Video: Wiggins hails Dowsett's Hour Record as fantastic
May 04, 2015 (19:00) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
Bradley Wiggins has labelled Alex Dowsett's Hour Record ride as fantastic and told Cyclingnews that it "sets up my attempt in four weeks time." Wiggins was talking the day after Dowsett (Movistar) pushed the record out to 52.937 kilometres at the Manchester velodrome. Wiggins will take on the record next month at the Olympic Velodrome in London. "I thought that it was fantastic. I said before the start that he'd either just break it or that he'd fail and I knew from the start that he'd be starting on the record pace. It's good for the record and that someone else has got it now and that it sets up my attempt in four weeks time," Wiggins told Cyclingnews before the start of stage 3 at the Tour de Yorkshire.ADVERTISEMENT "I hope that after my attempt that someone else goes for it in the future and that it doesn't just lie dormant for ten or fifteen years like Chris [Boardman's]." Click here to subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

Testing suggests Wiggins on target for Hour Record
May 02, 2015 (17:15) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
Bradley Wiggins wont begin the key preparations for his Hour Record attempt in London on 7 June until the Tour de Yorkshire finishes, but the Briton has already seen positive indications that he should be able to set a new mark in this illustrious test. Everythings gone OK since Roubaix. All of the initial track sessions were way above what we were expecting, because I hadnt been on the track for a year so we didnt really know where we were going to be in terms of the record. Its been a good transition, and theres just a month to go now, said Wiggins. Speaking at the Tour de Yorkshire, Wiggins said that as well as helping his young teammates on the WIGGINS team, his goal at the race was simply to keep out of trouble. Id like to stay safe because I dont want to put the Hour in jeopardy. I want to be part of the race. I dont want to just sit at the back every day, said Wiggins, who will be very interested to find out how compatriot Alex Dowsett fares when he makes an attempt this afternoon in Manchester on the Hour Record mark of 52.491km set by Australias Rohan Dennis in February.ADVERTISEMENT Asked about former hour record holder Francesco Mosers comment that Wiggins should be aiming to challenge Chris Boardmans 1996 of 56.375km, which was removed as the official mark when the rules on aerodynamic aids were changed, the world time trial champion insisted the Italian was wrong. I disagree strongly actually because Chris was 20 years ahead of his time. Ive got that bike that he rode in 96 at home. Aerodynamically that Superman position is streets ahead of anything that youre allowed in the regulations, Wiggins explained. The bike itself also beats anything from the modern era in the wind tunnel. Other than the skinsuits, which have moved on since Chris time, he was 20 years ahead of his time. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

Video: Bradley Wiggins' new Pinarello Dogma F8
May 01, 2015 (17:00) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
Bradley Wiggins' makes his debut for Team WIGGINSat the Tour de Yorkshire on board a brand new Pinarello Dogma F8 kitted out with Zipp wheels and SRAM Red 22 groupset. At Team Sky, Wiggins' rode a Shimano Dura-Ace equipped black Pinarello. His WIGGINS machine is an almost all white affair with the 2012 Tour de France champion also opting for white bar tape. After an initial test ride of his new bike, Wiggins had the stem length on the bike adjusted with no other changes needed before the start of the inaugural three-stage Tour de Yorkshire.ADVERTISEMENT Click here to look at theexclusive images of Wiggins' bike from earlier this weekandclick here to subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

Gallery: Wiggins trains with new team before Tour de Yorkshire
May 01, 2015 (09:15) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
Bradley Wiggins will debut for his new team WIGGINS at the Tour de Yorkshire, but first the 2012 Tour de France champion had to put in a few training miles in his new kit with his new team. The brand-new three-day race starts Friday, and Wiggins and his team were out Thursday riding around the region and posing for photos with the media. Wiggins, who said the new venture has been "liberating," added that he hopes to mold the new squad into a development program like the Axeon Cycling Team that Axel Merckx runs in the US. "We're not trying to win the Tour de France," Wiggins told Cyclingnews on Thursday. "Thats clear. Our goals are on the track and this team started out in order to facilitate that. We dont have a huge budget. Were never going to compete with the Skys of this world but I never wanted it to go to that level or be a Tour de France team."ADVERTISEMENT Wiggins is also currently in training for his attempt in June at the Hour Record. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

Video: Liberated Bradley Wiggins set for Tour de Yorkshire debut
May 01, 2015 (07:15) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
With his Team Sky days firmly behind him a 'liberated' Bradley Wiggins (WIGGINS) is set to make his racing debut for his new development team at the Tour de Yorkshire on Friday. The former Tour de France winner hung up his WorldTour wheels at Paris-Roubaix and has spent the intervening weeks training on the track ahead of his June Hour Record attempt. However the ASO-organised race in the United Kingdom marks another important event in the rider's 2015 calendar. "This is my first race back after Roubaix and it's just a nice starting point for the team and for my appearance with the team having not been able to come last summer," Wiggins told the media at the race presentation on Thursday evening. By 'last summer' Wiggins was of course referring to the 2014 Tour de France and Team Sky's choice to leave him at home in order to give Chris Froome the calmest and most focused opportunity to defend his race title. That snub or line-up choice - depending on your point of view " sparked the beginning of the end of Wiggins' time at the team and set in motion the plans for the WIGGINS squad. "This all came together really quickly and this all happened because I didn't get selected for the Tour last year and I sat at home twiddling my thumbs and I thought 'I'll have my own team next year, sod this. I'll race in the UK and enjoy myself' because I wasn't enjoying it." The differences between Team Sky and WIGGINS are monumental in terms of budget, scope and sheer strength on the road, and Wiggins seems to be enjoying a new lease of life under a less constrained atmosphere. Organisation and attention to detail are two elements the WorldTour variant are always keen to stress whereas Wiggins' new track-road squad are tad less pressuring. Part of Wiggins' new bike only arrived on the scene as recently as today, for example. "We're not trying to win the Tour de France. That's clear. Our goals are on the track and this was team started out in order to facilitate that. We don't have a huge budget. We're never going to compete with the Sky's of this world but I never wanted it to go to that level or be a Tour de France team. I've said a few times that I want it to be development team, similar to what Axel Merckx has in America. "I feel liberated in some ways that I can have a dig and have a go. At Sky there is such a precedent and such a standard that there's always someone able to do something whereas here we've got a bunch of young kids who just want to race so that frees me up in some ways to try something. I attacked in Roubaix but other than that I can't remember the last time I attacked in a race. I'm so used to riding in a defensive role so I'll see what happens in the next few days."ADVERTISEMENT Click here to subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

Wiggins tests Hour Record Track ahead of Tour de Yorkshire debut
April 29, 2015 (16:30) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
Bradley Wiggins (WIGGINS) has trained on the London 2012 Olympic velodrome at Lee Valley VeloPark for the first time ahead of his Hour Record attempt. The 2012 Tour de France winner will look to better Rohan Denniss 52.491 kilometres record on June 7. The first signs are good, he told Sky Sports News during his training session on Tuesday, the same day he turned 35.ADVERTISEMENT You are always a bit cautious coming on to a new track. I have spent so much time riding round Manchester. There were quite a few records established at the London Olympics, so it is a fast track and if we can get the conditions right, it will be the best place to do it. Wiggins retired from Team Sky after Paris-Roubaix in April and has this Friday he will make his debut for his WIGGINS squad at the Tour de Yorkshire, a three-day event hosted by ASO in the United Kingdom. It will be the first time Wiggins has competed against Team Sky, having signed for the British team for their debut season in 2010. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

Dennis hoping his Hour Record withstands challenges from Dowsett and Wiggins
April 29, 2015 (08:30) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
Australian world hour record holder Rohan Dennis says suggestions that Briton Bradley Wiggins could reach 54 or 55 kilometres in his June 7 attempt are "stupid". But Dennis, speaking to Cyclingnews the night before he left his home near Girona in Spain for the Tour de Romandie that started on Tuesday and finishes Sunday does believe that the 2012 Tour de France champion has the capacity to pass the 53 kilometre mark when he goes for the record at the Lee Valley VeloPark in London. However, Dennis (BMC), 24, realises that his record of 52.491km - set at the Velodrome Suisse in Grenchen, Switzerland on February 8 - may not even be the mark that Wiggins sets out to beat if Briton Alex Dowsett (Movistar) has his way.ADVERTISEMENT The Dowsett threat Dowsett, 26 and who beat Dennis in the road time trial title at last year's Commonwealth Games, is due to go for the record on Saturday at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester, having earlier postponed it due to a collar bone break. Dennis understandably hopes to keep his record and savour more time to appreciate it. "I hope he doesn't break the record," Dennis said. "It does feel like along time ago. It did come and go very quickly and I didn't take it in like I should have; but I will take it in later on in my career or later this year when I have a bit of a down period." You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

Exclusive gallery: Bradley Wiggins' new Pinarello race bike
April 25, 2015 (00:30) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
With his Team Sky days firmly behind him, Bradley Wiggins will begin a new phase of his career next week at the Tour de Yorkshire.The 2012 Tour de France champion will line-up as the race captain of his new WIGGINS squad and will wear a new team kit for the first time in over five years. Wiggins will also ride a new Pinarello bike during the three-day event.ADVERTISEMENT Pinarello, who also sponsor Team Sky, will provide the new Continental squad with race machines and Wiggins will compete on a Dogma F8, as he has done over the last few seasons. ZIPP, Fizik and Elite will provide key components for the bike, while the most noticeable change sees Wiggins move from Shimano Dura-Ace to SRAM components. The bike is currently at an undisclosed location where WIGGINS team mechanics are busily putting finishing touches to it but Wiggins is set to take his new bike out training ahead of next weeks race debut. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

Tour de Yorkshire wants WorldTour slot
April 21, 2015 (05:30) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
Gary Verity, the man who successfully brought the Tour de France start back to the United Kingdom in 2013, has confirmed that the Tour de Yorkshire is hoping to reach WorldTour status within the next three years. The announcement comes as the organisers of the inaugural edition of the event, which takes place from May 1-3, confirmed that both Bradley Wiggins (WIGGINS) and Marcel Kittel (Giant Alpecin) would star in this year's race. "We've signed a ten-year deal initially [with Tour de France organisers ASO] but the intention is that as long as cycling is popular and people want to watch cycling, we want to have this race in Yorkshire," Verity told Cyclingnews.ADVERTISEMENT "WorldTour, that's our ambition. We'd like to get that done over the next three years and that's a realistic goal and one that's fitting for cycling in the United Kingdom and in Yorkshire." This year will see Bradley Wiggins make his debut for his new WIGGINS squad, having stepped out of the limelight of Team Sky after Paris-Roubaix. The British rider is unlikely to fight for top honours in the Tour of Yorkshire but for Verity the rider represents top billing due to his public appeal, and the fact that he missed out on riding the Tour de France last year. "I'm of course really pleased and I think we've got a stellar line-up. A few people said when we announced the race that it wouldn't be a proper event but we've got 144 in the peloton and we're 20 percent bigger than the Tour of Britain. We've got some great teams and great riders," he said. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

Tickets to watch Wiggins Hour Record attempt sell out in seven minutes
April 18, 2015 (05:00) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
Tickets to watch Bradley Wiggins Hour Record attempt at the Lee Valley VeloPark, Londons Olympic Velodrome, on June 7 went on sale on Friday morning and reportedly sold out with in seven minutes according to a report on Sky Sports. The velodrome holds a capacity of roughly 6,000 spectators but many fans were left disappointed when they werent able to purchase a ticket on the Sky Tickets website.The highest priced tickets were reported to have cost 49. Some of those who missed out on tickets shared their disappointment via social media. Wiggins, a former Tour de France winner and the current world champion in the individual time trial, will attempt to break the Hour Record of 52.491 kilometres set by Australias Rohan Dennis (BMC) in February at the Velodrome Suisse, Grenchen.ADVERTISEMENT He will be the fifth male rider this year to make the attempt after Jack Bobridge, Thomas Dekker and Gustav Larrson were unsuccessful. Wiggins compatriot Alex Dowsett (Movistar) broke his collarbone in February and has rescheduled his attempt for May 2 in Manchester. Wiggins raced in his last event with Team Sky at the recent Paris-Roubaix and will now turn his attention to training for the Hour Record and competing in road events with his new WIGGINS Continental team. He is expected to make is debut in his new team colours at the Tour de Yorkshire stage race (May 1-3). "I've dreamt about the Hour Record since I was a boy. Anyone can have a crack at it and measure themselves against the best in the world. We've seen cycling grow in popularity over the last few years and I want WIGGINS to inspire a new generation of cyclists," Wiggins said at the announcement of his Continental team in February. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

Wiggins to attempt Hour Record on June 7
April 16, 2015 (05:00) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
Bradley Wiggins' Hour Record attempt will take place at London's 2012 Olympic velodrome,Lee Valley VeloPark on June 7. Wiggins ended his Team Sky career on Sunday at Paris-Roubaix, finishing 18th, and now turns his attention to the Hour Record of 52.491 kilometresset by Rohan Dennis (BMC) in February this year. The world individual time trial champion will ride select road events in the lead up to his Hour Record attempt with the newly created WIGGINS Continental team including the Tour of Yorkshire from May 1-3. "I've dreamt about the Hour Record since I was a boy. Anyone can have a crack at it and measure themselves against the best in the world. We've seen cycling grow in popularity over the last few years and I want WIGGINS to inspire a new generation of cyclists," Wiggins said at the announcement of the Continental team in February.ADVERTISEMENT Wiggins will be the fifth male rider to attempt the Hour Record this year following unsuccessful attempts by Jack Bobridge, Thomas Dekker and Gustav Larrson. Former teammate Alex Dowsett (Movistar) will make an attempt at the record on May 2 having had to reschedule from his earlier date of February 27 due to a broken collarbone sustained in a training ride.Sarah Storey also unsuccessfully attempted the Hour Record in February. In 2014 Jens Voigt broke the Hour Record in his last act as a professional cyclist with Matthias Brndle bettering the record by more than 700 metresa month later after changes by the UCI brought life back to the record. Tickets for Wiggins' attempt will go on sale Friday April 17. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

Cycling-Wiggins to tackle Hour record on June 7 (Reuters)
April 15, 2015 (16:00) [ Indexed from Yahoo! Sports ]
Bradley Wiggins will try to beat the Hour record at the London Velodrome on June 7, the International Cycling Union (UCI) said on Wednesday. Wiggins, Britain's most decorated Olympian with seven medals, four of them gold, and the nation's first Tour de France winner said it would rank as one of his greatest achievements. "The Hour Record is a holy grail for cyclists," said Wiggins. "It's been fought over tooth and nail by the greatest names in our sport for over a hundred years and it's time for me to have a crack at it." The current world record of 52.491 km was set by Australian Rohan Dennis at the Velodrome Suisse in Grenchen, Switzerland, on Feb. 8. More...

Cycling-Wiggins to tackle Hour record on June 7 (Reuters)
April 15, 2015 (12:30) [ Indexed from Yahoo! Sports ]
Bradley Wiggins will try to beat the Hour record at the London Velodrome on June 7, the International Cycling Union (UCI) said on Wednesday. Wiggins, Britain's most decorated Olympian with seven medals, four of them gold, and the nation's first Tour de France winner said it would rank as one of his greatest achievements. "The Hour Record is a holy grail for cyclists," said Wiggins. "It's been fought over tooth and nail by the greatest names in our sport for over a hundred years and it's time for me to have a crack at it." The current world record of 52.491 km was set by Australian Rohan Dennis at the Velodrome Suisse in Grenchen, Switzerland, on Feb. 8. More...

Cycling-Lanky Wiggins back to first love after last rocky ride (Reuters)
April 14, 2015 (05:45) [ Indexed from Yahoo! Sports ]
By Julien Pretot ROUBAIX, France, April 12 (Reuters) - Before returning to the track to fulfil another Olympic ambition, Bradley Wiggins wanted one more rocky ride on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, the race that inspired him to ride a bike in the first place. The Briton, who now turns his attention to the Hour record and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, finished a decent 18th on Sunday after having his moment in the limelight, attacking in the closing stages of the Queen of the Classics. "When I attacked it was like being 16 again in London, training on this mews next to my house, thinking that was it, that was nice," the bearded self-confessed Mod told reporters in front of his Team Sky bus after a discussion with his mentor Dave Brailsford. He's known me since I was an 18-year-old streak of piss, now I'm a 35 year-old streak of piss." Wiggins, who will take part in the low-key Tour of Yorkshire in May with the development team he launched, Team Wiggins, had just closed the final chapter of a career on the road that took him to victory in the 2012 Tour de France and earned him a gold medal in the road cycling time trial at the London Olympics. More...

Brailsford: Wiggins gave it a good old crack in Paris-Roubaix
April 14, 2015 (04:45) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
Paris-Roubaix marked an emotional end of an era forTeam Sky principal Dave Brailsford with the exit of Bradley Wiggins from the road scene. Although the Hell of the North wasn't the swan song either man was hoping for, Brailsford praised Wiggins for giving "it a good old crack, like he always does". Brailsford and Wiggins have worked together since Wiggins graduated from the junior ranks on the track, when British Cycling became funded by the national lottery and started its ascent to Olympic domination. A Tour de France victory, four Olympic gold medals, six track world titles and last year's time trial rainbow jersey performance later, and Wiggins will now head back to the track with an eye toward Rio and gold in the team pursuit. Although Wiggins had made headline after headline in the days leading up toParis-Roubaix, his final road race with Team Sky, his one bullet proved insufficient and after his attack was neutraized, he finished an less than ideal 18th place. Brailsford, however, was not disappointed.ADVERTISEMENT "So much was made about this race with it being Brads last appearance for us, and it was difficult to watch it in the same way you normally would,"Brailsford said to TeamSky.com. "Some detractors may say him finishing 18th is a little underwhelming, but if you take a step back, the guy has won the Tour de France and the Olympics and did absolutely everything he could today. He was there with 30km to go attacking on his own, and at that point I was thinking Jesus, he might ride away from everybody here. "That takes some doing and he should hold his head up high. He gave it a good old crack, like he always does. For a lot of people it was all about him and his performance today, and I think he did exceptionally, as always." Brailsfored admitted that it was emotional to watch Wiggins in his last ever road race withSky. "These things comes to an end, though, and you try to think of a nice way to end a sporting career - do you step out at the top or do you become a fading light and drift away? You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

10 conclusions from Paris-Roubaix
April 14, 2015 (04:45) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
Degenkolb and Kristoff the new Boonen and Cancellara? Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara both plan to be back in 2016 at the very least, but this spring has offered a decent indication of how the Classics landscape might look when they eventually do hang up their wheels. Two years ago, the general assumption was that the Boonen-Cancellara void would be filled by an era of domination from Peter Sagan, but the Slovak has found himself outstripped by some near contemporaries in the intervening period, namely Alexander Kristoff and John Degenkolb. While this years Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix were clearly very different races without Boonen and Cancellara on hand, it is testament to the quality of Kristoff and Degenkolbs performances that there wasnt a murmur of dissent about the worthiness of their wins, despite the absence of the Big Two.ADVERTISEMENT The Boonen-Cancellara rivalry was defined in large part by their different styles, Boonens finesse and speed against Cancellaras raw strength. Degenkolb and Kristoff, on the other hand, are markedly similar riders; both fine sprinters but blessed with sufficient strength and gumption to go on the offensive when the situation requires. As a consequence, Degenkolb and Kristoff could well have more direct confrontations in the finale of major classics than Boonen and Cancellara ever did. But lets not get ahead of ourselves: one spring does not an era make. Kristoff and Degenkolb were on a level above this month but there is no shortage of talented 20-something classics specialists. Despite lacking the exuberance of 2013, Sagan still finished 4th at Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders. Sep Vanmarcke had a disastrous Ronde but at 26 has ample time to make amends, while youngsters Tiesj Benoot and Yves Lampaert more than highlighted their potential. And Boonen and Cancellara, of course, have not gone away just yet. (BR)Wiggins' last Sky broadcast It was clear even before the dust settled on Sunday that there would be no fairy-tale ending for Bradley Wiggins at Paris-Roubaix. Aside from a daring attack inside the final 35 kilometers, the former Tour de France winner was forced to play a cameo role while Degenkolbs race-winning break stole the show and the deserving headlines. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

Gallery: Bradley Wiggins' Team Sky career
April 14, 2015 (04:45) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
Bradley Wiggins finally brought the curtain down on his Team Sky career on Sunday with a solid 18th place in Paris-Roubaix. The 2012 Tour de France winner has made the Classic his major objective for the last two springs and despite a daring attack with just over 30 kilometers to go on Sunday he was unable to make the winning break, with John Degenkolb taking a deserved victory. Paris-Roubaix is always a lottery of a race but despite falling short in his final outing for Team Sky, Wiggins has undoubtedly been their most influential and successful rider since signing for them in 2010.ADVERTISEMENT A huge transformation into a stage race rider in 2009 meant that the new British squad were always going to build a team around him and he duly delivered with their first Tour de France win in 2012. There have been crashes, fallouts, losses of form and comebacks along the way, and in this gallery Cyclingnews looks back at Bradley Wiggins' entire racing career at Team Sky. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

No sanction for riders who broke level crossing at Paris-Roubaix
April 13, 2015 (04:45) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
A similar incident in the 2006 edition of the race led to the disqualification of three riders but the commissaires at Paris-Roubaix have confirmed that no action will be taken against those who passed through a railway crossing after the barriers had begun to lower. The incident took place as the main peloton reached a level-crossing shortly after exiting the Arenberg Forest. While the early break was unaffected, the lights had turned red by the time the main peloton approached, though the front end of the bunch made it through before the barriers had lowered. Images show that around 30 riders, including Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) and Bradley Wiggins (Sky) slipped through, while French champion Arnaud Dmare (FDJ) appeared to bang his head on the barrier as he made his way underneath and continued in the race. A police motorbike managed to stop the rest of the peloton " approximately 20 riders " from following suit shortly before a TGV thundered through.ADVERTISEMENT "I was a bit on the limit and I was a bit far behind, so I crawled under the boom. I checked that it was clear, and the train was still a good distance away," Kristoff said of the incident after the race, which was won by John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin). In 2006, the commissaires took the decision to disqualify Leife Hoste, Peter Van Petegem and Vladimir Gusev from second, third and fourth place after they had ignored a level crossing with 15 kilometres remaining to continue their forlorn pursuit of winner Fabian Cancellara. Seemingly because of the sheer number of riders who had broken the rules on this occasion, the commissaires effectively turned a blind eye this time around as they could not reliably identify all of them. The race was simply briefly neutralised to allow the second part of the peloton to re-join those who had skipped the barrier, and no sanctions were handed out. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

Wiggins bids Team Sky adieu at Paris-Roubaix
April 13, 2015 (04:45) [ Indexed from Cyclingnews.com ]
He'll always have Paris, but Roubaix was not to be. Bradley Wiggins has spent much of the past two years espousing his veneration for Paris-Roubaix, to the point of declaring that he would swap his 2012 Tour de France win for victory in the hallowed velodrome. "Just google 'Bradley's love for Paris-Roubaix,'" he had told a reporter with mock exasperation on Friday when asked to revisit the topic once again. After placing 18th on Sunday afternoon, however, Wiggins ruled out the prospect of reneging on his departure from Team Sky and continuing at WorldTour level for one final tilt at the race next year. His brings the curtain down on his road career with no regrets. "Nah, I've won the Tour, haven't I? he told a group of reporters who had assembled outside the team bus afterwards. Eclipsed by Chris Froome in Sky's Grand Tour hierarchy, Wiggins found solace these past two seasons by tapping into his teenage affinity for Paris-Roubaix, placing ninth twelve months ago and then building his truncated final campaign with the team expressly around the race. "I'm pretty happy, I've had a good run at the whole thing and this was always like a new job the last couple of years " a bit of a hobby, a passion," he said.ADVERTISEMENT "But I've had plenty of opportunities. I rode this race 13 years ago and did it for a couple of years, so I'm not new to it. I had my opportunity back then but I think we've seen how cycling's changed with how many people were in the final." As is his wont, Wiggins was placed towards the rear of the peloton on many of the early sectors of cobbles, and even at the Arenberg Forest, he was not as well-positioned as one might expect from a man with designs on winning the race. He was also caught on the back foot when Etixx-QuickStep briefly split the race in the crosswinds after the cobbles at Sars-et-Rosires with 75 kilometres remaining, but seemed to grow bolder as the afternoon progressed. Finally, towards the end of pav sector 7 at Templeuve, a shade over 32 kilometres from the finish, Wiggins launched an attack to show that at least some of the hype beforehand had been merited, as he soloed smoothly across to earlier attacker Stijn Vandenbergh (Etixx-QuickStep). You can read more at Cyclingnews.com More...

Cycling-Lanky Wiggins back to first love after last rocky ride (Reuters)
April 12, 2015 (19:15) [ Indexed from Yahoo! Sports ]
By Julien Pretot ROUBAIX, France, April 12 (Reuters) - Before returning to the track to fulfil another Olympic ambition, Bradley Wiggins wanted one more rocky ride on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, the race that inspired him to ride a bike in the first place. The Briton, who now turns his attention to the Hour record and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, finished a decent 18th on Sunday after having his moment in the limelight, attacking in the closing stages of the Queen of the Classics. "When I attacked it was like being 16 again in London, training on this mews next to my house, thinking that was it, that was nice," the bearded self-confessed Mod told reporters in front of his Team Sky bus after a discussion with his mentor Dave Brailsford. He's known me since I was an 18-year-old streak of piss, now I'm a 35 year-old streak of piss." Wiggins, who will take part in the low-key Tour of Yorkshire in May with the development team he launched, Team Wiggins, had just closed the final chapter of a career on the road that took him to victory in the 2012 Tour de France and earned him a gold medal in the road cycling time trial at the London Olympics. More...