SIR BRADLEY WIGGINS PREVIEWS THE 2022 TOUR DE FRANCE

Does Tadej Pogacar have any weaknesses?

"It remains to be seen. If he turns up in the same form he's turned up with early this season... He's going to be in the form of his life again, and go for number three is going to be hard to stop. But Jumbo Visma with Primoz Roglic seems to win every race he starts. 

"We could see the likes of Geraint Thomas take advantage of that and slide away maybe on a mountain finish. Jumbo Visma were stronger than UAE I think it's clear to say, so Pogacar could be isolated at times on his own. But it's going to be a great race. I mean, it's going to be far more exciting than going into last year's race or the year before.

Can Jonas Vingegaard or anyone else other than Pogacar or Roglic win the Tour de France?

"He's prove. He was on the podium last year. He's only a young lad but he's in a team this year with Primoz Roglic, who barring injury and barring crashes like he sustained last year, I think he's got to be one of the clear favourites with Tadej Pogacar.

"I think there could be an element of cat and mouse between Roglic and Pogacar. Vingegaard could take advantage of that by snipping away and taking the jersey. 

"You add to that Geraint Thomas as well, who's just won the Tour Swiss. He's 36 now. He’s a previous winner. He's coming back. I think he could take advantage of the Roglic Pogacar battle, but Vingegaard - he's a class act. No one was thinking he could be the next big Danish Tour winner, after Bjarne from Denmark. I think it's going to be exciting. It's going to be the first Tour for a couple of years where there’s going to be a real battle taking place.

"It's not just two riders. There's two other clear riders and Vingegaard and Geraint who could shake it up."

What is your view on Patrick Lefevere not taking Mark Cavendish to the Tour de France?

"Patrick knows what he's doing doesn’t. I think from a personal point of view, it's a real shame that Cav’s not there. Aside from the performance aspect, because we haven't got the argument where we can sit here and say if we're all honest Cav shouldn't go to the Tour because of what happened last year. 

"Any other team would be crazy not to take him because he just won a stage in Giro. I do find it hard, aside from the personal relationship I have with him, if I look at it purely from a performance point of view, why you wouldn't take Mark from a sponsor presence, the impact he has on other riders around him within the team, the fact that he won four stages last year and the Green Jersey. Why wouldn't you take the defending Green Jersey back to the Tour de France? 

"I can't see anyone else in that team that would merit going ahead of him personally. But hey it's a strange thing. I think a lot of people, certainly in this country that aren't avid followers of cycling all year round, but watch the Tour de France, will find it hard to believe that Mark Cavendish isn't there after the success he had last year."

Who is the main underdog for the general classification?

"Ben O'Connor, potentially, but it's so difficult. I would say if anything, Geraint Thomas is probably the underdog. With the greatest respect to Geraint, he's 36 now. He's coming back from a couple of injuries, maybe there’s a little bit of an element of challenging him for his status within the team as a leader the last couple of years with Carapaz and Egan Bernal. 

"It's amazing to see Thomas come back year after year with all the injuries he's had and sustained and still get himself into form for the Tour de France. I think even though he's finished first and second, in the past, I think there's an element of him, which is he's the underdog. He's in a great position now where he can bounce off the other riders and profit from maybe a little bit of cat and mouse between Jumbo-Visma and UAE." 

Can anyone stop Filippo Ganna in the individual time trials?

"He's got a great chance of winning whenever he lines up in a time trial he's the favourite, isn't he? He gets stronger and stronger each year. He's the world champion. He's Olympic champion now. Who would bet against him winning that time trial?"

Are Jumbo-Visma the strongest team?

"There's an element of fear amongst everyone, when you've got the names like Wout Van Aert, Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard.

"They will not know what their plan is or what they're planning on doing. I think that's what's good about it, who's going to be the leader and things like that. Wout van Aert too – when you put him up against Roglic and Vengegaard, the strength in depth that they have, there's a fear factor attached to that for other teams."

How will the first stages in Denmark affect the race and what do you think about them visiting Denmark?

"I think it could really shake things up for the first few days of the Tour like when the Tour came to the UK in 2014. I think I think the crowds are going to be exceptional and on par with what it was like in Yorkshire when the race came.

"I think it's better than your standard start in France, where France are used to the Tour de France coming to town for the day - you get a lot of crowds and stuff, but it feels like the Tour de France. Whereas going to another country like the UK, or this time in Copenhagen with a couple of stages that are there, including a time trial which is a decent length.

"I think it's going to give us a clear indicator straight away, much like it did in Yorkshire in 2014, when Nibali won the stage, of who's going to contend this Tour de France so it’s straight off and everyone has to be ready from the start.

"There's no easing into the race. Everyone's going to be very nervous. I think it's going to be a very, very hard start to the Tour. Then of course they've got a bit of a travel. It's a different type of start. Whereas we've got a rest day a couple of days in, I think, if I'm right, I'm really looking at the route other than the first few stages, so never do really, I never did as a rider. So it's going to be great. I can't wait for it."

It’s the 10th anniversary of your Tour de France win. Have you got any plans to commemorate that?

"No, I don't think so. It's not something that I want to kind of keep remembering every anniversary date. I'm amazed it's 10 years. It’s gone so quick. So much has happened in that time. But I think it's quite nice I'm in the position I'm in today really 10 years on which I'm grateful for."