Bradley Wiggins has confirmed that he will ride the 2010 Giro d’Italia in preparation for his primary goal of the season, the Tour de France. While he will be looking towards July’s big event, Wiggins also has his sites set on two dates in particular for the Italian Grand Tour. He’ll be looking to the opening prologue and the individual time trial in Verona to gauge his progress as well as expand his palmares.
“I’ll be there, and not just to prepare for the Tour,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“The Giro is an important race. My big goals are the prologue in the Netherlands and the time trial in Verona,” he detailed.
Wiggins played a leading role in the off-season drama this year, shocking some, and keeping the headlines rolling with rumors of a transfer to the new British Team Sky. The 29-year-old was the revelation of this year’s Tour de France, coming in fourth place behind seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Team Sky’s goal is to have a British rider win the Tour within five years, and with the backing of BSkyb, talent is the obstacle rather than finances.
Wiggins’ performance in the Tour moved him to the top of the priority list for Team Sky Principal David Brailsford. The transfer was finally confirmed a few weeks ago, with Garmin-Transistions team boss Jonathan Vaughters, along with others in the peloton, expressing their disappointment with how things unfolded.
“It has been an amazing year for me and my ride at the Tour has given me the drive to aim even higher,” Wiggins said when the move was confirmed. “I know I can continue to develop and Team Sky is the perfect place to make that happen.”
He’s been a product of the British Cycling Track program, and looked at the move as a homecoming of sorts. Whether he can improve enough to ride in the mountains with Saxo Bank’s Andy Schleck and two-time winner and 2010 favorite Alberto Contador (Astana) remains to be seen.
While the Briton won’t be the team leader in the Giro, that role will be left to Italian recruit Dario Cioni, the race will be an integral part of his build up for the Grand Boucle. Wiggins tips Liquigas-Doimo rider Franco Pellizotti as the favorite for victory.