Bradley Wiggins wins Tour de France 2012

Bradley Wiggins has become the first British rider to scoop the Tour de France title, as fellow Brit Mark Cavendish claimed his fourth consecutive victory of the final stage.

The 32-year-old finished in the chasing peloton but won the overall competition by 3 minutes and 21 seconds.

Bradley Wiggins has become the first British rider to scoop the Tour de France title, as fellow Brit Mark Cavendish claimed his fourth consecutive victory of the final stage.

The 32-year-old finished in the chasing peloton but won the overall competition by 3 minutes and 21 seconds.

Fellow British rider and Sky team-mate of Wiggins, Chris Froome took second place in the event with Italy’s Vincezo Nibali claiming third.

Critics have claimed that Wiggins’ victory puts him alongside Steve Redgrave, Daley Thompson and Chris Hoy in the public sporting consciousness.

“I don’t know what to say, I’ve had 24 hours for it to soak in,” he said.

“I’m still buzzing from the Champs Elysees, the laps go so quick. We had a mission with Cav and we did it. What a way to finish it off.”

Cavendish cruised to his fourth successive victory of the final stage, the Champs Elysees, placing him fourth on the table of all time stage victories.

French rider Thomas Voeckler won the polka dot jersey for the race’s best climber, with Peter Sagan securing the green jersey in the points competition.

Team Sky themselves achieved a rare feat by claiming 1 and 2 on the podium, the first time this has been done since 1996.

It was also the first time that two riders of the same nationality took the first two places since France’s Laurent Fignon finished ahead of Bernard Hinault in 1984.

Wiggins now turns his attention to the London Olympic games where he aims to take gold in the men’s road race and the individual time trial.