Tour De France – Bradley Wiggins Claims First Stage Win




After disappointment at Euro 2012 and Andy Murray’s tears at Wimbledon, something special was brewing across the English Channel where Bradley Wiggins took a massive step towards becoming Britain’s first ever Tour de France winner after taking the race’s first long time-trial. Over the 26 miles between Arc-et-Senans and Besançon, Wiggins finished 35 seconds ahead of his Sky team-mate Christopher Froome. Bradley Wiggins showed he’s the man to beat at the Tour de France, winning the first big time trial and cementing his hold on the yellow jersey he wants to take home in two weeks. The three-time Olympic track champion is trying to become the first British champion of cycling’s premier event. He dominated Monday’s race against the clock – a discipline he loves – in the 25.8-mile ninth stage between Arc-et-Senans and Besancon.

Tour de France - Bradley Wiggins claims first stage win

Tour de France – Bradley Wiggins claims first stage win

Most importantly for the short term, Wiggins extended his advantage over the defending Tour de France champion, Cadel Evans, from 10sec to 1min 53sec, meaning that, with another even longer time-trial to come before the finish in Paris – 53.5km between Bonneval and Chartres on the final Saturday – the Australian now has no option but to attack in the mountains and gain several minutes on the Briton. It came after Sky dominated the first mountain top finish of the race on Friday, when Froome won the stage and Wiggins took the overall lead.

For Wiggins and Froome, this a joint performance that will have resonances that last until 10 days after the Tour finishes, when the pair represent Great Britain in the individual time-trial at the London Olympics. Here, the finest time-triallist of recent years, the Swiss Fabian Cancellara, finished nearly a minute behind Wiggins, while the reigning world time-trial champion, Tony Martin of Germany, came 12th, 2min 16sec back, albeit while nursing a broken wrist and in spite of an early puncture.

With this imposing ride, the Team Sky captain captured stage nine, a 41.5-kilometer, individual time trial and put his chief rivals, including Cadel Evans, into serious difficulty as the Tour enters its first rest day. Sporting the banana-yellow skin suit worn by the race leader, Wiggins logged the fastest time – 51 minutes, 24 seconds – on an undulating course that finished in Besançon, the capital of Franche-Compté.

On one of the warmest days so far in this Tour, many riders crossed the finish with white spittle ringing their lips, a sign of dehydration. Unlike usual road stages, time trials require solo efforts, placing additional importance on form, concentration and rhythm. After 10 straight days of racing, the 178-rider pack gets its first rest day Tuesday. The field then faces two hard days in the Alps, including a summit finish Thursday that is likely to shake up the standings.

Tags: , , , , ,

Author:

Hi friends, I am Navin Boddu. I am into Computers by academics and a sports enthusiast at heart. I played and learned different sports during schooling. I enjoy playing and watching cricket. I am here to express my views about sports.

Cricket

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti enjoys gully cricket in Jaipur

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti enjoys gully cricket in Jaipur

Posted by: Vikram Kamboj on February 4th, 2024

Jaipur, 04 February 2024: US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti was in the pink city on Saturday where the Ambassador dropped by Rajasthan Royals’ home stadium ..

Football

LALIGA Concludes ‘Extra Time’ Webinar Series

LALIGA Concludes ‘Extra Time’ Webinar Series

Posted by: Pooja Kamboj on May 16th, 2024

Continuing to work alongside stakeholders from the sports fraternity, LALIGA, the world’s largest football ecosystem, brought the curtains down on this se ..

Tennis

Leander Paes inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame

Leander Paes inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame

Posted by: Vikram Kamboj on December 19th, 2023

Former doubles world No. 1 Leander Paes was recently elected to receive the Ultimate Honor in Tennis – induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame &# ..

F1

Life Lessons learned from Sports & Fitness #TOSBDay

Life Lessons learned from Sports & Fitness #TOSBDay

Posted by: Vikram Kamboj on September 26th, 2016

Held on Sept 1st, The Outstanding Speakers’ Bureau (TOSB) Twinterview consisted of sports panelists such as Mark Gallagher (Public Speaker on F1 race), Shayam ..

Boxing

Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker set for huge showdown

Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker set for huge showdown

Posted by: Vikram Kamboj on February 15th, 2018

It looks like it will be a scintillating couple of months for fans of elite boxing. There is the prospect of the rematch between Gennady Golovkin and Saul ‘Ca ..

Other Sports

The 2023-24 Season of the Los Angeles Clippers: A Mid-Season Review

The 2023-24 Season of the Los Angeles Clippers: A Mid-Season Review

Posted by: Vikram Kamboj on February 15th, 2024

As the 2023-24 NBA season approaches the All-Star break, the Los Angeles Clippers have emerged as a formidable force in the Western Conference, showcasing their ..

One stop guide to all the latest sports news, reviews, opinions, fixtures and live scores from India and around the world.

Copyright © 2024 | The Sports Mirror