The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Wiggins can still be threat
Sir Chris Hoy believes former Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins can still be a threat for the yellow jersey — but only if he can face putting himself through another year’s worth of gruelling training.
SIR CHRIS Hoy believes former Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins still has the talent to challenge Chris Froome for the yellow jersey — but only if he can face putting himself through another year’s worth of gruelling training.
Wiggins was forced to pull out of his defence of the title he won 12 months ago after injury and illness wrecked his bid for a first Giro d’Italia crown.
His preparations for that attempt lacked the same intensity he had put in for his triumphant Tour assault, with the 33-year-old admitting he had chosen to spend time with his two children rather than take part in an altitude training camp on Mallorca.
That handed the initiative to Team Sky rival Froome, who went on to seal his own yellow jersey triumph on Sunday.
But six-time Olympic champion Hoy, who retired this year after admitting he could no longer face the brutal gym sessions required to keep him ahead of his track opponents, would not be surprised if Wiggins lines up against the new champion when the Grand Depart sets off from Yorkshire next July.
He said: “Bradley has been a champion for a number of years — he won the Tour de France and has been Olympic champion and world champion.
“I’m sure if he wants to and he has the drive, he could easily be a champion again.”
Hoy recognises the pressures of family life might be harder to resist than the lure of a second Tour win.
“It’s one thing becoming a champion but the hardest thing is actually replicating that,” said the Scot.
“Everybody is vying to take your spot once you are up there.
“Sport isn’t everything in life. There is nothing like that winning feeling. But only a tiny percentage of your life as a sportsman is that. The rest of it is the unglamorous, painful slog that happens in between times.
“So ultimately, Bradley might be thinking that if his kids’ lives are passing him by while he’s out racing and training, maybe he wants to see his family grow up and spend time with them. “I can completely understand that. “It’s a very personal thing. Once you have achieved your lifetime goal, you might not feel the desire to push on again.
“However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on top again. He’s had a bit of time out to refocus. It depends how much he really wants it.”
Froome’s triumph at the weekend is the latest success story for Britain’s buoyant cycling programme.
But relations between the Kenyan-born Briton and Olympic time trial champion Wiggins are reportedly strained.
Hoy, however, insists it is still possible for the two to work together. “It’s a great situation to be in,” he said. “We have two British riders at the top of the world in their sport and team-mates too, which makes for an interesting dynamic.
“It’s the same in everyday life. People in jobs might not necessarily be best pals with the people they work with but you find a way to come together for a common goal.
“That’s not to say that Chris and Bradley aren’t best mates. Who knows what their friendship is like? But it is about having a plan, a strategy and realising that the best man will win.”
Hoy had a similar joust for dominance with Team GB colleague Jason Kenny ahead of London 2012, losing out on the right to defend the individual sprint gold he won at the Beijing Olympics four years earlier when the Englishman was selected for the event instead.
Hoy was still able to secure his sixth Olympic crown with victory in the Keirin and claims he never let his rivalry spoil team morale.