Cycling: Wiggins Has the Pace to Win Tour Prologue

Britain's Bradley Wiggins confirmed he is in the form of his life going into tomorrow's Tour de France prologue when he let slip yesterday that he had been within an ace of smashing his own British 10-mile time-trial record on Tuesday but had turned down the chance by stopping after five miles, the prologue distance.

Wiggins was riding an informal 10-mile event on the Rainford course near his home in Lancashire. "I was on 17min 30sec pace and in England that's a fast time." His record stands at 17min 50sec.

Chris Boardman rode on the same course as a dress rehearsal for his attempts on the Tour prologue in the 1990s, and Wiggins was inside his times. More tellingly he was potentially over a minute faster than he had been before last year's Tour prologue, in which he finished 16th.

Security for the Tour de France has been reviewed by Scotland Yard after the attempted terror attacks in London and the car bomb at Glasgow airport.

With more than 2.5m people expected to attend tomorrow's prologue in central London and Sunday's first stage between the capital and Kent, the Metropolitan Police has admitted it faces a huge challenge in the current security climate. More than 4,500 officers from the Met will be on duty over the weekend, bolstered by British Transport police and the City of London force, and 1,800 officers from Kent.

Senior officers admit the Met will be stretched this weekend: the Tour coincides with finals weekend at Wimbledon and the Live 8 concert at Wembley. The second anniversary of the July 7 bomb attacks on the London transport system has also heightened security concerns.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "We have thoroughly reviewed the policing plans for all events over the coming days, including the Tour de France, to ensure that they are fit for purpose. An appropriate policing plan will be in place."

Elsewhere, the US Anti-Doping Agency is likely to announce its verdict today on Floyd Landis, the 2006 Tour de France winner who tested positive for testosterone in last year's race. Whatever the outcome, it is likely that the verdict will be followed by an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, either by Landis if the positive test is upheld or by the International Cycling Union.

Landis's fellow American and predecessor in the yellow jersey, Lance Armstrong, said yesterday that he felt that his former team-mate would be found guilty, even though in Armstrong's view he was clean. "Common sense says that [Landis] will lose, because the Usada has never lost a doping case. The system is directed against the athletes. Sadly for Floyd I don't think he can win."