Sir Bradley Wiggins on being 'arrested' at the 2007 Tour de France

“We got kicked out, well Cofidis pulled us out as one of our teammates, Christian Moreni, tested positive for testosterone. The next day Cofidis decided to take us out because they didn’t think it was right. We were [arrested] and taken back to the Gendarmerie. Me and Sylvan Chavanel were in a car with sirens going.

“And when we got to the hotel all the world’s media were there and we had to walk into the hotel with the cops. It was all quite funny, that was all just for show. When we got to the police station, we all got into the team car and just went back to the hotel – it was all just for show, just for TV, all part of the cinema.

“We left the Tour the next day. We were in the same hotel as David Millar, and I was just ashamed to wear the Cofidis jersey, I took it personally like I did with everything in those days. I threw all my Cofidis clothes in the bin and I borrowed a t-shirt from David Millar to travel home in. It was a Saunier Duval one which probably wasn’t much better looking back.”

Wiggins on the first time he wore the yellow jersey:

"It’s an amazing feeling just to wear the yellow jersey for one day in the Tour. You’ve got it forever. It’s synonymous with cycling and you can always say you’ve worn yellow on the Tour. It’s the only thing that’s treated like a victory although you may not have won the stage in order to take it. But you’ve led the race, you’ve led the race for one day and that’s an incredible thing.

"I remember watching Sean Yates win in 1994, he was in that breakaway into Rennes. He took yellow by one second. I’ll never forget that, I was fourteen watching it. So to emulate him, with him as my DS (directeur sportif) when I took it all those years later, eighteen years on, was amazing."

Wiggins on Adam Yates taking the yellow jersey:

"I wouldn’t call this luck. Adam will want to take it of his own accord and if you’d have asked him at the finish of stage five: “we’re planning on giving (Julian) Alaphilippe a time penalty and you’re going to take the jersey.” I’m sure he would have said ‘no’."

Wiggins on Alaphilippe possible ‘deliberate’ error:

"I wouldn’t put it past the team. You never know really but I would have always asked a teammate for a bottle. Even taking the bottle at that speed was dangerous really. Who knows."

Wiggins on Deceuninck–Quick-Step:

"Deceuninck–Quick-Step will be pleased to not have the Yellow Jersey. They’ve had to work pretty hard since the start of this race and now they’ve got Green as well so there’s a really good opportunity for them to win the Green Jersey in Paris. How much effort do they donate now to Sam (Bennett)? They’re such a strong team, they can play at everything. Julian (Alaphilippe), we may see him back in yellow after stage six tomorrow, who knows."

Wiggins on Alaphilippe chances going forward:

"I think he [Alaphilippe] has got a great chance of being back in yellow. Now he’s not in yellow I think he’ll be targeting stage wins again. He’s a racer, he’s not someone that’s going to sit back and target the GC in three weeks’ time. He’ll be targeting stage wins now and in doing so put himself back in yellow or very close, and he’ll race like that all the way to Paris.

"I can’t see him playing a defensive role now and hoping to take the jersey in the last week, he’s going to go back out on the offensive now."