Wiggins left out of Froome’s Sky team for Tour de France

As he predicted earlier this month, former Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins has been left out of Team Sky's squad for this year's event as rival Chris Froome attempts to defend his title.

Wiggins will now join England's track and road race squads for the Commonwealth Games, which begin on 23 July, five days before the end of Le Tour.

"It was a very tough decision. Bradley's been a great champion," said Sky team principle Dave Brailsford. But he hinted at the reason for Wiggins' exclusion when he added: "We know how hard it is to win this race and that it takes a totally focused and carefully constructed team, with the right blend of riders, to give us the best chance of victory. Each rider has been selected to play a specific role which will involve total sacrifice and commitment to the team's ambition of reaching the Champs Elysees in yellow."

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Wiggins and Froome fell out during the 2012 Tour, when Froome was forced to act as support rider for Wiggins. The following year Froome won the race in the absence of an injured Wiggins and has established himself as Sky's lead rider, with Australian Richie Porte his deputy.

The team for this year's race, which starts in Leeds next week, has been built around Froome says The Times, which adds that Wiggins's absence is no surprise after he was "marginalised" within the Sky set up.

"His future on the road after this season remains unclear. He is in the final year of his contract with Team Sky and has said that, if he wants to ride the Tour again, he may have to search for new employers."

Sky's team of nine riders for this year's tour also reflects Sky's "gradual evolution away from their British roots", says The Guardian. Apart from Kenyan-born Froome, Geraint Thomas is the only UK cyclist in the team.

Wiggins, who said earlier this month that he did not expect to be selected for the Tour did not seem fazed by the news, and posted a picture of himself eating a McDonalds on Instagram.