Sky’s Bradley Wiggins might have gained enough time in the Stage Nine time trial to eventually win the 2012 Tour de France.
The 32-year-old three-time track gold medalist showed that though he has learned to climb, he has not lost any ability in the time trial. The Sky team leader turned the best time of the day, beating world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara and gaining 1:53 over 2011 Tour winner Cadel Evans.
Evans delivered a decent sixth-place ride, when he needed a spectacular effort. With Wiggins able to match the BMC leader’s pace in the mountains, it was essential to Evans’ hopes to defend his title, that he not concede any time in Stage Nine.
The course favored Cadel Evans, with several hills and dips, and several tight corners. Evans, a former mountain-bike world champion with great bike-handling skills, should have gained time on the technical sections and held his own on the straights.
Instead Bradley Wiggins held his own around the corners and up the hills, and on the straighter, flatter parts, where Wiggins’ amazing efficiency could come into play, the British rider easily outperformed the rest of the fields.
Wiggins started out as a time-trial specialist after leaving track cycling, so for him, Stage Nine felt like coming home, almost.
“We’re nine days into the Tour now and there were two tough stages before today. Everyone was tired last night and you never know how you’re going to recover,” Wiggins said on the Sky website. “Time trialing’s what I do best though. I get into my zone, know exactly the routine I have to go through during the stage and I felt great today. The minute I turned the first pedal stroke on the warm-up I felt fantastic so I knew I was on a good one.”
“This is what we’ve trained for. Sean was saying to me on the radio in the last 10km—’think of all those hours, all those sacrifices you’ve made—this is what that was all for,' and that really motivated me. All the hard work during the winter, missing my children’s birthdays being on training camps and things—this is what it’s all for—these moments.”
