Sir Bradley Wiggins insists he is relishing the challenge of leading Team Sky at the Tour of Britain as he prepares for the UCI Road World Championships in Tuscany.
Wiggins, who the Tour de France and Olympic time trial gold in a glorious 2012, heads up a six-man Team Sky squad and is one of three British riders included.
Ian Stannard and Josh Edmondson are the other two Brits in the squad with Bernhard Eisel, Mathew Hayman and David Lopez completing Team Sky’s line up.
The eight-stage Tour of Britain begins in Scotland in Peebles on September 15 and heads south before an iconic finish in the heart of London a week later.
Wiggins has suffered with both a chest infection and a knee injury this year, pulling out of the Giro d’Italia and opting not to defend his Tour de France title.
However he is looking for a positive outing during Team Sky’s home tour with the World Championship time trial later this month in Italy in mind.
"I'm really looking forward to the Tour of Britain; it's a race I’m fond of and it’s nice to see it growing in stature each year,” said Wiggins.
"The crowds and the roads make it special and it’s always very humbling to see the fantastic support that we get from the public.
"I’m coming into the race feeling really good. It finishes in close proximity to the world time trial championships which is my main late-season goal.
"The Tour of Britain is always a tough event and I’m looking forward to getting started."
© Sportsbeat 2013