Bradley Wiggins made great strides in his professional career this season, but his biggest priority...
Bradley Wiggins at the T-Mobile team/media presentation in late September (Image credit: Shane Stokes)
Bradley Wiggins made great strides in his professional career this season, but his biggest priority in 2008 will be on the track rather than the road. Cyclingnews' Shane Stokes talked to T-Mobile's new signing about his recent successes and his future plans.
British professional Bradley Wiggins had a year to remember in 2007, taking several important wins on road and track as well as showing he has a real future in races such as the Tour de France. The 27 year-old had already some very important results to his credit, such as gold, silver and bronze medals at the last Olympic Games plus several world championship and Commonwealth Games titles in the velodrome, but it was only this season when he really made the breakthrough to the top level on the road.
The Briton's best performances of 2007 included victories in the prologue of the Four Days of Dunkirk and the Dauphiné Libéré, first on the stage four Time Trial at the Tour du Poitou Charentes and at the Duo Normand two-man TT. Additionally, Wiggins placed second on stage three of the Circuit Cycliste Sarthe et Pays de la Loire, fourth in the prologue of the Tour de France and fifth in the first long Time Trial in the same race.
Astana riders Alexandre Vinokourov and Andrey Kashechkin placed first and fourth in that Albi TT, of course, but have subsequently tested positive for blood doping. Wiggins' good showing meant he should have been one of the favourites to win the final Time Trial, but he like the rest of the Cofidis team were forced to pull out of the Tour after French team-mate Christian Moreni tested positive for testosterone in a random control taken on Stage 11.
Cofidis' exclusion was a cruel blow to the Briton, who has long been outspoken against drug use in the peloton. The current climate in cycling made it practically impossible for the squad to continue to Paris, but this forced withdrawal was nevertheless a factor in Wiggins' decision to leave the team he had begun racing with in 2006.
