Chris Froome's yellow skinsuit is not the 'one size fits all' compromise that you might imagine.
It’s half past 11 at night on the eve of the Tour’s first time trial. A gang of small French women wheel some heavy machinery out of Team Sky’s hotel in the Rhône Valley, dragging behind a trail of thin yellow thread over the threshold of the automatic glass doors and into the dark car park.
They had been busy burning the nearly-midnight oil customising Chris Froome’s yellow skinsuit ahead of the Tour’s longest test against the clock. The same was happening at three other jersey holders’ hotels, although it’s fair to say none were taking things quite as seriously as they were here.
In a 37.5km time trial, a good skinsuit can save a rider minutes. As part of its sponsorship of the Tour’s classification jerseys, since 2014 French brand Le Coq Sportif has offered a skinsuit customisation service.
Denne historien er fra July 21,2016-utgaven av CYCLING WEEKLY.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 21,2016-utgaven av CYCLING WEEKLY.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
"We tore around the Sydney suburbs at 60kph in a terrifying, feral pack"
Fast, furious and furry tales from Australia
RIDDEN AND REVIEWED BROMPTON G LINE £2,499
A Brompton for running riot in both town and country
How do different gravel conditions impact your tyre choice?
There are a myriad of tyres on the market but selecting the right one is easier than you think
FEAST OF SWEDEN
Soon after landing in Gothenburg, I began to realise how little I knew about Sweden.
THE WORLD'S GREATEST GRAVEL EVENTS
Globe-trotting gravel racer Joe Laverick chooses his eight favourite events, from coastal Wales to the wilds of Kenya
THE CALL OF THE WILD
Tempted to embark on a long-distance bike adventure? Let former round-the-world record holder and author Julian Sayarer inspire you to strike out and hit the road
Saint Piran accused of using non-UCI legal bikes
Cornish team also alleged to owe former staff tens of thousands of pounds
JOE LAVERICK GETTING INTO THE FEED ZONE
I've ridden through hundreds of feed zones in my time racing a bike.
Lowden not ready to stop after retirement
Former Hour record holder eyes UK time trial scene
Pogačar makes history (again) at Lombardia
Slovenian makes it four in a row at the late-season Italian Monument