Wiggins hopes to exchange yellow for Olympic gold
After a triumphant Tour de France, Londoner Bradley Wiggins has another chance for success, this time in his backyard. But will his Tour training regime deliver success at London 2012?
Bradley Wiggins would be forgiven for being one of the few Team GB athletes in London that sees the Olympics as an anticlimax this year.
Last month he made history by becoming the first British man to win the Tour de France.
Adding to his six Olympic medals from Sydney, Athens and Beijing in his hometown would surely be the icing on the cake.
But there is speculation that a training regime designed for the feat of endurance that is the Tour may be less suited to winning the shorter, more intense events at London 2012.
Team tactics
In Saturday’s team road race he and his fellow British riders also had the tactics of other teams to contend with.
This, however, will not be a problem on the 44-km time trial course because Wiggins will only have to worry about the clock and himself.
The 32-year-old father of two started his Olympic career as a track cyclist at the Sydney Games, earning a bronze medal at his debut.
In Athens he surpassed that achievement with gold, silver and bronze at the Athens Olympics, becoming the first British athlete in 40 years to win all three colours of medals.
In 2008 he equalled Sir Steve Redgrave’s record of six Olympic medals with two golds in Beijing.
His track career brought him Olympic medals, mainly in the individual pursuit and the team pursuit events.
Trademark sideburns
After Beijing, he switched his focus from track cycling to road racing in which he has been able to use his talent for sprinting.
The man with the trademark sideburns currently rides with the three-year old Team Sky which was set up specifically to bring the Tour de France crown to Britain.
Whatever the outcome of the time trial, London 2012 will provide Wiggins’ legions of fans an opportunity to celebrate his tour victory in his backyard.