Fred Perry collaborator Bradley Wiggins won his place in cycling history yesterday by becoming the first British man to win Le Tour de France.

©Team Sky

Following his gold wins on the track at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Wiggins targeted his focus towards road racing. In 2009 he secured an impressive 4^th place in ‘the Tour’. The 2010 race was not so fruitful for the cyclist and in 2011 a tragic crash during stage 7 saw him careering out with a broken collarbone. However his pre-crash performance in 2011 coupled with his trio of major wins earlier this year led to him being firm favourite to take this years' maillot jaune (the winners yellow jersey), long before the race had started.

Wiggin’s performance on the bike and his commendable sportsmen like qualities have won him a legion of fans over the last few weeks; the French media have even nicknamed him ‘Le gentleman’. Wiggo and his famous ‘sideburns’ have just a few weeks to recuperate before the start of the London 2012 Olympics, where he will be partake in the road racing event.

The Bradley Wiggins & Fred Perry Collaboration is available exclusively online and in selected  Fred Perry shops.

We're excited to announce that the first pieces from the Bradley Wiggins X Fred Perry Collaboration are available online and in selected Authentic shops as of today. The launch marks the start of a 6 season collaboration with the Olympic cyclist and mod enthusiast, who also happens to be the current Tour de France leader - go Wiggo!

Wiggins is as much a perfectionist off the bike as on, and was involved in the design process of the collaboration from the very early stages. Inspired by vintage cycling jerseys of the 1960s and the heritage and style of Fred Perry, the non-technical shirts are complete with carefully considered details. The unique slim fit cotton pique shirt is finished with ‘GB tape’ around the neckline, retro metal zips, single zipped pocket to the rear hem and an especially designed 'stripe’ around the tip of the sleeves.  The jerseys are completed with Laurel Wreath embroidery to the chest and ‘locker room’ inspired Bradley Wiggins back neck labels. Available in 3 classic colour ways: white, sky blue and black.

See Bradley's first pieces for Fred Perry HERE

One of the key things that attracted us to collaborate with Bradley Wiggins, one of Britain’s greatest cyclists, is his love and appreciation of 1960s clothing and design. His sharp wit and style have won him fans on and off the tarmac. Technical skin tight fabrics in bright colours form the mainstay of a cyclist's wardrobe, however Wiggins' collection for Fred Perry characteristically references the woollen jerseys sported by the cycling legends of the 1960s.

The cycling jersey has been a mainstay of the mod wardrobe since the early 1960s. Slim fitting with a neat mock turtle neck and complete with continental allure, the merino wool tops offered a cooling alternative to the synthetic shirts widely available at the time.

In their truest form (when used in races) cycling jerseys hold great prestige, with different colour jerseys signifying a riders ranking. Perhaps the most famous and coveted jersey is the Tour de France's ‘maillot jaune’ (yellow jersey). The rider with the lowest overall time at the end of each stage receives the ceremonial yellow jersey and the right to start the next stage wearing the colour.

Wiggins is hotly tipped to be the first ever Brit to win the Tour de France this year, which starts tomorrow, the 30th of June.

The Fred Perry x Bradley Wiggins range launches instore and online mid July marking the start of a 6 season collaboration.