• Tour de France

Wiggins not feeling the pressure

ESPN staff
June 22, 2012

Bradley Wiggins says his tag as favourite for this year's Tour de France has not placed him under any added pressure to perform.

The Brit was named as part of Team Sky's nine-man squad for the Tour on Thursday and is being touted by the bookmakers as the favourite for the 2012 event.

Far from feeling any added weight of expectation, Wiggins is enjoying his new tag and remains fully relaxed as he enters the final phase of his training programme before the Tour starts on June 30.

"It's a matter of making the most of the down time and trying to enjoy the fact that I'm now the bookies' favourite for the Tour de France," wrote Wiggins in the Guardian. "Who would have imagined that five years ago when all I was hoping for was perhaps a time trial stage win?

"I don't look at it as pressure. It's a matter of continuing what we've been doing since Paris-Nice. The wins so far have happened within the training we've been doing and there's no reason to think that won't continue when I roll down the start ramp in Liege a week on Saturday."

As an experienced campaigner - this year will be Wiggins' sixth Tour - he knows more than anyone how to manage the psychological aspect.

"It's hard not to imagine what might be but for now, it's about being level-headed and thinking rationally," he added.

"There is a long process to go through in the next six weeks and I have to take it one day at a time."

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