British Cycling boss questions star rider's desire after hour record
Monday 8 June 2015 12:52, UK
British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton is unsure whether Sir Bradley Wiggins will race on the track at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Sutton was trackside on Sunday at the Lee Valley VeloPark to watch Wiggins smash the UCI Hour Record, the world time-trial champion covering 54.526km to better the mark set by fellow Briton Alex Dowsett earlier this year.
Wiggins, who ended his road racing relationship with Team Sky in April after Paris-Roubaix, has formed his own team as part of his preparations for Rio, but Sutton is not 100 per cent sure of his desire to carry on training and competing for another 12 months.
He already has four Olympic gold medals, three of those on the track, with victories in the individual pursuit in Athens in 2004 and four years later in Beijing, when he was also a member of the victorious team pursuit squad.
Sutton told Sky Sports News HQ: "He's got a great coach in Heiko Salzwedel with him, and Tim Kerrison and the whole team have done a great job getting him to here, but can we get him to Rio now?
"That's the big question and it's one that we will sit down and discuss. Brad, as everyone knows, is a real family man and it was great to see his family there yesterday supporting him.
"I'm not sure whether he will be able to sit down and think, 'Is it what I really want or I just want to put myself through it because I have said I am going to do it?'
"We've got to find out where his desire is for Rio right now. For us, as a team, and a nation we all want him there so hopefully we can convince him to carry on."
Immediately after breaking the hour record, Wiggins suggested the Rio Games were still in his sights by stating that he was already looking ahead to the 2014/15 track season.
He said: "This is my end of the season now and I’ll start building again for the track programme through to the European championships and the track winter programme to the worlds in March."
