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Bradley Wiggins plays down Tour chances after Dauphine triumph

Last updated on .From the section Cyclingcomments113

Bradley Wiggins [c]

Britain's Bradley Wiggins has won the Criterium du Dauphine for the second straight year.

Wiggins, 32, retained his title in the French Alps, finishing one minute and 17 seconds ahead of fellow Team Sky rider Michael Rogers of Australia.

Another Australian, reigning Tour de France champion Cadel Evans, finished third.

"It's a big win but I wouldn't say I'm the favourite for the Tour de France," said Wiggins.

The Tour de France begins on 30 June and Wiggins will be full of confidence going into the gruelling three-week race.

He is eager to make up for last year's disappointment when a broken collarbone forced him out of the event.

But Wiggins was keen to play down his chances of winning the Tour de France after his third major title of 2012.

As well as the Criterium du Dauphine, Wiggins has won Paris-Nice and the Tour de Romandie.

"Everyone talks a lot about the Tour de France, but winning Paris-Nice and the Criterium du Dauphine in the same year, that's huge," added Wiggins.

"So whatever happens on the Tour, I can already be satisfied.

"This is probably the best shape I've ever been in to win the Tour.

"My time trialling's improved, my climbing's improved, my team's really strong and they've improved and I'm ready to go.

"But it's probably going to be the hardest thing I've done."

Wiggins had held a lead of one minute and 20 seconds over Rogers heading into the seventh and final stage of the Criterium, and never looked like surrendering that advantage as he safely finished in the pack to retain his title.

The stage victory went to Daniel Moreno of the Katusha team, who completed the 124.5km ride from Morzine to Chatel in a time of two hours, 59 minutes and 37 seconds.

Moreno's fellow Spaniard Luis-Leon Sanchez was second on the day following a sprint finish.

Britain's Chris Froome finished fourth overall.

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113 comments

  • Comment posted by User0290882887, at 21:13 10 Jun 2012

    I will happily work for peanuts if it means the BBC has good cycling coverage.
    Please address this issue, as you are in danger of missing one of the greatest moments in British Sporting History, due to a lack of good reporters.
    I would give anything to be able to correct this.
    Also no mention of timings, gaps or other competitions in the race!

    And just to keep on topic again
    YAY WIGGINS

  • Comment posted by User0408685321, at 18:12 10 Jun 2012

    Bigsportblog
    A GB team, Sky, top of the world tour rankings
    Wiggins 3rd in world tour rankings
    Cavendish in the World Champs jersey

    Don't you think that justifies, at least, articles written by someone who actually understands the sport!

    It wasn't until 30 minutes after Wiggins won, that the BBC actually recognised he had won, let alone that he just made cycling history!

  • Comment posted by mightyRoberto, at 16:21 10 Jun 2012

    and the reason the BBC doesn't have this on sport front page or news front page is.....because the BBC doesn't have a clue about the importance or relevance of this....BIG FAT FAIL. Well done Brad!!!

  • Comment posted by User0290882887, at 21:02 10 Jun 2012

    Excellent result from Wiggo and Team Sky!!!
    Continuing their best season yet, and Britain's best season ever (at this rate)

    If anyone at the BBC actually reads this, please increase your coverage of Cycling, you basically missed the 2nd biggest race of the year, the Giro d'Italia, and this is below CANCELLED tennis in the order of things.

  • Comment posted by User0377445662, at 22:25 10 Jun 2012

    There are many many sources of excellent coverage of cycling, so existing fans should not worry about the BBC coverage. But come on, we are on the cusp of what could be a truly spectacular summer for British cycling and the BBC seems intent on second rate coverage or complete ignorance. As a public service I think it would be nice if the BBC gave the public an opportunity to enjoy it.

  • Comment posted by Taggingalong, at 22:22 10 Jun 2012

    It's been a great week for Bradley Wiggins and the team. Nothing much on any BBC site and nothing on the news this evening. Pathetic. Is it because it's Sky? Because there's no-one on BBC staff who understands road racing? Meanwhile we can look forward to a coverage of darts. Oh wow. Fat people shouting. Oh joy :-(

  • Comment posted by User0570561600, at 20:48 10 Jun 2012

    Absolutely brilliant, a realistic British contender for the biggest race on the planet! Cannot wait for July. Just a shame that even with the big increase in popularity of cycle racing in the UK, the BBC can't produce accurate knowledgable reports. I think its great that Wiggins was able to hold off Rogers for the overall win, seeing as Rogers was working for him as his team-mate. Duh.

  • Comment posted by Jonesy76, at 16:31 10 Jun 2012

    My wife and I will be there for the TT in Chartres and the last day on the Champs Élysées.....here's hoping to see the first ever Brit on the podium at the TdF, and maybe (just maybe) the first ever British winner.

    Poor on the BBC not to have this as a top story though considering the huge following cycling now has in the UK, and how people like Brad and Cav are far better than poxy footballers

  • Comment posted by User0007952498, at 15:49 10 Jun 2012

    Another fantastic achievement by Wiggins. Sky really were dominant on yesterdays 'Queen' stage. Anything can happen on the tour, as last year's showed. Brad is however clearly the best in the time trial of the GC contenders, and this years tour has over 100km of TT. He's looked comfortable too in the last few days in the mountains and must really be favourite, but can he keep it going for 3 weeks?

  • Comment posted by TEDx Colston, at 19:17 10 Jun 2012

    Well Done, Bradley Wiggins, that's a truly great achievement.

    If you really want to know by how much, just look a the face of Cadel Evans on the podium - he knows that he has his work cut out against a very powerful Sky team (four riders in the top four in the Dauphine!) for Le Tour de France.

  • Comment posted by pjones2, at 18:37 10 Jun 2012

    I understand the frustrations of cycling fans (of which I am one), who wish the sport received greater prominence and more knowledgeable comment. I wish the same about hockey (both teams 4th in world, women among gold medal favourites), however I have to tolerate someone who is still learning the game, and multiple others at the same time, as a generic 'Olympics' reporter.

  • Comment posted by User0306052562, at 16:56 10 Jun 2012

    And the BBC sports personality of the year for 2012.... Sir Bradley Wiggins.

    I bet tomorrows rags back pages will be about the overpaid bums in Poland/Ukraine. This is much more newsworthy. Tour De France here we come.

  • Comment posted by Mick Gardner, at 20:02 10 Jun 2012

    Well done Brad & the rest of Team Sky. Stay upright on Le Tour!

  • Comment posted by samuel, at 07:22 11 Jun 2012

    bbc cycling coverage is very weak, please improve!

  • Comment posted by User0408685321, at 11:27 11 Jun 2012

    The issue here is quality. The articles on the BBC website are written by people who have no understanding about Cycling. The presenters on Radio and TV cant even pronounce the events or riders correctly. “First-rate” you say? Ha – don’t make me laugh.
    The BBC is a BRITISH organisation. BRITISH cyclists are taking the sport by storm, and the BBC gives poor quality lip service to it.

  • Comment posted by oz5000, at 23:28 10 Jun 2012

    Oh, and C4, Eurosport and ITV have covered TdF (and cycling generally) brilliantly for years, with the help of their French and European counterparts. The BBC have shown no interest in British cycling at all and it will disgust me if they try and commandeer it once GB starts to exhibit tangible success. Stick to F1, darts and snooker and let proper sportsmen (and women) get their fix elsewhere.

  • Comment posted by User0408685321, at 19:20 10 Jun 2012

    I think it's because the BBC don't have a reporter who knows anything about Cycling.

    Wiggins immediate rival today was Evans, yet the article above says he could maintain his time gap to rogers. Duh! Of course he could, rogers is his team mate.

    This, for me, demonstrates the incredibly poor quality journalism for Cycling on the BBC.

  • Comment posted by stevewdy, at 14:40 11 Jun 2012

    A brilliant win and bodes well for the Tour. However I'm confused as always about the BBc coverage. Here we had a British winner in a very popular sport in the UK. I'd like to compare the cycling coverage with the tennis coverage. Why does the BBC give such wide exposure to tennis while so little to cycling? Is it elitism over popularism? I do love both sports but I'd like to know why this is.

  • Comment posted by Kevin Morice, at 19:27 10 Jun 2012

    I agree Brailsford is no mug. But Cav was very clear and public when he moved that it was not about the money, and that he had other equal offers, and that he moved to Sky because of promises that were made about supporting him in winning Grand Tour stages. Your picks might be right, but the balance of who is climb/dom-ing for Brad and who is train-ing for Cav is not, and they can't do both.

  • Comment posted by User0316248809, at 11:17 11 Jun 2012

    4. Can we do more? Yep, & we'll keep trying to stretch reduced budget as far as it can go. But we can only go as far/fast as audience (all licence-fee payers) wants. Believe it or not, but we allocate time/money to what our research/stats tell us people want. Could we educate/lead more? Maybe....but it's gradual & easier said than done

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