A look inside Team Wiggins Swift motorhome

Sir Bradley Wiggins opened the doors of his bespoke Swift motorhome to MMM magazine as he was about to start racing in the Tour de Yorkshire, the cycling event that sprung up following the successful Tour de France visit to the county in 2014.

The three-day event, which started in Beverley in East Yorkshire on April 29, saw Team Wiggins race through the county using a bespoke Swift Kon-Tiki as a support vehicle.

Sir Bradley, or Wiggo as he has been affectionately nicknamed, took time out to speak to MMM just minutes from starting the race with his teammates on a very cold and wet April morning to explain what a difference the team’s top of the range Swift twin-axle Kon-Tiki has made.

“We use it for everything. We get our food cooked in it, especially when the food in the hotels is no good,” he said. “The guys clean off at the end of the race - there’s a full shower in there. We get changed in there and even have a massage. It’s a fully functional motorhome with everything we need.”

To cope with the wear and tear that 20 professional cyclists and their support staff could cause to the fabrics, the seating has been re-upholstered in dark leather. In addition, there is an auto-tracking satellite TV system installed to allow the team to follow race footage. Generators have also been fitted in external lockers.

Bradley is no stranger to motorhome life – he owns a unique Mercedes-based campervan built for him last year by McClaren Sporthomes. “That’s my personal campervan. I use it to take the kids out mountain biking. It’s for touring and travelling in. That’s my personal one; the Swift is the team one.”

The Kon-Tiki, which is fully liveried in the team’s colours – even the awning has been digitally printed with the Team Wiggins’ logo to match the rest of the vehicle – is the second Swift motorhome to become a support vehicle for the team. The first is a smaller Escape 686 model that was given to the team last year and which is still in use. It is also liveried in full team colours.

MMM managed to get into the Kon-Tiki 649, which has a twin lounge layout making it perfect for large numbers to sit and eat in comfort, just as the team was preparing to race.

When we got in it was very warn thanks to its habitation air-con system that was fitted at the team’s request. It’s just what the team needs on such a cold morning, said the Joe Woodward from Team Wiggins. “It gives the team – and sometimes we have up to eight blokes in here – a secure, quiet and warm place to relax in. There is normally music playing and we have the heater on full on a morning like this. It’s a great asset.”

The motorhome, which is used as a support vehicle but isn’t used by the riders to sleep in as an alternative to sleeping in hotels, has had some modifications made to make it suitable for the specific needs of a major cycling team.

For example, Swift has added extra fridges to this Kon-Tiki and the smaller Swift Escape, As expected, the team riders have a strict diet when they’re competing and so often David Dunne, the team’s nutritionist, will cook and prepare their meals in the motorhome and this is where they will dine straight after a race.

“We take this all round Britain and Europe,” explains Joe. “On race day, sometimes there are long transfers and long waits and this is the perfect place for the team to relax in. They use it as a dressing room and we have our team meetings in here, including the pre-race meeting, which we’re just about to have,” he says as he guides us back out of the motorhome to allow ‘Wiggo’ and the rest of the team into the warm while we wait out in the cold!

All images courtesy of the Swift Group