Wiggins: 2012 is just 'another year'

Bradley Wiggins today played down the next twelve months, insisting that 2012 is just "an hour longer' than last season.

Wiggins has his sights set on Tour de France and Olympic time trial glory but, speaking at Team Sky's Media launch in London this morning, he appeared laid back when discussing what's in store this year.

"I love that [phrase] ‘an enormous year'. It's no bigger than 12 months ago," he said.

"It's just the inclusion of a one hour time trial nine days after the Tour. So the season is an hour longer than it normally is. It's just a time trial in London - it could be a '25'."

Already a veteran of three Olympic Games, Wiggins added that his training schedule won't be dictated by the competition in London.

"It [the Olympics] doesn't change how you prepare for it. I think the road events have a more relaxed feel than the track. [For example] Chris Hoy's got to go in that arena as a defending champion; that really is intense stuff."

Laid back: Wiggins and Mark Cavendish at today's Team Sky Media launch

"Not thinking far ahead"

Replicating his preparation from 2011, Wiggins confirmed that he will recce a handful of Tour de France stages, but only as July appears on the horizon.

"I'm never thinking far ahead," he said. "I still don't see benefit of that [riding stages in advance] really.

"At this stage I'm not interested. If I show the interest I have to talk about it, and what you don't know can't hurt you.

"After Paris-Nice, if we're in the area we may go and look at a TT or whatever, and post [the Tour of] Romandy we might look at a mountain stage."

Furthermore, he believed there was something to be learnt from last year's Vuelta, in which Wiggins and team-mate Chris Froome finished on the podium despite a lack of race-specific preparation.

"We went in there blind, not knowing what to expect and then I found myself in the red jersey on Angliru asking Spanish reporters ‘what's this climb like?' and ‘what gear will I need?'."

"That's the other end of the spectrum; [that] of being unprepared. We lost the Vuelta on that climb."

Wiggins finished by saying: "There's the balance of not knowing and not worrying about it and knowing what will make the difference."

Related links

Sky confirms 2012 team line-up

Tour Down Under 2012: Cycling Weekly's coverage index