Stage 19: Navardauskas strikes in Bergerac

In the latest Telegraph Cycling Podcast, supported by Jaguar, Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe discuss stage nineteen, which finished in Bergerac with a victory for Ramūnas Navardauskas.

Lithuania’s first ever stage win was taken by the rider who replaced David Millar in the Garmin-Sharp line-up. Known as the Honey badger, Navardauskas is one of the peloton’s strongest riders and hardest workers – a fact that has perhaps held him back in the past.

Garmin-Sharp directeur sportif Charly Wegelius tells the podcast that the team had a plan for the stage, and that it was executed perfectly with Navardauskas’s win, though only after he had to order him not to do his normal duties of dropping back to the team car to collect bottles and rain jackets.

We also hear from Sir Dave Brailsford, the Team Sky principal, who responds to Sir Bradley Wiggins’ comments on Thursday, in which he said that he had probably ridden his last Grand Tour. “I think it’s down to him,” said Brailsford. “Physically he has another Tour in him, I’m sure, but it’s hard work to get ready for a Grand Tour. It’s very much down to Brad.

“We’re talking to Bradley and his management team and ideally we’d like to find a solution to support him through to Rio [and the Olympics],” Brailsford continued. “And exactly what that would look like, I don’t think it would be a normal straightforward road contract.

“I think it’d be more creative in terms of what would help him get to where he needs to be for Rio. We’d certainly like to get behind him and support him.”

Also on the latest podcast hear our predictions for Saturday’s time trial and the final podium, and details of a competition to win VIP tickets and hotel accommodation for Sunday’s final stage in Paris.