British cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins (Sky), winner of the 2012 Tour de France, is currently training in Mallorca. According to the online portal Cyclingnews.com , he pointed out during his training camp that only a handful of Tour de France winners in the past were clean. "There aren't many Tour winners ," said Wiggins, "who don't have a doping history. You can count them on one hand."
"It's a small circle and as a member you have a responsibility to get this message across to people."
In fact, Wiggins might be right about that. Especially in the recent past, the winners of the Tour de France have been associated with doping or even convicted. The most famous case is that of Lance Armstrong. In the course of the USADA investigation, he was stripped of all seven victories. The final admission last year has resulted in Wiggins' children being attacked at school - even though the Brit is considered one of the few clean Tour winners. "It's a small circle and as a member you have a responsibility to get this message across to people. As a credible winner, with no negative story, no skeletons in the closet, you inspire people.”
2013 was a bad year for Wiggins. He had to end his season goal, the Giro d'Italia, early due to knee problems. After that, he skipped the Tour de France as the defending champion. This year it should be different. However, he would like to put himself at the service of Chris Froome. He initially named Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of California as his own goals.