Wiggins set to ride Tour of Britain

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Former champion Bradley Wiggins is set to headline Team WIGGINS at the Tour of Britain next month. The team are due to announce their line-up next week but Cyclingnews understands that Wiggins is on the provisional line-up, which must be submitted to the organisers two weeks in advance. He will join his Revolution Madison partner Mark Cavendish (Etixx-QuickStep) as one of the leading home riders.

Wiggins announced his intentions to ride the race that he won back in 2013 but his management have since refused to confirm this. He will be one of three former winners of the event with Dylan van Baarle (Cannondale-Garmin) returning to defend his title of last year and 2009 winner Edvald Boasson Hagen (MTN-Qhubeka) making his first appearance since winning it.

Since stepping away from Team Sky after Paris-Roubaix in April, Wiggins has drastically reduced his road appearances as he focuses his time on the track ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games. The Tour of Britain will be only his third appearance on the road since then, after riding the Tour de Yorkshire in May and RideLondon at the start of this month.

Wiggins’ brief forays onto the road have been more ceremonial than anything, choosing to let his teammates take the limelight, and it remains to be seen if he will go into the race with the intent on taking his second overall victory. Unfortunately for the 35-year-old, there is no time trial to get stuck into but the summit finish on Hartside Fell, the highest yet at the Tour of Britain, could be a potential place for a stage win.

The Tour of Britain will begin on Sunday, September 6th and finishes the following Sunday with a criterium-style stage in London. Following the race, Wiggins will return to the track for the British national championships at the end of September.