Wiggins' special yellow Tour de France time trial skinsuit

Bradley Wiggins, Tour de France 2012, stage nine

Bradley Wiggins won his first Tour de France stage yesterday in Besançon wearing a custom skinsuit that Sky designed with the race organiser's and cycling federation's approval.



The team of marginal gains planned for the yellow kit months in advance in case Wiggins would be leading the race in one of the key time trials. "He has the right to ride in his own kit," Event Director Jean-François Pescheux told Cycling Weekly, "so did Lance Armstrong and Miguel Indurain."

Sky played down the kit yesterday after Wiggins won the time trial. Sky's Head of Business Operations, Fran Millar worked with ASO to prepare a team model. However, she was tight-lipped when approached yesterday about it, referring the questions to ASO.

Wiggins, just 24 hours earlier, failed to give any clues away. He explained that he thought he would be riding in the race issue Le Coq Sportif skinsuit instead of his usual custom Adidas model.

"To be honest, I haven't really thought about it," he said in a press conference. "I guess it's Le Coq Sportif, they made the kit, so..."

When speaking to our sister title Cycle Sport in March, he said that he hoped to be in his own Adidas skinsuit. "I'll hopefully not be in the jersey so I can wear my team skinsuit," Wiggins told said at the time. "Just a couple of seconds off the lead, hopefully behind someone who's s**t at time trialling."

Wiggins leads by 1-53 minutes over Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) after the first 41.5km time trial in which he beat the Australian by 1-43 minutes. They still have six mountain stages through the Alps and Pyrenees before the next 53.5km time trial.

The Tour organiser, ASO was less accomodating last month in the Critérium du Dauphiné. Wiggins led the race and time trialled in the obligatory race-issue yellow kit. At the time they offered him a small, medium or large kit - he selected medium. Although Wiggins won there too Team Sky pushed ahead for its own yellow kit.

"Sky asked ASO to design its own kit, respecting the logos. The problem is it is difficult to check, there can be a problem in terms of colour or with the logos incorrectly sized," ASO race official, François Lemarchand told Cycling Weekly at the Dauphine.

"They will be given all the details, maybe they will show up with a skinsuit, but it will be a last moment decision... If Sky does it, then the whole world will want to do it. Everyone has to be on the same level."

Pescheux did not say when the decision was made, indicating that the possibility had always been there since the days of Indurain.

Related links

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Tour de France 2012: Latest news

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Tour de France 2012: Teams, riders, start list

Tour 2012: Who will win?

Tour de France 2012 provisional start list

Tour de France 2012 team list

Tour de France 2012: Stage reports

Stage nine: Wiggins destroys opposition in Besancon TT

Stage eight: Pinot solos to Tour win as Wiggins fights off attacks

Stage seven: Wiggins takes yellow as Froome wins stage

Stage six: Sagan wins third Tour stage

Stage five: Greipel wins again as Cavendish fades

Stage four: Greipel wins stage after Cavendish crashes

Stage three: Sagan runs away with it in Boulogne

Stage two: Cavendish takes 21st Tour stage victory

Stage one: Sagan wins at first attempt

Prologue: Cancellara wins, Wiggins second

Tour de France 2012: Comment, analysis, blogs

Analysis: What we learned at La Planche des Belles Filles

Analysis: How much time could Wiggins gain in Tour's time trials

CW's Tour de France podcasts

Blog: Tour presentation - chasing dreams and autographs

Comment: Cavendish the climber

Tour de France 2012: Photo galleries

Stage nine by Graham Watson

Stage eight by Graham Watson

Stage seven by Graham Watson

Stage six by Graham Watson

Stage five by Graham Watson

Stage four by Graham Watson

Stage three by Graham Watson

Stage two by Andy Jones

Stage two by Graham Watson

Stage one by Graham Watson

Prologue photo gallery by Andy Jones

Prologue photo gallery by Roo Rowler

Prologue photo gallery by Graham Watson

Tour de France 2012: Team presentation

Sky and Rabobank Tour de France recce

Tour de France 2012: Live text coverage

Stage six live coverage

Stage five live coverage

Stage four live coverage

Stage three live coverage

Cycling Weekly's live text coverage schedule

Tour de France 2012: TV schedule

ITV4 live schedule

British Eurosport live schedule

Tour de France 2012: Related links

Brits in the Tours: From Robinson to Cavendish

Brief history of the Tour de France

Tour de France 2011: Cycling Weekly's coverage index

1989: The Greatest Tour de France ever

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