think it's going to be quite difficult. We don't have a very strong team, we'll have to see. I don't expect great things for our team," he told El Pais in a brief video interview.
Tour of California confirmed
Wiggins confirmed that he intends to ride the Tour of California next May with his Wiggins team, as part of his preparation for the track events in Rio. Wiggins won the Tour of California in 2014.
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"Yes. I think next year in preparation for the Olympics, definitely," Wiggins replied when asked if will race on the road. However he confirmed he has no regret about quitting full-time road racing with Team Sky last spring after riding Paris-Roubaix.
"Not at all," he said. "I did it for such a long time that I'm happy to be back on he track. This is where I started, on the track."
Wiggins will be in action in the Team Pursuit qualifying round on Friday morning, with the semi-finals and final scheduled for Friday evening.
Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
