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According to Portuguese press, Sky’s Bradley Wiggins will be taking part in the 2012 Tour of the Algarve between February 25 and 19, an event which will clash with the London round of the World Cup.
Clearly, Wiggins would not be able to compete in both events, and the Portuguese fixture would rule him out of the Tour of Oman on Feb 14-19 as well.
Wiggins is the first top name to be listed by the race's organisation as participating, but Sky have yet to confirm he will be taking part.
Confirmation would seem to suggest that Wiggins may ride the road race and time trial events in the London 2012 Olympic Games, rather than defending his Olympic titles on the track.
The five-day Tour of the Algarve, which usually includes a final time trial and a tough uphill finish, has been used as a first race of the season by many Tour de France contenders in the past.
Last February, Alberto Contador and Tony Martin made their debuts there, with Contador winning it outright in 2009 and 2010, and Martin this year.
So far, five World Tour teams have been confirmed for the Portuguese race: Sky, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, RadioShack-Nissan, Vancansoleil and Lotto. Another 11 teams, including four local squads, are expected to take part.
