Bradley Wiggins ended the first 24 hours of his yellow jersey run by lashing out the naysayers. In press conference following the eighth leg to Porrentruy, just over the border from France in Switzerland, he was asked about the doping cynics.

He summed it up in one word, “C***s.”

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The question, the final of around five, came via an Associated Press journalist from the press tent near the finish line. It was delivered via a video link to Wiggins, who sat in a cabin on the back of a truck in the technical zone.

Since his fourth place in the Tour de France in 2009 and throughout this last year, critics placed doubt on his performances. In light of several doping cases in cycling, Alberto Contador to Riccardo Riccò, the critics wondered if Wiggins doped as well.

Sky has dominated stage races this year. The team has helped Wiggins to wins in a never before seen triple: Paris-Nice, the Tour of Romandy and the Critérium du Dauphiné. In the Dauphiné, it had four men in a key nine-man move over a mountain pass.

As Sky conquered, cynics wrote remarks on Twitter, comparing the team to Lance Armstrong’s US Postal/Discovery Channel team. The American team dominated the Tour for seven years, but since has had several of its members linked with doping. The US Anti-Doping Agency in the last month charged Armstrong.

“There was some chatter in the Twitter-sphere about the comparison between Sky and US Postal,” said the AP journalist. “I’m wondering your reaction. And, what do you say to the cynics who say you have to be doped up to win the Tour de France?”

Wiggins, sitting behind a desk in the cabin, picked up the microphone and delivered his message nearly 100 metres away to the press tent.

“Honestly, they’re just f**king w**kers,” Wiggins said. “I cannot be dealing with people like that. [Laughs, from the press tent – ed.] It justifies their own bone-idleness because they can’t ever imagine applying themselves to anything in their lives. And it’s easy for them to sit under a pseudo-name on Twitter and write that sort of s**t rather than get off their arses in their own life and apply themselves, and work hard at something and achieve something. And that’s ultimately it.”

The translator readied to deliver the message in French, but before she could, Wiggins picked up the microphone and sent the final message to the cynics: “C**ts!”

Abruptly Wiggins left the Cabin, ready for another 24 hours in yellow.

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Stage one by Graham Watson

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Tour de France 2012: Live text coverage

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ITV4 live schedule

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