Tour de France 2012: Wiggins triumphs in the final time trial to become the first British winner of the Tour de France(Image credit: View over Abinger Hammer cricket ground as the peloton ride by fans in the Surrey countryside sitting in their local watering hole)
After working hard to be to skinny and light to win the Tour de France, Bradley Wiggins is beefing up for a shot at the world time trial championships, perhaps signaling an end to his Grand Tour aspirations.
Wiggins revealed that he will be close to eight kilogrammes heavier than his Tour de France weight when he rides the individual time trial at the world championships in Tuscany on Wednesday September 25.
He needs the extra power to fight for the rainbow jersey with Fabian Cancellara, Tony Martin and Taylor Phinney on a flat and fast 57.9km course between Montecatini Terme and Florence.
After winning gold on the track at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Wiggins lost close to 13kg during his transformation to a Grand Tour contender and eventual Tour de France winner.
"It's been a complete contrast because it was always a compromise training for time trials, as I had to be so light," Wiggins told The Independent newspaper after completing a ride in aid of the Bradley Wiggins Foundation near hi home in north-west England on Sunday.
"Now we've gone completely the other way and I've had to put weight on. That's been quite nice actually. Bizarre. My climbing is going to be affected massively by it. By the time I get to the worlds I'm going to be 7kg or 8kg heavier than when I won the Tour. I'll notice it. I noticed it in Poland. You're carrying extra weight. It's hard."
Wiggins will be 34 next April and it remains unclear if he will ever attempt to win another Grand Tour during his professional career.
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A knee injury that troubled him during his difficult time at the Giro d'Italia meant he was not selected for the Tour de France and he spent most of July avoiding watching teammate and rival Chris Froome from following him in the record book as a Tour winner. Instead Wiggins spent much of the month training in Mallorca to be ready for the rest of the season. On Sunday he also acknowledged that Froome has earned the right to lead Team Sky at the 2014 Tour de France.
He rides the Eneco Tour this week in Belgium and could win overall thanks to the key mid-race 13km time trial. He will also be a favourite for the Tour of Britain in mid-September, his final build-up race for the world championships.
Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
