Wiggins remains confident

Bradley Wiggins hopes to carry his Tour de France-winning form into the London 2012 time-trial as he seeks a fourth Olympic cycling gold and a British record seventh Games medal.

The 32-year-old became the first British winner of the Tour's yellow jersey, the victory owing much to his proficiency against the clock as he won the stage nine and stage 19 time-trials by significant margins.

Wiggins does not believe the Tour or Saturday's 250-kilometre road race, in which he worked tirelessly and fruitlessly in support of Mark Cavendish, will have an impact on his individual bid to overtake Sir Steve Redgrave as the British Olympian with the most medals.

"The Tour is such a good boot camp for this," said Wiggins ahead of the 44km test, where he will be seeking to become the first man to win the Tour and Olympic gold in the same year.

Wiggins, whose first assessment of the 44km Hampton Court route took place yesterday, believes his 53.5km stage 19 win in Chartres, which all-but confirmed his Tour triumph, was the best performance against the clock of his career.

"The benchmark is there from Chartres," he added. "Nothing is going to change from that performance. I have 100% faith in the training Tim (Kerrison, coach) has set me.

"My performances have been so consistent all year and I've no reason to think that is going to change."

Wiggins enhanced his hold on the maillot jaune with victory on stage nine, a 41.5km race against the clock, by 35 seconds from fellow Briton Chris Froome.

Froome was again second in Chartres, by a considerable margin of 1min 16secs, but should be in medal contention with Wiggins.

Defending Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland and world champion Tony Martin of Germany had departed the Tour by that stage, but were handsomely beaten in Besancon earlier in the race.

Cancellara crashed during the opening day's road race and will ride through the pain barrier, while Martin withdrew from the Tour with a wrist injury which he is still nursing.

Wiggins, who was second to Martin in Copenhagen last September, is unconcerned about his rivals, though.

The three-time Olympic track champion said: "The main thing is that I am on track and that is really all that matters. "I'll just go out there and do the performance - I have done so well all year in time-trials - and see if you are good enough on the day. I can't predict what they are going to do."