Briton speaks about the difficulty of backing a GC contender and a sprinter in the same team
With Cavendish’s move predicted but still not confirmed, Bradley Wiggins appears to have acknowledged that the sprinter will indeed compete with the Sky Procycling team in 2012.
The time trial silver medallist gave what seems to be a confirmation when speaking to the Guardian about the difficulties of having a general classification contender and a sprinter on the same team, and giving full support to both.
“How it would work, I have no idea. I don't know what they're thinking,” he said. “It's a case of it [Cavendish’s signing] being announced first before we make plans. We haven't got that far yet.
“I might not be in their plans, it might be all about Cav and winning the green jersey, in which case I don't go to the Tour. I can think I can win the Tour but it still depends on their plans. I've given up worrying about stuff like that.”
Cavendish has long been linked to the team but has not confirmed where he is going in 2012. His current squad HTC Highroad is stopping at the end of this season. Sky Procycling is known to have a big interest in him and it is believed that a deal has already been done, although the absence of an announcement has led some to question if he might instead be competing elsewhere.
Wiggins’ statement appears to show this is not the case. Some have suggested that a big announcement might come next week when he returns from Copenhagen, and especially so if he wins the world road race championships on Sunday.
Meanwhile Wiggins has made it clear that if it is up to him, he will put his full emphasis on a strong Tour de France next year rather than saving himself for the London Olympics. He finished fourth in the race in 2009 and was third in this year’s Vuelta a España, confirming his stage race abilities.
“I'm getting pulled left and right from a lot of different areas,” he told Reuters this week, speaking about the proximity of the Tour to the Olympics, plus the fact that he could focus on road or track events in the latter.
“The team pursuit want me, the road want me, Team Sky want me on the Tour. But my saving grace is that I've got one boss who is Dave Brailsford so I think that's also a nice position to be in. It's 100% the Tour and everything training towards it,” he said, confirming his priority, “but then it's deciding what I do after, whether I go straight to the time trial and do the team pursuit or I just leave the time trial and aim for the pursuit.
“I've certainly got a chance to get a medal in London in the time trial but we've also got a strong chance of winning gold in the team pursuit.”