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Wiggins and Froome in Paris yesterday. Christophe Ena/AP/Press Association Images
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Wiggins targets Giro and tips Froome for Tour

“My objective will be the Giro (d’Italia),” Wiggins said at the 2013 Tour de France route presentation in the French capital.

BRADLEY WIGGINS LAST night all but admitted that he stands little chance of defending his Tour de France title as organisers unveiled a brutal, mountain-heavy course for its 100th edition.

The 32-year-old Team Sky rider this year became the first British rider to win cycling’s most celebrated race but with a drastic cut in the number of his favoured time-trials next year, he instead said he would concentrate on the Tour of Italy.

“My objective will be the Giro (d’Italia),” Wiggins said at the 2013 Tour de France route presentation in the French capital. “It’s going to be complicated for me to target the Tour but I hope Sky win the Tour with Froome and with my help.

“I wanted to win the Tour at least once but now I want to win the Giro.”

Wiggins, who followed up his Tour win with gold in the Olympic road time-trial in front of home crowds in London, was speaking after organisers said the peloton will have to negotiate four tough summit finishes on their way to Paris next year.

The route includes a gruelling stage 18 when the peloton must ride up the punishing Alpe d’Huez climb twice just four days before the Champs Elysees finish on 21 July. The route also features three consecutive mountain stages during the final week, including the penultimate stage.

“It is what it is, you know,” said Wiggins when asked about the double ascent of the giant Alpe d’Huez. “It’s the same for everybody and you’ve just got to do it but it’s going be a tough day for sure.”

– (c) AFP, 2012

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