[Stumps]

Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins is targeting success in next year’s Giro d’Italia following a memorable 2012.

The 32-year-old followed up winning the yellow jersey in France by securing Olympic Gold in the London 2012 time trial.

As he basks in the adulation of the nation, there may seem little else for Wiggins – now a four-time Olympic gold medallist – to achieve but he is already refocusing.

Wiggins’ Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford wants to achieve overall victory in all three of cycling’s Grand Tours – France, Italy and Spain – and his number one rider wants to be part of that challenge.

“I’ll always find something,” said the Tour de France winner.

“I’d been trying to win the Tour for four years – that had always been the motivation, the drive, after crashing out last year, coming back, doing the Worlds and then going on. Obviously I’ve achieved that now.

“I always said I wanted to win the Tour once – I’m not greedy, one would be enough.

“But now a month on I’m thinking I’d maybe like to go back next year or go and try to win the Giro (d’Italia) now. That’s just as historic, just as much of a beautiful race.

“Already I’m starting to get that drive, that feeling, that competitive thing again. The minute you finish in Paris you think you never want to do that again.

“But then as time goes on, you start going out on some of your training roads and thinking, ‘I remember coming up here in December in the rain’.

“That’s what won me the Tour and I start to feel the love of it again and wanting to go through that whole process again.”

Topic

[Darthshearer]

Wiggins, Uran & Heanao for
Wiggins, Uran & Heanao for the Giro would be some team. I would like to see that, especially as the Giro is rich with South Ameriacans 🙂

I would like to think the Giro & Vuelta would be as competative as it was this year, however, with the Tour having its centenary year a lot of the big boys will be saved for that.

The Giro route is announced next week 🙂

All exciting!

[TERatcliffe26]

Kreuziger has already signed
Kreuziger has already signed with Saxo

[drheaton]

My understanding was
My understanding was Kreuziger to Liquigas, so that would probably change things if he does end up at Saxo (not been keeping up with all the latest gossip) and I forgot that Nibali was off to Astana but I still don’t see him competing for the TdF win.

Either way the TdF will be very competitive and probably (because no-one seems to be able to compete across two tours anymore except the Giro/Vuelta double maybe) the Giro and Vuelta will have less competitive fields. I reckon a Wiggins/Uran/Henao trio for the Giro with the latter two racing the Vuelta as team leaders then the likes of the Froome, Porte and Rogers riding the TdF.

[Darthshearer]

Kreuziger wont be going for
Kreuziger wont be going for GC at the Tour, he will be Berties biatch if he is going to ride the Tour. Wouldnt suprise me to see Kreuziger ride the Giro with Roche. Or Roche & Kreuziger both acting as ‘super’ domestiques for Bertie.

De Gendt I cannot see pushing for GC at the Tour as he doesnt have the support, he rode awwesome at the Giro, but dont think it will be the same in the Tour.

Nibbles, I think will go for the Tour if it has several MTF, Astana again have some strong riders for next year!

[drheaton]

It could be interesting,
It could be interesting, Wiggins has said that he’d work for Froome when it’s his turn at the TdF but if he races the Giro to win or perhaps wants to do a Giro/Vuelta or Giro/Worlds TT double he has no chance of being effective as a TdF domestique, it’d take too much out of him.

Classics and Giro next year would be a good aim, plus I wonder if the Giro and Vuelta fields might be a bit less competitive next year as Contador will surely want to go for the TdF as might Rodriguez, Valverde, Hesjedal, De Gendt, Kreuziger, Van Den Broeck, Evans and the Rabo GC ‘contenders’. The only riders I can see really going for the Giro are Scarponi and Nibali.

Edit: Also, with next year being the 100th TdF I expect it to be massively competitive with 8 or 9 guys who have a good shout at finishing second (behind Contador). Plus, with the return of the Schlecks and the emergence of TJvG and the young French climbers this year, plus a less TT focused route next year (probably) it should be a really exciting race, but one really not suited to Wiggins.

Going for the Giro would be an excellent plan for Sky and Wiggins, he may be one of only 4 or 5 riders really targetting the win there and could sneak another GT win without a lot of competition.

[Fringe]

I reckon he should give the
I reckon he should give the athletes hour a go..seeing as he excels in TTing should be a breeze for him!

[TERatcliffe26]

I think with both the Giro
I think with both the Giro and la Vuelta the bonus seconds do not play into the hands of somebody like wiggins. He may well be able to stay with guys up to the summit, but then a J-Rod, Valverde etc have that extra burst for a stage win and thus the bonus seconds

[Darthshearer]

He has always fancied a shot
He has always fancied a shot at P-R.

I said, I think it maybe on here he wouldnt defend yellow next season. Next season is going to be Mountain Top finish galore and its not suited to Wiggins.

Cav (again I said on here) wont be at Sky next season. Chavanel will sign an extension with OPQS I think.

Would be great to see Wiggo win in Pink, but the Giro has been difficult the last few season in MTF, so will be interesting to see what team Sky put out if he is going to push for GC.

[Raleigh]

He’s obvs going to have a
He’s obvs going to have a shot at Roubaix.

I mean, did anyone see him rocking a skinsuit last time?

KEENO

[Stumps]

On a seperate note just had a
On a seperate note just had a text off my bro who is over watching the Worlds.

It seems Chavanel and Velits both been talking to Sky, is this the prelude of a swap for Cav ?

[Stumps]

It will be interesting to see
It will be interesting to see whether he goes for the Giro next year. If thats the case will this leave the Tour open to Froome to have a bash or will they keep Cav and let him go for the green jersey again.

I cant see Cav staying as i’m sure they will want to defend the Tour title.

[Author]

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