SIr Bradley Wiggins on the yellow jersey favourite, Primoz Roglic

“As an individual aside from the team he’s got, the way he’s riding, he’s always near the front. He’s very poker faced. His background is obviously coming from a sport where you need balls of steel in ski jumping. This is his fourth Grand Tour now where he’s going for the win or a podium.

On Team INEOS Grenadiers

“On INEOS, the loss of Nico Portal, it’s the first year they’ve been without Nico. He’s almost irreplicable in some ways. He was a very friendly warm person. Very clear on his decisions and he knew France like the back of his hand. If there’s anyone in the sport and in that team that’s irreplicable I think it would be him.

"Also Rod Ellingworth who went a little bit unnoticed in leaving the team last year. Two big losses and two major players in the organisation of that Tour de France team (last year). Rod wasn’t at that Tour de France as he’d already left and there were signs that even with Geraint Thomas in the team, where they didn’t look like the old Sky train. They have to start trying to win the Tour in a different way. Two major players – it’s clearly had an impact on that team."

Eurosport and GCN’s Orla Chennaoui speaking exclusively with Rod Ellingworth, team principal at Team Bahrain–McLaren 

It’s the first time you’ve been with a team pursuing the GC with a team that’s not Sky or INEOS. What’s that been for you?

“Quite different. I’m enjoying the challenge to be honest. Personally, it was a good opportunity for me to move on. I’m really enjoying the challenge. We’ve had a few ups and downs during the off-season but we got through it OK and I couldn’t be prouder of the group we’ve brought into the race.”

Do INEOS Grenadiers have the same status in the peloton they have with the team at this Tour de France?

“I think obviously it’s changed and they perhaps don’t have the same experience they would have with Froome or Geraint but they’ve got a lot of depth right at the centre of the team. They can swap people in and out and have a little bit more variation of riders of rider to be able to do that. People now aren’t saying look at how INEOS are riding they’re saying look at how Visma are riding. They are teams that can get up to that level now and provide they can be successful.  

Who is the team to be beaten at this Tour de France?

“I think INEOS, definitely. You’d be crazy to underestimate the strength that they do have but I really do feel we’ve got a race on our hands and we’re in the mix. We’ve come here with Mikel [Landa] clearly to try and win this race. Mikel is one of the best climbers in the world and he always comes good at the end of a Tour. This race will be played out in the final week.

Do you have a time limit at Bahrain–McLaren to win a Tour?

“I don’t see why we can’t win within the next three years. It’s all about getting the right team in the line in the right condition and it’s all to play for really.”

Listen to the episode in full here.