Bradley Wiggins became the first British rider to win the Tour de France    

 
BBC

Bradley Wiggins became the first British rider to win the Tour de France as Mark Cavendish claimed his fourth consecutive final-stage victory.

Wiggins, 32, finished in the chasing peloton in Sunday's final stage around the streets of Paris with a winning margin of three minutes and 21 seconds, reports the BBC.

The Londoner's Team Sky team-mate Chris Froome consolidated his second place with Italy's Vincenzo Nibali third.

It was Briton Cavendish's 23rd stage win on the Tour.

That saw him surpass seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong and Frenchman Andre Darrigade in the overall stage-win standings, 11 short of Belgian Eddy Merckx's record of 34.

But the day belonged to Wiggins, who safely negotiated himself around the streets of Paris, to complete the formalities after Saturday's stunning time-trial victory gave him an almost unassailable lead.

The three-time Olympic track champion crossed the line arms raised having helped set up Cavendish's sprint victory in front of thousands of British fans on the Champs Elysees, who had come to witness history being made.

"I don't know what to say, I've had 24 hours for it to soak in," said Wiggins.

"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.

"I've got to get used to that [being a legend in the spotlight], it's going to take a while. I'm just trying to soak it all in. You never imagine it will happen to you but it's amazing."

In three demanding weeks, he toiled over the Alps and the Pyrenees to complete the mammoth 20-stage, 2,173-mile race which was in its 99th edition.

During his stunning transition from track to road racing, Wiggins finished fourth in the Tour in 2009 - equalling Robert Millar's 1984 British best - before crashing out with a broken collarbone when among the favourites in 2011.