Olympic gold medalist Wiggins joins Team Sky

Triple Olympic gold medalist Bradley Wiggins has joined Team Sky on a four-year contract, team principal Dave Brailsford said on Thursday.

The 29-year-old Briton, who finished fourth in the Tour de France this year, joins from US team Garmin-Transitions becoming the 25th member of the newly formed team.

Wiggins, who won Olympic gold in Athens 2004 on the track before taking double gold at last year's Beijing Olympics, had voiced an interest in joining Team Sky since their formation in February.

"Brad will be at home in Team Sky. It is the perfect fit and he will be a marquee rider for us," Brailsford said in a statement.

The team, whose aim is to produce a British winner of the Tour de France within five years, are led by British cycling's performance director Brailsford, the man behind their unprecedented cycling success in Beijing.