Asked after the eighth stage of the race for his reaction to those on Twitter who accuse him of doping, Wiggins first bristled and then exploded. 

"I say they're just f*****g w*****s," he said.

"I cannot be doing with people like that.

"It justifies their own bone-idleness because they can't ever imagine applying themselves to do anything in their lives.

"It's easy for them to sit under a pseudonym on Twitter and write that sort of s**t, rather than get off their a***s in their own lives and apply themselves and work hard at something and achieve something.

"And that's ultimately it. C***s." 

Wiggins faced similar accusations after he finished fourth in the race in 2009 despite having always been an outspoken critic against those who have tested positive for drugs.

After those accusations he put his blood values from the UCI's biological passport programme – hailed as the most sophisticated anti-doping system – online to prove his point. 

At the bike, at least, Wiggins remained in control after seeing his race lead come under attack for the first time.

Frenchman Thibaut Pinot of FDJ won the stage, which finished in Porrentruy, his maiden win on what is his debut, after 157.5 kilometres of racing over several short but steep climbs in the Swiss Jura that exacted a toll on the peloton.


Australia's defending champion Cadel Evans (pictured above) finished second at 26 seconds, the leading home a select group after a failed attempt to shake off Wiggins on the way to the last summit and on the 16km descent to the finish.

Wiggins, spending his first day in the yellow jersey after his third place finish yesterday at La Planche des Belles Filles, retained his 10 second lead on second placed Evans.

Earlier in the stage Spain's Olympic road race champion Samuel Sanchez crashed, suffering shoulder and hand injuries that could rule him out of the London Olympics later this month.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
July 2012: Wiggins claims yellow jersey in Tour de France