40. Bradley Wiggins interview
December 9 | This week’s Telegraph Cycling Podcast features an exclusive interview with Sir Bradley Wiggins, as well as a competition to win a signed copy of his new book, My Hour.
Wiggins looks back at his hour record, set in London in June, in the company of Richard Moore and Lionel Birnie. “I’d love to do it again,” says Wiggins of the hour, “but I just don’t think I’m going to have the time with Rio a relatively short time away. If I was doing it again on the same day, knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t do it in London. Historically the [air] pressure is high there. Manchester is a faster track.”
In My Hour he suggests that he’d like to take Team Wiggins to the Tour de France one day. “I don’t know if I want to do that,” he tells us. “The Tour has changed and I can’t make up my mind if it’s changed for the better or worse. But there were some real success stories at the Tour: what MTN-Qhubeka did was ground-breaking for cycling. People loved that, the romance of the sport, [but] you look at what Team Sky went through, that’s horrible – is that now what’s going to happen to whoever’s leading the Tour de France? It’s not a nice thing to watch, I don’t think anyone can take pleasure in watching that.”
Wiggins continues: “If we went to the Tour I’d have to think what would our purpose be? Would it be to win the Tour de France? I’m not sure I want that pressure.”
Wiggins also looks ahead to Rio and his fifth Olympic Games, to life beyond cycling – and he treats us to his impression of heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury.
And Richard is joined by Ned Boulting to discuss the ongoing reaction to Chris Froome’s release of physiological data.
The Telegraph Cycling Podcast is supported by Trainer Road.