BRADLEY WIGGINS believes Mark Cavendish’s possible arrival at Team Sky would boost his own hopes of Tour de France success.
Wiggins yesterday suggested that had he been riding in the same team as Cavendish he might have avoided the mid-peloton crash which saw him suffer a broken collarbone and end his participation in the Tour during the first week of last month’s race.
Cavendish’s HTC-Highroad team are to disband at the end of the season, with the Manxman expected to announce his future in the coming weeks and Team Sky favourites to secure his signature.
Wiggins, who was also confirmed as Team Sky leader for the Vuelta a Espana, which begins on Saturday, said: “I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on the Tour de France and things I could’ve done better. You’re so conscious of not crashing and staying out of trouble that you end up being right at the heart of it. If Mark Cavendish ends up coming to Sky, I think that will probably be the best thing for next year’s GC (general classification).
“They tend to ride on the front (of the peloton) for most of the first week and you get a bit of a free ride sitting on the front for most of those stages when all of the crashes are happening behind.
“It could be the best thing that ever happened.”
Cavendish is also set to ride in the three-week Vuelta, which begins in Benidorm this weekend.
