Wiggins to make point in penultimate stage

Back Tour de France champion-elect Bradley Wiggins to make a point to the cycling and wider sports world by winning the penultimate stage of this year`s race, the time trial from Bonneval to Chartres over 53 and a half kilometres.

Wiggins has spent most of his time out of the saddle during this year`s Tour de France responding to the critics who continue to doubt the worthiness of his performances in a race that, barring disaster, he is almost certain to win.

While there have been times that Wiggins has looked inferior to his Sky teammate, Chris Froome, he leads this year`s Tour de France on merit. One hundred and 25 seconds separate the Britons in the General Classification so, even though Froome could have ridden away from Wiggins on a couple of mountain stages, the right cyclist is wearing the yellow jersey, albeit by a margin that is somewhat flattering.

Stage 19 is the second individual time trial of this year`s Tour de France. The first was the ninth stage, the 41.5km ride from Arc-et-Senans to Besancon on which Wiggins defied the odds - he was the second favourite, with bookmakers favouring Fabian Cancellara - to win quite handsomely.

The reason why bookmakers did not rate Wiggins as the Stage Nine favourite was the profile of the time-trial course. It featured a number of little inclines that had the potential to break the British rider`s rhythm, something that he does not handle as well as Cancellara and other time-trial specialists. But Wiggins got the job done, taking 35 seconds fewer than second-placed Froome and 57 seconds fewer than third-placed Cancellara to complete the race of truth.

With the 19th stage course more than the liking of Wiggins than the one that he conquered two weeks ago, he is the best bet. The Briton, who is on track to become his country`s first Tour de France champion, may have a fight on his hands next year if Froome switches teams but 2012 has belonged to him. It is practically impossible to fault with a cyclist who became the first ever to win the Paris-Nice, Tour de Romandie and Criterium du Dauphine in the same year.

Tour de France time trials, particularly those over medium- to long-distance trips, are the domain of a select group of riders so do not consider anyone at extremely long odds.

Froome will have his supporters but that is probably because there is a feeling out there that Wiggins owes another stage victory for the donkey work that he has performed in the Alps and Pyrenees. Individual time trials do not work like that. There is no way that Wiggins can go easy and ensure that Froome wins Stage 19. Only back Froome if you think that he will beat his team leader fair and square.

And Cancellara is a non-starter. The Swiss star withdrew from this year`s Tour de France ahead of the 11th stage to attend the birth of his second child. He was ranked 58th in the General Classification after Stage 10, nearly 40 minutes behind Wiggins. His wife, Stephanie, has yet to give birth.

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20/07/2012     © Frixo 2024