Bradley Wiggins was forced to make a tough and immediate decision yesterday in the Critérium du Dauphiné: size small or large?
"I haven't tried it," Wiggins said of the official race leader's skinsuit, "I just had an argument with the guy outside because he asked me if I wanted a size M or S."
Wiggins warmed down on his turbo trainer alone after yesterday's stage. His team-mates were at the bus on theirs, but he used his in a space team Sky set up behind the winner's podium. After the podium presentation for the yellow jersey and before heading into the race leader's press conference, he had to decide.
Le Coq Sportif sponsors the race leader's kit, which differs from Sky's usual Adidas kit. The unfamiliarity may provide for an uncomfortable 53.5-kilometre ride today from Villié-Morgon to Bourg-en-Bresse.
"I said, 'Can I take both, and try each one on, in case one...' He said, 'You can't do that.' I said, 'Well, I'll pay for the other one. How much is it? How much do you want? Can I have both skin suits just in case one don't fit me?!' He said no, so I had to choose M. We might have to get an old woman out to sew a little bit off the back or something."
He paused and added with a laugh: "There's a crisis in France".
The fit could be critical as Wiggins only leads Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) by one second. Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), who holds the World time trial title, sits only four seconds behind.
Wiggins believes the stage is just as important, if not more important than the big mountain stages this weekend.
"It's important because it's 53K and it's very rare that you get a 53K time trial. I think it's going to sort the men out from the boys tomorrow. I've got a good appetite for time trials. It's ideal for me," Wiggins said.
"I'd certainly rather have the time trial than not have it, so it's definitely the most important stage of the week. Other than the Joux-Plane stage [on Saturday], which will probably decide the race. But the time gaps could be more than the stage to Joux-Plane. So, it's very important."
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