Team Sky have confirmed that Chris Froome will lead the team’s title defense at the Tour de France ahead of defending champion Sir Bradley Wiggins.
After Froome’s early season wins at the Tour of Oman, Criterium International, and the Tour de Romandie, Team Sky principal Sir David John Brailsford told that the decision to pick last year’s runner-up over Wiggins was “evidence-based.”
“Given Chris’s step-up in performances this year, our plan, as it has been since January, is to have him lead the Tour de France team.”
After the announcement of a Tour de France light on time trials, Wiggins chose to target the Giro d’Italia instead, where he currently sits in second after two stages. But ahead of the race, he caused controversy by . “The Tour de France is my focus, it’s just that I’m doing the Giro before.”
Despite Brailsford’s assurances otherwise, fans continue to speculate that Wiggins is racing the Giro d’Italia as training before making a run at the Tour de France. In recent years, riders like Lance Armstrong and Cadel Evans have used the ahead of their main targets. With a poor start to his season, Wiggins may be hoping the Giro d’Italia brings back his 2012 form.