Brailsford not taking win for granted

Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford knows Bradley Wiggins is a long way from becoming the first British Tour de France winner, despite taking a commanding lead in the yellow jersey.

Wiggins is one minute 53 seconds ahead of second-placed Cadel Evans (BMC Racing), the defending champion, at Tuesday's first rest day. Wiggins' Team Sky colleague Chris Froome is 2mins 07secs behind in third place.

Brailsford told Press Association Sport: "It's fantastic, but we're a long way from Paris. Nothing's achieved yet. We've got some success out of the race and the performances, individual and team, have been fantastic, but we haven't achieved anything in terms of winning the race and that's what we're here to do."

He added: "If you choose the football analogy we're 1-0 up at half-time and have got all the second half to go and, of course, everything can change."

On Saturday Froome won the seventh stage as Wiggins took the maillot jaune. Froome moved into third by finishing second to Wiggins in Tuesday's stage nine time-trial as the Team Sky leader enhanced his lead.

The priority, rather than two riders in the top three, is for a British rider to win the Tour come Paris on July 22.

Brailsford added: "The key thing is: how do you win the race?

"If you start getting greedy, overly ambitious and start thinking about anything other than a Team Sky jersey winning the race that could put us on the back foot.

"We've got to stick to our game plan. Clarity is the key now. You have to consider all permutations, stay vigilant and take decisions as they happen on the road.

"It's a strong point to be starting from. I'd much prefer to be having that little conundrum than not."