• Tour of Britain

Wiggins to lead Team Sky at Tour of Britain

ESPN staff
September 5, 2013
Sir Bradley Wiggins will retire from road racing at the end of the 2014 season © Getty Images
Enlarge

Sir Bradley Wiggins will lead a strong six-man Team Sky outfit at the Tour of Britain, the team's home tour.

The eight-day race begins in Peebles, Scotland on September 15 and will also feature stages in England and Wales.

Olympic champion Wiggins will be joined by fellow Brits Josh Edmondson and Ian Stannard, while Bernhard Eisel, Mathew Hayman and David Lopez complete the Sky Team. Tour de France winner Chris Froome misses out.

"I'm really looking forward to The Tour of Britain; it's a race I'm fond of and it's nice to see it growing in stature each year," Wiggins said.

"The crowds and the roads make it special and it's always very humbling to see the fantastic support that we get from the public.

"I'm coming into the race feeling really good. It finishes in close proximity to the world time trial championships which is my main late-season goal. The Tour of Britain is always a tough event and I'm looking forward to getting started."

After a combination of injury and illness forced him to pull out of the Giro D'Italia, Wiggins missed the defence of his 2012 Tour de France triumph, which allowed Team Sky rival Chris Froome to win the Yellow Jersey.

In August, Wiggins announced he will retire from road racing at the end of the 2014 season. The 33-year-old is targeting a return to track cycling in a bid to win a fifth Olympic gold medal.

Download ESPN's new UK sport app, a fresh and powerful new way to follow your favourite UK sports news, scores and video.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
ESPN staff Close