Cycling: Mark Cavendish may have to leave Sky to fulfil his goals, admits Bradley Wiggins

 

The Tour de France and Olympic time-trial champion Bradley Wiggins accepts that fellow British star Mark Cavendish may have to leave Team Sky.

Cavendish was part of the team that propelled Wiggins to his historic triumph in France this summer but was frustrated in his own ambitions. The Manxman won the green jersey as top sprinter in 2011 but was this year limited to just three stage wins as team orders took priority.

The 27-year-old still has two-and-a-half years of his lucrative deal with Team Sky remaining but there has been speculation that he might be seeking a way out.

Wiggins, 32, said: "On a personal level I have enjoyed riding with him this year and I enjoy his company, but I understand why he would probably have to leave. I love seeing him win as much as anyone else and to see Mark back out on the Tour winning six, seven or eight different stages and challenging for the green, he probably has to go.

"At Sky we have set a precedent now. If we're going to dominate cycling and win three grand tours in a year, we have to start building to that GC [general classification] thing.

"Unfortunately for Mark, as we saw in the Tour, the two don't really go well together. For his own career, I understand why he has to [leave Sky] but from a selfish point of view I would like him to stay."

Wiggins was originally scheduled to return to action after his London 2012 victory in next week's Tour of Denmark but has now been given extra time off. Instead he will next race in the Tour of Britain, which begins in Ipswich on 9 September.

From there he will go to the Road World Championships in the Netherlands but he intends to let others enjoy the glory this time and will not contest the time-trial.

"For me [it is] not big at all," Wiggins said. "I am the Olympic champion. That's the one everyone wants to win.I won't be doing the time-trial [at the World Championships]. I have a lot of commitments now in the next six weeks and I'm probably not going to be able to give the time to the training that is required to win the gold there.

"I will be there in a supporting role to help the guys in the road race and it is the same with the Tour of Britain.

"A lot of guys have ridden for me all year and rather than just stop and say 'I've won what I wanted to win' and go on holiday for six months and get fat, I thought it would be nice to go back there and help the team in those races."

The eight-stage Tour of Britain could effectively provide Wiggins with a personal lap of honour, with cycling enjoying a boom and huge crowds likely to greet him around the country.

He feels that should more than make up for missing the planned Team GB victory parade in London on 10 September.

"The Olympics was amazing and so was the team success, but my day job is riding a bike," Wiggins said. "The season doesn't end until October and you have to go back to work at some point. I can't live off the Olympics for the next two months."

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Caption competition
Caption competition
News in pictures
World news in pictures
Sport blogs

iBet: A tight game between Northampton and Bradford

A tight game could be in prospect here. Northampton have been keeping things very tight of late and ...

by Gareth Purnell

On The Road at the Giro d’Italia: Feeling ill and racing in the rain must be pretty grim

I can’t ever watch games of football or rugby without wistfully wondering what it must be like to be...

by Martin Ayres

PSG and the French league must be more proactive in dealing with hooliganism

Since PSG’s exit to Barcelona in the Uefa Champions League quarter-final in April, PSG have been sur...

by Matthew Riding

       
Independent Dating
and  

By clicking 'Search' you
are agreeing to our
Terms of Use.

Career Services
iJobs Job Widget
iJobs General

PHP/ Drupal Developer - £35k - WC

£30000 - £40000 per annum + BENS: Progressive Recruitment: Drupal Developer A ...

C# WEB DEVELOPER

£45000 - £50000 per annum + bens: Progressive Recruitment: C# WEB DEVELOPER Le...

WPF Developer (C#, VB.Net) - North East - 6 Months

£240 - £260 per day: Progressive Recruitment: WPF Developer (C#, VB.Net) North...

KS2 PPA teacher

£85 - £120 per day: Randstad Education Cheshire: KS2 teacher needed to do PPA ...

Day In a Page

The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act

The price of pacifism

From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.
Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?

Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.
Not a bad bone: Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

If you ignore cutlets and ribs, you'll risk missing out on some delicious and easy meals, says our chef.
Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care
One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in
The real thing? Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'

The real thing?

Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'
Gordon Ramsey's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

Gordon Ramsay's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

The pugnacious chef finally met a shambolic restaurant he couldn't save. John Walsh on when TV makover refuseniks fight back
Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Glamorous myth of the flight attendant lifestyle undermined by angry employee's claims of 'exploitation'
Braising saddles: Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it!

Braising saddles: How to cook horse meat

Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it! Will Coldwell hoofs it to the kitchen.
Why bitters are back on the bar: A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails

Why bitters are back on the bar

A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails. No wonder we're learning to love them again...
The 10 Best barbecues

The 10 Best barbecues

Whether you're cooking on gas or are a convert to charcoal we've got the perfect way to cook when the sun is out.
Style icon David Beckham calls time on his long retirement

Style icon calls time on his long retirement

David Beckham never disgraced himself but former England captain ceased to be a major player years ago. Remember him at his United peak
Steve Harper: My darkest times

Steve Harper: My darkest times

As the popular Newcastle goalkeeper bows out after 20 years at the club, he tells Martin Hardy about the private battle with depression that threatened his career
Sir Torquil Norman has designed a flat-pack OX truck for the developing world

The flat-pack truck with big ambitions

After making a fortune from Polly Pocket and a doll's house shaped like a teapot, the entrepreneur has turned his creativity to a transporter truck for the developing world. Simon Usborne meets him.