Who won the 2012 Tour de France? First Briton Ever

Tour de France 2012: Bradley Wiggins Wins, Makes History

British rider Bradley Wiggins has won the 2012 Tour de France, becoming the first British cyclist to do so in the race's history.

Bradley Wiggins finished with a total time of 87h34'47", leading the second-place finisher, fellow Brit Chris Froome, by 3'21". This is a pretty big day for British cycling, just as London prepares to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Italian rider Vincenzo Nibali also made the podium, finishing third.

Cadel Evans, who made history for Australia by winning the Tour de France in 2011, came in seventh, trailing Wiggins by 15'49". Bradley Wiggins' time by the end of Stage 19 virtually guaranteed a win after Stage 20 was complete, as long as he didn't crash or stop to sign autographs.

The win is not without its share of controversy: Sky made the decision to back Wiggins, though Chris Froome, who also rides for Sky, was arguably just as strong a rider. Bradley Wiggins' wife and Chris Froome's girlfriend openly argued about it on Twitter.

Top 20 Finishers: 2012 Tour de France

Photos

Bradley Wiggins: 2012 Tour de France Winner

see larger image

uploaded by Getty Images

1. WIGGINS Bradley 87h 34' 47''
2. FROOME Christopher + 03' 21"
3. NIBALI Vincenzo + 06' 19''
4 VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen + 10' 15''
5 VAN GARDEREN Tejay  + 11' 04''
6. ZUBELDIA Haimar1  + 15' 41''
7. EVANS Cadel1  + 15' 49''
8. ROLLAND Pierre  + 16' 26''
9. BRAJKOVIC Janez 87h 51' 20'' + 16' 33''
10. PINOT Thibaut1 + 17' 17''
11. KLÖDEN Andréas + 17' 54''
12. ROCHE Nicolas + 19' 33''
13. HORNER Christopher  + 19' 55''
14. SORENSEN Chris Anker + 25' 27''
15. MENCHOV Denis  + 27' 22''
16. MONFORT Maxime  + 28' 30''
17. MARTINEZ Egoi + 31' 46''
18. COSTA Rui Alberto  + 37' 03''
19. VORGANOV Eduard + 38' 16''
20. VALVERDE Alejandro  + 42' 26''