Sir Bradley Wiggins wraps up Team Sky’s first-ever Tour of Britain triumph in front of a partisan home crowd.
Sir Bradley strikes gold as Cavendish sprints to victory
Sir Bradley Wiggins wrapped up Team Sky’s first-ever Tour of Britain triumph in front of a partisan home crowd after Mark Cavendish had sealed his third stage win in London.
Wiggins was perfectly protected once again as the race culminated with 10 brisk laps of an 8.8km circuit in the nation’s capital, and after his team-mates had controlled the majority of the stage, he rolled home to roars of approval once Cavendish (Omega Pharma – Quick-Step) had outpaced Sam Bennett (AN Post Chain Reaction) and Elia Viviani (Cannondale) in a flat-out finish along Whitehall.
Team Sky had defended Wiggins’s gold jersey since the Knowsley time trial stage on Tuesday, and another commanding display saw the 2012 Tour de France winner top the general classification with a 26-second advantage over IAM Cycling’s Martin Elmiger. David Lopez meanwhile, missed out on a podium place by just five seconds after being pipped into third spot by Great Britain rider Simon Yates.
Job done
Before heading to the podium Wiggins admitted: “At the moment it’s just relief that the job’s done. From the minute you’ve won the time trial you believe you can win the GC, but it’s not over until you’ve crossed that line.
“[The lead] was only 26 seconds, so if you crash before 3km to go, and all those other little things to think about. It was a pretty hectic finish as everyone wants to win the last stage.”
After thanking his wife Cath, Wiggins also commented on the incredible support of the home crowd.
“You can’t fail to hear the crowd. It’s a bit like the Olympics. I expected it as every year the race finishes in London it’s been fantastic. It was the same today.”
Tens of thousands of supporters turned out to see the Tour reach its conclusion and were treated to flurry of early activity as riders tried to wrestle their way into the day’s main breakaway.
A six-strong faction eventually formed - and with Ángel Madrazo (Movistar) and Pete Williams (IG Sigma Sport) among their ranks - a two-way tussle quickly ensued in the battle for the intermediate sprint classification.
It appeared as though Williams had taken that jersey by winning the third intermediate sprint, but a wayward hand in the lead-out before it saw Williams docked points and the honour awarded to Madrazo.
Back in the bunch, Team Sky had kept the escapees on a tight leash, with Bernhard Eisel and Mathew Hayman both taking characteristically long turns on the front to ensure everything remained in check.
The duo only stopped pulling when IG Sigma Sport took over pace setting duties in the closing stages, and the British team rode hard to haul back a late move from Alex Dowsett (Movistar) after the breakaway had been predictably swept up.
Omega Pharma – Quick-Step then came to the fore as Wiggins’s mother Linda rang the bell to signal the final lap of action, and the Belgian team produced a textbook lead-out display which saw Alessandro Petacchi guide Cavendish into contention before the Manxman kicked on to secure his 10th Tour of Britain victory.
Sky high
On his way to the ferry, Sports Director Servais Knaven praised the efforts of everyone involved for securing one of Team Sky's most elusive race victories, and insisted Wiggins would be heading into Wednesday's World Time Trial Championships with his confidence sky high.
He told us: “The team have been brilliant all week and today it was all about finishing things off and enjoying the experience. Sprint stages are often the easiest to control, but we still had to stay focused throughout the stage and make sure we got Bradley over the line. After four attempts we have now got this victory in the bag and we’re all really happy about that.
“It’s been a really good race once again and I’ve had a great team to work with here. Everybody was motivated and we were able to control the race almost from beginning to end. The riders have executed our plans to perfection and they deserve a lot of praise.
“As for Bradley, it’s great to see him riding at his very best again and he’ll head into the World Championships now raring to take on the likes of Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara. Winning the time trial here was a big goal goal of his and he’ll continue honing his condition now before his shot at the rainbow jersey on Wednesday.”
