Bradley Wiggins (Sky Procycling) claimed the biggest victory of his road racing career by winning the Criterium du Dauphiné but true to character, he kept his feet rooted firmly on the ground.
He insisted he has not hit his peak at the Criterium du Dauphiné and can still improve before the Tour de France, where he believes he has a chance of finishing on the podium if he carefully follows his own race strategy.
"This is the win I'm proudest of. Adding your name on the list of a winners of a race like the Dauphiné... well, just look at the other names!" he told AFP.
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"This week I think I confirmed my potential for stage races. The Tour has been my goal since the start of the season and remains so. But I've had a great week. I can climb with the best and defend the jersey in the mountain stages. The experience of being in yellow on a climb like the Glandon will be useful. It's great!"
Many of Wiggins' main rivals are still preparing for the Tour de France but the Briton also claimed he has further room for improvement before the start of the Tour de France on July 2. "We have a plan for the Tour de France and the Dauphiné was part of the plan. My condition is not 100 percent yet, I have my training programme and I can still improve," he said according to the Team Sky website.
"In terms of the Tour, I am just going to have to ride my race, not put myself in the red by trying to follow (Alberto) Contador and (Andy) Schleck. It's clear that the podium is certainly a real possibility, but others like Jurgen van den Broeck can also get there.".
Wiggins will now head to Sestriere in Italy for a block of recovery and training at altitude for the Tour de France.
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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).
