'Chris Froome needed to leave Ineos, but can win another Tour de France' - Bradley Wiggins
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Updated 19/08/2020 at 07:51 GMT
Bradley Wiggins says he thinks Chris Froome needed to leave Team Ineos but still believes his former team-mate can win another Tour de France.
Chris Froome
Image credit: Getty Images
In the returning episode of The Bradley Wiggins Show Podcast, Wiggins gives his verdict on the huge transfer of Froome from Ineos to Israel Start-Up Nation at the end of the season.
Wiggins is clear that his former team-mate at Team Sky needed to leave to give himself the best possible chance of winning a fifth Tour de France title.
"I knew he was thinking of changing teams," Wiggins said on the podcast. "I think he needed to, really. I just think he has got a lot more in the tank, if he wants to, more than anything.
"I just don’t put anything past him, really. He could win another Tour for me. I don’t know if he does want it [to win fifth Tour], he might say that, but by changing teams that is the biggest statement he is making that he does.
On his day he could still surpass, certainly [Egan] Bernal, and maybe Geraint [Thomas], but he has got a fifth Tour win in him and he was obviously thinking whether he was ever going to get that opportunity again at Ineos.
"By changing teams, he has probably given himself the best opportunity of winning that fifth Tour."
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Wiggins is joined in the episode by Dan Lloyd of GCN, presenter Graham Willgoss, and founder of the Black Cyclists Network Mani Arthur. And Wiggins told his guests that he feels Froome still has so much to offer despite the fact that he will be parting ways with Dave Brailsford and Ineos.
"So I think it is a good thing," Wiggins said. "I know that they don’t make decisions lightly, Chris and his team, so he will have put a lot of thought into it, and it will have been a brave move as well because there is no certainty with it.
"But I see it as such a positive thing and it really means that he is willing to go for that fifth Tour.
"I would guess that Chris won’t be at the level this year that would be good enough to win the Tour, I think it might take another year, particularly with the lack of racing.
"But who knows with Chris. I would never put anything past him. But he does fit into the [Ineos] team for me."
"I would take him, purely on what he has done for that team," Wiggins said. "I think he has been the face of that team for a number of years now, he has won four Tour de France titles.
"I don’t think you don’t take Chris Froome to that race, and if that is set out before, I think Chris would be the first to say, ‘I’ll just go in and help these guys’.
I would take Chris Froome any day of the week – he would be the first name on the teamsheet.
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