MORZINE-AVORIAZ, France – Bradley Wiggins said he will have a better idea of his Tour de France podium chances by the end of the ninth stage over the legendary Col de la Madeleine.

Wiggins finished an impressive fourth overall in Paris in 2009, awakening the sport to his capabilities as a Grand Tour racer after years of excelling on the track as a pursuit specialist.

A year later and after eight stages including two in the mountains, Wiggins sits 14th overall at 2min 45sec behind race leader Cadel Evans of Australia.

Wiggins was arguably one of the victims of the first day at high altitude Sunday when the first big selection among the yellow jersey contenders, leaving Lance Armstrong virtually out the race, was made.

The Team Sky leader managed to stay with most of the contenders throughout the day as Spaniard Alberto Contador’s Astana team imposed a punishing pace up front.

The elastic finally snapped six kilometres from the finish, but despite losing 1:45 to stage winner Andy Schleck, and 1:35 to a group containing all his other rivals, Wiggins remains upbeat.

“It wasn’t a bad day and it wasn’t a great day. It was just in the middle, and if we keep having those middle days we’re going to be in the ball park in Paris, somewhere in the GC (general classification),” Wiggins said on the rest day Monday.

His strategy from now on will simply be to keep pace on the climbs for as long as possible. On Tuesday, Wiggins is hoping for a further selection to be made even before the peloton reaches the foot of the 25.5km to the summit of the Madeleine, whose summit is 32 km from the finish line.

“Physically, I’m fine and ready to go again tomorrow,” he added.

“It (Madeleine) is a proper Alpine climb, it’s one of the tougher ones. Even the ones (climbs) before it means it add up to a real day (of climbing).

“It’s more of a traditional mountain stage, whereas yesterday (Sunday) there was just the two climbs and the peloton arriving en mass at the foot of the Ramaz (climb), which causes extra problems like crashes.

“Tomorrow it should have whittled down by the time we hit the Madeleine. The tougher the better really, at least you know where you stand.

“After tomorrow we’ll know who that select group is.”

Wiggins believes the time gaps at the end of the race in Paris will be in minutes, and not seconds.

And while he seems virtually out of contention now, he is hoping to last throughout the third week which includes four tough days in the Pyrenees and a long time trial on the penultimate stage.

“I’m not going to lie to you. It (deficit) is not fantastic, but what can I do — go home, or stay here and battle for the next two weeks and see what happens?

“(I want to) just get the best out of myself every day, and we’ll see in Paris.

“The Pyrenees is where the race is going to be won and lost. If the time gap is still 2:45 in Paris, then we’re going to be on the podium.”

Article: Justin Davis (AFP)