Hi

Just read Wiggins' newspaper interview on the Guardian online site (good for a lunch time perusal) where he talks about aiming to win the TDF next year.  Any thoughts?  Here's some of mine. 

It's great that he's gained such confidence from this year's race so that he can aim this high.  

Whose going to be team leader at Garmin?  Vandervelde helped, very sportingly I think, this year because he was just returning from injury and knew Wiggins was in better shape, but next year...I don't know, Vandevelde still came 8th this year, so is he better?  Garmin certainly thought so at the start  of the race.

Wiggins is still knackered and ill after getting down to 4% body fat for the tour - hence the great climbing, whilst Cav has just won a one day race in Germany without any dieting that I am aware of (beyond that required by all athletes obviously).  Wiggins distorted his body to perform at such a level, will he be able to do it again next year?  Will he be like a boxer always struggling with his weight, who has perhaps dipped down to too low a weight category in an attempt to win a new belt and finds his performance hampered rathered than enhanced by the effort?

 Will Wiggins ever be better than Contador or the younger Schleck?

 Just some musings. Comments welcome.

I'll go and find that article but initial thoughts are that you have a really good point there in his weight maintenance. I mean the man is super fit but how difficult is he going to find maintaining that kind of control all year long? It could take a horrible toll on him over time. Still the Tour is only just over and a lot of guys need time to recover - the key to all of this, to me, lies in his ability to recover which he seemed very able to do this year.

I do feel he has the right attitude - and the natural talent - to be a team leader so if not Garmin (assuming Vandevelde isn't willing to move over) then somewhere else?

As ever I'm going to agree with you!  Recovery does seem to be the name of the game and he certainly did that this year.  Maybe the Sky team will snap him up if they get an invite to the tour next year - though that's more likely the year after so Brad and Vandevelde will just have to sort it out like gentlemen for one year.  It's a strong team and I imagine both would be reluctant to leave for a weaker one...we'll just have to wait and see.