RideLondon-Surrey Classic: Bradley Wiggins hitting road in search of capital hat-trick
Cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins is aiming to complete a hat-trick of victories on London tarmac this weekend after being named as a last-minute entrant to Sunday’s RideLondon-Surrey Classic.
Tour de France winner Wiggins has triumphed in his last two races on the capital’s roads: the 2012 Olympic Games time trial and the Tour of Britain 11 months ago.
Now he is vying to make it three in the 200km contest, which starts in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and passes through the City before finishing in the shadow of Buckingham Palace.
Wiggins returned to his track racing roots to compete last month at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he was part of England’s silver medal-winning team pursuit quartet, but is set to hit the road again for the first time since claiming the National Time Trial title in June.
The 34-year-old Team Sky rider could defend his Tour of Britain crown next month and has been tipped to mount another challenge for the time trial at the World Road Championships in Spain in late September.
He is the star attraction in Sunday’s field, which also includes 2012 road race world champion Philippe Gilbert, top sprinters Mark Renshaw and Alessandro Petacchi and fellow Englishman Scott Thwaites, who won bronze at the Commonwealth Games last week.
Lizzie Armitstead, who won gold in Glasgow, takes on her Team England colleague and defending champion Laura Trott and Dutch road race world champion Marianne Vos in tomorrow’s women’s Grand Prix, which takes place on a 1.3-mile circuit through St James’s Park before a finish on the Mall.