Sir Bradley Wiggins on Chris Froome leaving Team INEOS
I knew he was thinking of changing teams, I think he needed to really, I think he’s got a lot more in the tank, if he wants it. I don’t put anything past him, he can win another Tour, for me. I don’t know if he does want it, though, but by changing teams, that’s the biggest statement he’s made. I think, on his day, he could still surpass certainly Bernal and maybe Geraint. He’s got a fifth Tour de France in him, and he was obviously thinking whether he would ever get that opportunity again at INEOS. By changing teams, he has probably given himself the best chance to win that fifth Tour. I know they don’t make decisions lightly, Chris and his team, so he would have put a lot of thought in to it and it it’s a brave move because there is no certainty in it at all. I see it as such a positive thing, and he’s really looking to go for that fifth Tour de France.

Sir Bradley Wiggins on the leadership debate at Team INEOS
Last year, Geraint Thomas was the defending champion at the Tour de France and Bernal was allowed to shine. I think had we had the stage to Tignes completed last year, I think Bernal would have cracked and Geraint would have won the Tour that day. Now you’d have to say, because Bernal was allowed to win the Tour de France last year, with Geraint as defending champion, the same should apply the other way around this year and Bernal is not granted that automatic right to defend the race. So Geraint is open to win the race this year and I actually think Geraint will win the Tour de France this year, no question about it, I don’t think there is an argument within that team. I would guess that Chris Froome won’t be at the level this year to win the Tour de France, I think it might take another year of racing but who knows with Chris, I wouldn’t put anything past him. I do think he has a place in that team, I would take him purely based on what he has done for that team, he has been the face of that team for a number of years now. I also think Chris will be the first in there to say he’s going to help his team mates, but for me it’s a two-pronged race for INEOS between Thomas and Bernal.

Sir Bradley Wiggins on Chris Froome leaving Team INEOS
I knew he was thinking of changing teams, I think he needed to really, I think he’s got a lot more in the tank, if he wants it. I don’t put anything past him, he can win another Tour, for me. I don’t know if he does want it, though, but by changing teams, that’s the biggest statement he’s made. I think, on his day, he could still surpass certainly Bernal and maybe Geraint. He’s got a fifth Tour de France in him, and he was obviously thinking whether he would ever get that opportunity again at INEOS. By changing teams, he has probably given himself the best chance to win that fifth Tour. I know they don’t make decisions lightly, Chris and his team, so he would have put a lot of thought in to it and it it’s a brave move because there is no certainty in it at all. I see it as such a positive thing, and he’s really looking to go for that fifth Tour de France.

Sir Bradley Wiggins on the leadership debate at Team INEOS
Last year, Geraint Thomas was the defending champion at the Tour de France and Bernal was allowed to shine. I think had we had the stage to Tignes completed last year, I think Bernal would have cracked and Geraint would have won the Tour that day. Now you’d have to say, because Bernal was allowed to win the Tour de France last year, with Geraint as defending champion, the same should apply the other way around this year and Bernal is not granted that automatic right to defend the race. So Geraint is open to win the race this year and I actually think Geraint will win the Tour de France this year, no question about it, I don’t think there is an argument within that team. I would guess that Chris Froome won’t be at the level this year to win the Tour de France, I think it might take another year of racing but who knows with Chris, I wouldn’t put anything past him. I do think he has a place in that team, I would take him purely based on what he has done for that team, he has been the face of that team for a number of years now. I also think Chris will be the first in there to say he’s going to help his team mates, but for me it’s a two-pronged race for INEOS between Thomas and Bernal.

Sir Bradley Wiggins on the 2020 Strade Bianche
It was like no other Strade Bianche I’ve watched, getting your head around the fact it was being run on the 1st of August rather than in March. Riders like Greg Van Avermaet, a lot of the early season is dependent on how, as a professional rider, you can cope through the winter. Whether it was a harsh winter, whether you can stay healthy and not get ill, whether you can get through the Christmas period by ignoring your family, continuing to train and not over indulging, finishing the season in good shape, not putting too much weight on, all this means you’ll start the season in better shape. This year, it’s all been wiped away, everyone has been in the same situation, beside maybe Van Aert and a couple of other guys who maybe did a few cyclocross races at the beginning of the year to start the season, which means they probably finished racing in February rather than in October like the rest of the guys. It’s different for everyone, but Greg Van Avermaet, I imagine his last race was probably in October last year, he’s normally one that doesn’t have much of an off-season, trains through a Belgian winter, stays healthy and he’s there to start the season at Het Nieuwsblad.

Alaphilippe said at the start of the race that he didn’t want to be flying yet, that he didn’t want to be in peak condition, well he better bloody get on with it because the Tour is in four weeks’ time! I know he’s lying, it means he’s not coped with the problems we’ve been under very well, because he’s not someone who can train on his own, he’s got a lot of energy, he likes to be around people, he needs to race. The guys that can train, Bernal, G and Froome, I expect them to be in great condition when they start racing. Even in races like Flanders, guys like Geraint Thomas, coming off the Tour de France, he could win Flanders, he’s the type of rider that can win Flanders, I’d love to see him Thomas step up in those races, imagine winning the Tour de France and coming out and winning Flanders or Paris-Roubaix afterwards, I’d love to see that. If a Geraint Thomas on top form is going for Flanders or Roubaix, he’s a better rider than Van Avermaet all day, as good as Greg is, on top form he’s just better. This whole thing has probably suited Froome as well, because now he can have a straight run at the Tour de France without the risk of early season races, potential crashes and illnesses, that’s if he does the Tour de France.

The full episode of the latest The Bradley Wiggins Show podcast is available to download via iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio and eurosport.co.uk