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Wiggins Leads Tour of Britain

Wiggins Leads Tour of BritainOlympic champion and 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins now leads the Tour of Britain after a dominating performance and solid win at the Stage Three Individual Time Trial. Wiggins conquered the 16km course around Knowsley Safari Park, Merseyside in 19’54”, 36seconds up on second-placed teammate Ian Stannard, with Garmin-Sharp’s Jack Bauer taking the third podium spot on +42’.

 

A clearly delighted Wiggins, whose 2013 season has rather lacked shine, said of his win under poor weather conditions: ‘I had to win today, whatever. The conditions weren’t ideal for me. I didn’t flinch on the roundabouts in the wet, but I thought I’d rather end up in hospital today than be beaten… When I was out of the Tour (de France) and training in June and July, I was here. This was my motivation, these were the things that kept me going: the world championships, the Tour of Britain and winning this time trial on home soil. I put pressure on myself, my own expectation. I wanted to win. That leads to pressure, but then I thrive off that, especially in this discipline.’

 

Wiggins now leads the GC in the Tour of Britain on an overall time of 11hr 25’54”, 37seconds up on Stannard. Omega Pharma-Quick Step’s Mark Cavendish currently sits in 25th place on +1’57”.

 

Further details on the Tour of Britain at tourofbritain.co.uk

 

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Featured Features

British Riders of the Tour de France

22 teams, 219 riders, 21 stages and 3,404km of road, hill and mountain. Wiggins may be missing this year, but the British riders of the Tour de France 2013 are more than worth getting to know better. With 22 TdF appearances between them, an impressive amount of Giro and Vuelta experience plus an Olympic medal or two, the six Brits tackling the historic 100th edition of the Tour will help keep patriotic hearts in the mouth…

 

Chris FroomeName: Chris Froome

DoB: May 20, 1985

Team: Team Sky

TdF Appearances: 2008 and 2012

Top TdF Placing: 2nd in 2012

TdF Stage Wins: 1

Team Website: teamsky.com

Personal Website: chris-froome.com

Follow on Twitter: @chrisfroome

 

 

Need to Know: Snapping at the heels of Wiggins last year and likely only team tactics that held him back. Unencumbered and leading Team Sky for 2013, it’s going to be interesting to see what he can pull out of the bag, especially after such an impressive build to the TdF with wins including the Tour of Oman and the Critérium du Dauphiné.

 

 

Geraint ThomasName: Geraint Thomas

DoB: May 25, 1986

Team: Team Sky

TdF Appearances: 2007, 2010 and 2011

Top TdF Placing: 31st in 2011

TdF Stage Wins: None

Team Website: teamsky.com

Personal Website: geraintthomas.com

Follow on Twitter: @geraintthomas86

 

 

Need to Know: Thomas has his full attention back on the road following Olympic glory on the track in the Team Pursuit in 2012. Despite often being tagged a Time Trial specialist, he is rapidly proving himself a dependable all-rounder and he’s already proved his climbing legs during the 2011 TdF. Thomas will be lending strong support to Froome on this one.

 

 

Peter KennaughName: Peter Kennaugh

DoB: June 15, 1989

Team: Team Sky

TdF appearances: 0

Top TdF Placing: NA

Stage Wins: NA

Team Website: teamsky.com

Personal Website: peterkennaugh.com

Follow on Twitter: @petekennaugh

 

 

Need to Know: Another rider who focused much of 2012 on the track, bagging Gold as part of GB Team Pursuit, but making his TdF debut. Despite his lack of experience through France, Kennaugh brings experience of the Vuelta a España and Giro d’Italia and with four podium positions in his last four National Championships he is a massively well respected member of Team Sky. At just 24, Kennaugh is the youngest Brit taking on the TdF this year.

 

 

Ian StannardName: Ian Stannard

DoB: May 25, 1987

Team: Team Sky

TdF Appearances: 0

Top TdF Placing: NA

Stage wins: NA

Team Website: teamsky.com

Personal Website: ianstannard.com

Follow on Twitter: @istannard

 

 

Need to Know: The fourth Brit riding for Sky, like Kennaugh Stannard is making his Tour de France debut but as the 2012 British Road Race Champion and his reputation as a solid domestique he will be bringing plenty to the mix. Both his TT skills and climbing ability are improving year on year, making Stannard a cliché-making ‘one to watch’.

 

 

Mark CavendishName: Mark Cavendish

DoB: May 21, 1985

Team: Omega Pharma-Quick Step

TdF Appearances: 2007 (withdrawn), 2008 (withdrawn), 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012

Top TdF Placing: 130th in 2011

Stage wins: 23

Team Website: omegapharma-quickstep.com

Personal Website: markcavendish.co.uk

Follow on Twitter: @markcavendish

 

Need to Know: With six TdF appearances to his name, despite the 2007/8 withdrawals, Cav has an impressive number of stage wins to his name and with excellent looking form going into the 2013 Tour he will surely add to them to close in on the legendary Eddy Merckx’s tally of 34. Clearly frustrated at Sky, he now effectively has a team assembled around him hell-bent on making his ambitions come to fruition. It’s hard to imagine the Champs-Elysees without Cavendish launching himself hell for leather on the final day…

 

 

David MillarName: David Millar

DoB: January 4, 1977

Team: Team Garmin-Sharp

TdF Appearances: 2000, 2001 (withdrawn), 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Top TdF Placing: 59th in 2006 (2003’s 55th place was achieved doping)

Stage wins: 3

Team Website: slipstreamsports.com

Personal Website: NA

Follow on Twitter: @millarmind

 

Need to Know: At 36 Millar is the oldest Brit in this year’s Tour, but just look at the experience he brings – 11 TdF appearances and one of the very few British riders (and youngest of any nationality) to have worn the leader’s maillot jaune. A dark past – despite plenty of penance – make Millar a controversial figure but his time trialing skills and general work ethic always make him worth watching.

 

Want to know how the Tour de France began? Read the Cyclo feature Origins of the Tour de France here.

 

In the mood for more TdF? Tour de France 100th Race Anniversary Edition book review here.

 

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News

Sky Nationals Line-up Announced

Alex Dowsett, Jeremy Hunt, Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard and Ben Swift have been confirmed by Team Sky as their riders competing at the 2012 British National Road Race Championships which takes place on June 25 in Ampleforth, North Yorkshire. Stannard will be looking to match or better his two previous top-five finishes whilst veteran Hunt will be looking for his third white jersey to add to those from 1997 and 2001. Neither 2010 winner Geraint Thomas nor reigning champion Bradley Wiggins will attend, concentrating instead on both TdF and Olympic preparations.

 

Race coach Rod Ellingworth comments, ‘It’s an honour to wear the national colours and if a Team Sky rider can make it three wins from three, it’ll be a massive achievement.’ Adding, in reference to the star riders not attending, ‘In an ideal world we’d have our full British contingent competing, but with the Tour de France and Olympics now very much on the horizon, it simply isn’t possible. Bradley, Chris (Froome) and Mark (Cavendish) are all fine-tuning their condition ahead of a busy summer on the road, while Pete and Geraint are now mid-way through a crucial block of Olympic track training.’