Bradley Wiggins paid tribute to the work of his Team Sky team-mates as he ticked off another stage en route to Paris.
The Brit looked comfortable during a brutal mountainous stage 16 in the Pyrenees and, along with team-mate Chris Froome, was the only rider able to follow in the wheel of rival Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) as the Italian attacked.
Taking to the podium in Bagneres-de-Luchon on what was his tenth consecutive day in yellow, Wiggins cut a confident figure in the knowledge that another significant hurdle had been cleared on the run for home.
Yet despite his performance on the climb, Wiggins was under no illusions that it was a collective show of strength from Team Sky which once again gave him the platform to put time into many of his rivals.
“The team were brilliant from the off and we knew what we had to do,” he said. “It was just a case of doing what we’ve been doing since the start of this race which is riding together as a team. It was another tough one, and obviously there weren’t many bodies left at the end. It’s good to get that one out of the way.
“This is what we’ve trained for and that’s what we’ve prepared for. We’ve trained for the demands of this race and for the demands of what this race consisted of in the third week. I think that’s what makes us the best riders in this race. All year it’s been about this and training in this kind of heat and for these climbs. The fitness and the recovery has been a team effort.
The backroom staff - with the hydration when the stages finish and those little things all add up over the three weeks.
“(Vincenzo) Nibali was really concentrating on his podium spot today and I think he really wanted to distance Cadel (Evans) before the final time trial which he did. It was tough but it’s another day we can tick off.
“On paper tomorrow’s stage doesn’t look as hard as it was today. It’s certainly a lot shorter and there will be a lot of tired bodies out there after today. It’s a case of people recovering and who recovers best at this stage. The one thing I keep saying is that no one has it easy out there. We’re all in the same boat and we all have to do the same course and tomorrow is another day.”
The feat was made all the more impressive by the fact that the team still performed at the same high level in their third week of racing.
With only three Grand Tours all season which take the riders through 21 days of action, the peloton is showing the strain each day.
“The boys were amazing yet again,” echoed Team Sky Sports Director Sean Yates. “It’s got to the point where whatever we say isn’t doing them justice. This is no ordinary stage race. It’s the Tour de France and we are into the third week now and they have been consistently amazing.
“Everyone is hurting in the race but it panned out really well for us today. The break went without anyone really dangerous in it so we could just ride. Liquigas took it up a bit in a bid to get rid of Cadel. Then Brad and Froomey had the legs to follow Nibali when he tried to get away.
“It was probably the toughest stage of the Tour so to come through that in the manner we have done is a great achievement for the team.”
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