Giro d'Italia 2020 - Bradley Wiggins on the biggest mistakes cyclists make with time trial set-up

Updated 17/10/2020 at 12:12 GMT

Bradley Wiggins picks apart the time trial positions, set-ups and techniques of some of the leading riders at the 2020 Giro d'Italia. Loose skinsuits, poor head position, wide arms, unecessary Garmins; all get analysed by the former World and Olympic time trial champion.

British cyclist Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky

Image credit: Getty Images

Bradley Wiggins is one of the greatest time trial cyclists of all time. So when he says your time trial set-up is wrong, you listen.

Ahead of Stage 14 of the 2020 Giro d'Italia, Wiggins analysed the time trial techniques of the leading contenders in the General Classification.

Wilco Kelderman

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Bradley Wiggins analyses Wilco Kelderman

"The best one of the lot is Wilco Kelderman. Just look how flat his back is.

"You can see that his race radio is taped up in the back of his helmet, and his suit is tight with hardly any creases, very nice aero position. You can see his back because his helmet and his head are low enough."

Jakob Fuglsang

"Just look at how high his head is compared to Wilco Kelderman.

"The guys like to be in contact with the team directors behind, but his race radio has slipped down the back of his skinsuit. All that wind-tunnel testing and the slick aero back and then you go and put the radio down it.

"He’s wearing gloves but you don’t really need them, lots of creases in his skin suit, quite wide arms."

Vincenzo Nibali

"Quite experienced is Vincenzo. Very tidy set-up, but look how high his head is.

"His arms are nice and close together, but when we compare that to Kelderman when his head was really low… these sort of things make a difference over a long time trial and that showed in the first time trial."

Joao Almeida

"What a race he’s had. But you can see his race radio again just on the back, his skin suit is quite baggy with lots of creases in it.

"He’s got that praying mantis position, but you can see his Garmin there as well. All of these time trial bikes are put in the wind tunnel for a clean aerodynamic set-up and then you go and put a Garmin on it."

Filippo Ganna

"The king of the time trials is of course Filippo Ganna.

"He kind of defies all the odds really, although he does have quite a clean aero set-up.

"But what he possesses is simply raw power. At the end of the day you can have the best aerodynamic set-up in the world, but if you haven’t got the legs you’re going nowhere."