 The 2012 Tour de France winner , Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky , had focused on the Giro d 'Italia , but retired early due to illness , subsequently pulling out because illness and injury had left him insufficient time to train for the Tour de France and chose not to ride . This left Froome , runner @-@ up in 2012 , the undisputed leader of Team Sky . He had shown his form so far in 2013 season by winning four of the five stage races he had rode : Tour of Oman , Critérium International , Tour de Romandie and Critérium du Dauphiné . Two @-@ time Tour winner ( 2007 and 2009 ) Contador returned to the race having been suspended from the 2012 race ; he had won the 2012 Vuelta a España and his best major result of the season had been second in Oman . Rodríguez had podium finishes in both the Giro and Vuelta in 2012 , as well as winning the UCI World Tour . He had top @-@ ten placings in three major stage races in the season . 
