Wiggins strikes psychological blow on Tour's opening day (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Wiggins strikes psychological blow on Tour's opening day

4:40pm Saturday 30th June 2012 in Opinion By Bob Hart, Web editor

Is there anything more tense for cycling fans than watching a Tour de France time trial?

But now that the tension is over, the day couldn't have gone much better for Lancashire's Bradley Wiggins.

The Team Sky rider's second place in today's prologue time trial puts him in a perfect position for the rest of the race.

It means the team won't have the pressure of defending the yellow jersey in the first week of the race; but at the same time he's struck a major psychological blow against his main rival, defending champion Cadel Evans.

Not only that, it means he's likely to ride the next, much longer, individual TT in the special aerodynamic skinsuit developed by his team - avoiding having to use the less scientific yellow garment the race organisation will give the race leader.

The most impressive thing about Wiggins' ride today was the way he wound up the pace over the second part of the course.

Six seconds adrift at half way, he picked up speed massively as he approached the finish.

That's the sort of mental discipline that will win him the Tour.

But the real hero of today is stage winner Fabian Cancellara.

The Swiss rider has recovered from a broken collarbone to demolish the rest of the field today.

Great to see him in yellow again.

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