Tour in July which is what we are working towards. But this is a big early-season target, it's a big race in its own right and we're here to win it," Wiggins concluded.

Tuesday's third stage cuts a vertical swath through central France with a 120-mile trek from Vierzon to the Vassiviere lake.

Wiggins expect the same type of riding to dominate tomorrow's stage.

"It's probably going to be much the same tomorrow. It will be a bit of a free-for-all, but it does help having the jersey and we can hopefully control the race a bit more. We're in a good position to do that and looking forward to the rest of the race."

The 2012 Paris-Nice ends in Nice on Sunday, March 11.