While there was only one former Tour de France winner on the start line for the elite men's individual time trial at the Flanders Worlds, Tadej Pogačar, the next closest thing was underneath Ireland's Marcus Christie as he made his way around the course from Knokke-Heist to Bruges.
That's because back in 2016 Christie's mother saw a classified advert in Cycling Weekly for a time trial bike previously owned by Bradley Wiggins.
"Yeah, this is Wiggins' old bike, it was advertised in Cycling Weekly magazine," Christie told the same publication at the finish line in Bruges. "It's a funny story about my mum seeing it and she just spontaneously bought the bike. It's still got the Wiggo sign and still got his cranks and everything on it. It's a funny story isn't it?"
(Image credit: Future)
Christie thinks it could have been a training bike, and doesn't know if Wiggins actually raced on it. All he knows is the Brit definitely rode it.
"It’s been a while so I can’t even remember to be honest," the 30-year-old says of how much it set him back when he bought it, adding the bike has been "pretty much untouched" in terms of modification since 2016.
There was one alteration made for Flanders, however, with what looked like a blue piece of elastic attached to the right fork: "I mean, seeing as there was a cobble section on this course, the bikes not the most stable at the front," Christie explained.
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The Irishman finished a respectable 39th overall, five minutes down on Filippo Ganna's winning time.
"There was a great atmosphere out there, it's a really good course for specialists," Christie added. "I got into it quite well in the first 20 minutes and then started to suffer and maybe didn't get my absolute best out today, but I still think I need to be happy with that ride all things considered."
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Jonny was Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor until 2022.
I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.
Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).
I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.
