Tour de France: Not selling the jersey

The Sky rider became only the fifth British rider in history to wear the maillot jaune following in the footsteps of Tom Simpson, Chris Boardman, Sean Yates and David Millar. And, according to Wiggins, he intends to stay in the leader's jersey all the way to Paris even after a testy afternoon yesterday.

Speaking this weekend he said: "I know the history of this race and I feel very honoured. One year on from lying in hospital after crashing, here I am in the jersey. Going into yellow so early is not a problem, you can never be cocky and choose when you go into yellow, you must just accept it and enjoy the jersey. Just four British riders have worn it before so it's special."

But the question now is: has Wiggins played his hand too soon? No Tour winner since Bernard Hinault in 1981 has taken yellow this early. Wiggins has already stated that he believes the race to be between three men – himself, Cadel Evans and Vincenzo Nibali. Not everyone is convinced. "Honestly, Wiggins doesn't impress me," Nibali told French paper L'Equipe on Saturday. "I've had better results than him and I'm better in the mountains."

He added: "Evans is a good descender, Wiggins isn't really. Who knows what could happen if it rains one day in the mountains." Ominous words indeed.

To his credit, Wiggins is a much improved rider than he was 12 months ago when he crashed out of the Tour with a broken collarbone. This season already he has racked up some impressive wins, not least Paris-Nice, Tour de Romandie and Criterium du Dauphine.

As Wiggins proved on the tricky uphill finish into Seraing on stage one, tucking in behind Evans' wheel and tailing him all the way to the line, he has come a long way from two years ago when he would likely have faltered faced with such a challenge. Among his daily drills at his Tenerife training camp in preparation has been to replicate and respond to such an attack.

In addition there are few in the world who can currently match his time-trialling prowess as he demonstrated on the opening prologue, finishing second only to four-time world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara.

Dave Brailsford, general manager of Team Sky, has built a good unit around him as Michael Rogers and Richie Porte proved when they set a blistering pace into La Planche des Belles Filles on Saturday, with loyal lieutenant Chris Froome another huge asset. It all looks great on paper but there is more to keeping the yellow jersey than simply playing smart tactics on the road.

Perhaps the biggest logistical minefield is how Wiggins will cope with the pressure of the maillot jaune on his back, with just under two weeks to go until Paris. During the opening week he has been, to an extent, able to fly beneath the radar. When Cancellara was stepping onto the leader's podium, doing the rounds of interviews and doping controls, Wiggins was quietly retreating to the sanctuary of the Team Sky bus to clear his head and decompress away from the furore.

Now he must face an entirely different scenario. It has been said that the yellow jersey wearer's obligations can add up to just over an hour, something that, after a hard day's racing, will surely place a drain on Wiggins' resources both physically and psychologically.

With his mutton chops sideburns and Paul Weller-inspired swagger Wiggins cuts an interesting figure on the cycling scene. He's become infamous for his reticence and awkwardness in answering journalists' post-race questions. "Try and come up with some decent questions by tomorrow" he told reporters after one excruciatingly laboured press conference at the Tour de Romandie.

Will Wiggins still be in yellow as the peloton rolls up the Champs-Elysees? One can only hope.