Wiggins wins Britain’s first Tour de France

Bradley Wiggins has become the first Briton to win the Tour de France, as the 99th installment of the legendary cycle race finished at the Champs Elysees in Paris.

Wiggins won just two stages during the event, but showed the most consistency among the riders.

The finish in the middle of the pack on the 20th stage, which was won by his compatriot and Sky teammate Mark Cavendish, was enough for the 32-year-old to hold on to his yellow jersey. "It's been a magical couple of weeks for the team and for British cycling," Wiggins told reporters. "Some dreams come true. My mother over there, she's now – her son has won the Tour de France." But the winner would have little time to celebrate his success, with the Olympics at home less than a week away.

"Tonight I go home," he said. "Everything turns to the Olympics and I'll be out on the bike tomorrow and I've got an Olympic time trial to try and win. So that's a higher priority than anything else.”

Another Sky man, Chris Froome, took second place in the overall standings, with Vincenzo Nibali completing the podium.

Despite being left out of the top three, Cavendish also made a landmark achievement of his own, topping legends Andre Darrigade and Lance Armstrong with his 23 Tour stage wins.

The best among the Russian competitors, Denis Menshov of Team Katyusha finished the race in 15th position.