Wiggins: I might never ride Tour again

"For me it was always about winning the Tour," he told the Guardian. "I've done that.

"If I'm honest I don't think I'm prepared to make those sacrifices again that I made last year, with my family and so on. I've achieved what I've achieved. I'm incredibly happy with that."

Wiggins accepted that Sky team mate Chris Froome, a favourite to win in his absence this year, could be the team's Tour leader for some time to come.

"Chris has really stepped up, he's delivered now and he looks like he's really going to be there for a few years to win a few Tours maybe," said the four times Olympic champion.

"There has been a natural selection this year through Chris's performances and my performances that he warrants being the team leader; and if he wins the Tour, that continues through to next year. I can live with that."

The 33-year-old said his children were growing up, he wanted to spend more time with his family and he had other goals to achieve.

"If I do anything else after this it will be stuff I want to do, stuff that I'm willing to train hard and sacrifice for really," he said.

"I've always had other goals and there are other things I'd like to try and do."

Wiggins expected to return to racing at the Tour of Poland in July before an event in Colorado and then September's Tour of Britain and the world time trial championships in Italy.

"That's a race I've always wanted to do well in," he said of the British race. "It's getting bigger every year and in terms of profile in this country it's a nice thing to do well in."