Wiggins happy Froome is Sky team-mate and not rival

Bradley Wiggins has admitted Team Sky colleague Chris Froome would be his biggest rival for Tour de France glory – if the Britons were on rival teams.

After an eighth day in the race leader’s yellow jersey was successfully negotiated, Wiggins faces five more to determine if he can become the first British winner of the Tour, in the 99th edition of the race.

Following the 158.5-kilometre 15th stage from Samatan to Pau, won by Pierrick Fedrigo (FDJ-Bigmat), Froome was two minutes five seconds behind, with Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) 2mins 23secs adrift in third and defending champion Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) 3:19 behind in fourth.

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There has been much comment and speculation over Team Sky’s tactics since Froome attacked on stage 11 to La Toussuire and Wiggins did not – or could not – go with him.

When questioned, Wiggins gave short shrift to the interrogator who suggested Froome could be his main challenger.

Wiggins said: “We’re first and second on GC (the general classification). It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work that out.

“He’s my team-mate. We’ll keep it like that.”

The Tour resumes following today’s second rest day with tomorrow’s 197-kilometre 16th stage from Pau to Bagners-de-Luchon, which is the first of two days in the Pyrenean mountains.

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Some believe Froome, who finished second to Wiggins’s third at the 2011 Vuelta a Espana, is the superior climber and should be Team Sky’s leader.

The Kenya-born Brit, meanwhile, expressed a wish to be backed by Team Sky in 2013 if the Tour route is mountainous, as expected.

Froome yesterday insisted comments in the same L’Equipe article – suggesting he could win this Tour, but not with Team Sky – were misinterpreted and he remains fully committed in his support of Wiggins. Froome said: “There were a lot of things taken out of context there.

“There’s no bad blood in the team. We’re still here with the same goal.”

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Wiggins knows his place on the top of the podium on Sunday is not yet secure and Saturday’s penultimate-day 53.5km time-trial to Chartres will also be important.

With or without the yellow jersey on his back, Wiggins will forego the usual Paris party and return to the UK on Sunday to prepare for the London 2012 Olympics, where he is set to ride in the opening day’s road race and the time-trial on day five.

World champion Mark Cavendish will be Britain’s leader on July 28 and he yesterday received positive news on his bid for Olympic gold.

Norway’s Thor Hushovd has been ruled out of the Olympics and Tom Boonen of Belgium withdrew from the Tour of Poland due to injury, leaving his participation in doubt.

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