Bradley Wiggins believes the time is right for a British team to enter the Tour de France following their success at the Beijing Olympics.
Olympic hero wants to be part of Team GB in France
Bradley Wiggins believes the time is right for a British team to enter the Tour de France following their success at the Beijing Olympics.
Wiggins bagged individual and team pursuit gold medals while Chris Hoy picked up three, and with Mark Cavendish winning four stages of Le Tour this year the nucleus of the team is already formed.
Wiggins has also performed with credit in previous Tours and will be competing for Garmin-Chipotle next summer, but has left the door open to join up with Team GB should that dream become a reality.
"It think it will happen. They are in the early stages of putting that together and it would be phenomenal if it does. We have got the talent so it is definitely likely now," he said.
"You need the right team - and a sponsor who is going to put up £8million a year, and they appear to have that. I don't know who it is yet but Sky have come on board and made a big commitment.
"And if a company like Sky gets involved with British cycling then a lot of others will as well.
"We already have the back-up team with (GB performance director) Dave Brailsford, who has put this whole thing together for British cycling, and (head coach) Shane Sutton.
"Then of course you need the riders and there are enough of us out there."
Wiggins is ambitious for personal success in the Tour de France and admits that Cavendish's performance this year has inspired him to great heights.
"I just want to win a stage and take the yellow jersey for a while," he added. "I came close last year when I had a third and a fourth.
"I have been within a couple of kilometres of winning a stage so it is definitely achievable. I have the ability to do it, it is just that it is so different to the track."
