• Tour de France

Froome: Wiggins' place not guaranteed

Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome have rarely seen eye-to-eye © PA Photos

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Sir Bradley Wiggins' spot in the Tour de France is under threat after reigning champion and Sky team-mate Chris Froome suggested he would prefer Richie Porte as his number two.

Wiggins, the first British winner of cycling's biggest prize in 2012, admitted in April that he knew his place at the Tour was under threat. But he cast doubt on his own claim with a history-making victory in the Tour of California.

However, Australian Porte was a vital support for Froome in his victory last year when he acted as his main climbing sidekick in the mountain stages, and looks set to be the man Team Sky leader Froome turns to when the Tour gets underway in Leeds on July 5.

"Richie is looking pretty good at the moment and has the potential to be riding for a place on the podium," Froome said.

"As far as Bradley is concerned, the final nine riders selected to start the race in Yorkshire is a hot topic. That's going to come down to what is best for the team, who is best for each role and the team dynamics.

"Talking about a Plan B, that's a decision the team needs to come to, and Bradley has been talking about playing a support role, not being our Plan B as such.

Tensions are already high between the Wiggins and Froome camps and will have been further strained after Froome's recently released book revealed they had fallen out in 2012.

"I would have been criticised a lot for not covering that topic in my autobiography," Froome added. "Until now people have only seen Bradley's version of events, so it was important for me to put out what I felt happened. But these issues have been put to bed and are in the past."

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