Historic Tour De France Victory For Wiggins

Bradley Wiggins has become Britain's first ever Tour de France winner, ending the country's 109-year wait for victory in sport's toughest endurance event.

The cyclist finished the 3,479km race with a three minute and 21 second lead over runner-up, Team Sky team-mate and fellow Briton Chris Froome, after the 20th and last stage.

Wiggins, wearing the leader's yellow jersey, safely completed the 120km journey from Rambouillet to Paris which is traditionally a processional ride ending in a mass sprint on the Champs-Elysees.

There was more British success in the last stage after it was won by another Team Sky rider Mark Cavendish.

Wiggins had led the stage with one kilometre to go before Cavendish powered to victory in the final few seconds.

Wiggins, a triple Olympic gold medallist, had virtually sealed victory on Saturday in the 99th Tour de France when he won his second time-trial in the epic three-week event.

The final stage was the 13th consecutive day that Wiggins has worn the yellow jersey.

After securing the title, he said: "It's a different feeling to yesterday. Yesterday was the confirmation and today is always a procession.

"At the end there we had a job to do and we were on a mission from the minute we hit the Champs-Elysees to finish the job off with Cav (Mark Cavendish) and what a way to finish."

Asked about becoming the first Briton to win the event, he said: "I got to start getting used to that which is strange. It's going to take a while. It's mission complete."

Wiggins waved to fans as he stepped up on to the podium.

After apologising for speaking in English, he told the crowds: "I just wanted to say thank you for all the support all the way around.

"It's been a magical couple of weeks for the team and for British cycling. Some dreams can come true, and now my old mother over there, her son's won the Tour de France."

Before setting off for Paris, he said he had yet to realise the full meaning of his first triumph.

"I would never have imagined it, this is a dream," Wiggins said. "It's a weird feeling".

The Prime Minister said Wiggins' victory was an "immense feat of physical and mental ability".

"I'm like everyone in the country - absolutely delighted," David Cameron told Sky News.

"Bradley Wiggins has scaled one of the great heights of British sporting achievement, to be the first person in 109 years to win the Tour de France is an immense feat of physical and mental ability and aptitude and I think the whole country wants to say well done, brilliant - the perfect backdrop and start to the Olympics."

The PM said the win would have a big impact on British morale ahead of the Olympics.

"I think it will put the country in the right mood. There is going to be an incredible festival of sport that we are going to see over the next few weeks."

The man who until now was Britain's best-known cyclist, four-times Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy, had described the prospect of Wiggins winning the Tour as "as good as anything any British athlete has ever done".