Paris: Bradley Wiggins is targeting Olympic gold after pedalling his way into the history books with Britain’s first ever victory in the Tour de France.
The 32-year-old Londoner surged to a memorable victory in cycling’s most prestigious event on Sunday but wasted no time in turning his attention to his challenge at his hometown Olympics.
“If I’m 100 percent honest, it’s gold or nothing in London now, really,” Wiggins declared. “That’s the way I’m treating the next nine days.
“I can’t sit here and say I’ll be happy with a silver or happy with a bronze,” he added.
Wiggins, however, still described his Tour win as the “greatest day of my sporting life.”
“Would a gold medal in London top it? It’s a separate thing. As it stands the icing is on the cake. Coming off the back of this, it would add the hundreds and thousands on top,” he said.
Meanwhile Wiggins awoke on Monday to find images of his Tour win splashed across the front pages of Britain’s press, who were unanimous in saying the cyclist now firmly belonged in the pantheon of British sporting greats.
Many said Wiggins could now expect to be honoured with a knighthood for his achievement while some reports speculated he may also now enter the frame as the man to light Olympic flame at Friday’s opening ceremony.
“Wiggo hailed UK’s greatest sportsman,” tabloid The Mirror ran across its front page.
The Times, which carried a souvenir cover celebrating the “Promenade des Anglais”, said Wiggins had “proved to be a great champion of British sport.”
It was announced on Monday that another cyclist, Sir Chris Hoy, will be Britain’s flag-bearer at the Olympics, the first cyclist to do so. (AFP)
