Bradley Wiggins

Key results

Road

1st Tour de France 2012
1st Critérium du Dauphiné 2011-12
1st Tour de Romandie 2012
1st Tour of Britain 2013
1st Tour of California 2014
1st Paris-Nice 2012
1st Herald Sun Tour 2009

3rd Vuelta a España 2011
3rd Paris-Nice 2011

4th Tour de France 2009

1st National Road Race Championships 2011
1st National Time Trial Championships 2009-10, '14

Gold medal individual time trial Olympic Games 2012

1st UCI World Championships time trial 2014

2nd UCI World Championships time trial 2011, '13 

Track

Bronze medal team pursuit Olympic Games 2000
Gold medal individual pursuit Olympic Games 2004
Silver medal team pursuit Olympic Games 2004
Bronze medal madison Olympic Games 2004
Gold medal individual pursuit Olympic Games 2008
Gold medal team pursuit Olympic Games 2008, '16

2014

2014 saw another major addition to Wiggins’ remarkable palmares as he won the time trial at the World Championships in Ponferrada. It came three months after he won the British national time trial champion’s jersey in Wales.

Winning the Tour of California in style reignited debate over his possible inclusion in Sky’s Tour de France line-up but in the end it wasn’t to be.

The end of the year saw the creation of his own team, WIGGINS, which he will join in April 2015 to help with his transition to the track ahead of the Rio Olympics in 2016.

1st ITT, Road World Championships
1st General Classification, 1st Stage 2, Tour of Caliornia
1st ITT, British National Championships
9th Paris-Roubaix
3rd General Classification, 1st Stage 8a, Tour of Britain
 

2013

It was always going to be tough to come close to matching the dizzy heights of 2012, but nevertheless 2013 was a very disappointing year for Wiggins. Much of the year was overshadowed by rumours of an acrimonious relationship with Chris Froome, who wanted leadership of Team Sky in a more mountainous Tour de France. In the end a knee injury, on the face of it, prevented Wiggins from competing at the race where he was defending champion.

He did, however, ride the Giro d’Italia, where he was billed as a favourite thanks to his Tour success. But on wet roads he lost time and his nerve, before a chest infection forced him to retire from the race after stage 11.

He revived his season late on, winning the Tour of Britain before claiming time trial silver in the World Championships.

1st General Classification, 1st Stage 3, Tour of Britain
2nd ITT, Road World Championships
1st Stage 7, Tour of Poland
 

2012

A remarkable year was capped with one of the most groundbreaking achievements in British sporting history when Wiggins became the first British to win the Tour de France.

With the support of a ruthlessly well-drilled Team Sky, he won Paris-Nice, the Tour of Romandie, and the Criterium du Dauphine to announce himself as the Tour favourite. He took the yellow jersey on stage seven to La Planche des Belles Filles and held it to Paris, driving home his advantage on both individual time trials.

As if that wasn’t enough, he won a fourth Olympic gold medal in the London 2012 road time trial. His stellar year was recognized in the form of a knighthood and the crown of BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

1st General Classification, 1st Stages 9 & 19, Tour de France
1st ITT, Olympic Games
1st General Classification, 1st Points, 1st Stage 8, Paris-Nice
1st General Classification, 1st Stage 4, Critérium du Dauphiné
1st General Classification, 1st Stages 1 & 5, Tour de Romandie
3rd General Classification, 1st Stage 5, Volta ao Algarve

2011

Wiggins started the year by finishing 3rd overall in Paris-Nice, opting not to ride the Giro d'Italia but to concentrate fully on his Tour de France preparation. All went to plan as he was able to defend his time trial lead against Cadel Evans on the final three mountain stages to win the Dauphiné, his biggest victory in road racing so far. He went on to the start of the Tour de France as British road race champion, but his dream of winning the overall event collapsed when he crashed out on stage 7 with a broken collarbone.

Wiggins was able to make amends for the lost opportunity by finishing third overall in the Vuelta a España in September, and taking the Silver medal at the World time trial Championship behind Tony Martin, but the feeling of not having achieved his true goal persisted.

1st British National Road Race Championships
1st Critérium du Dauphiné
1st Stage 4 Bayern-Rundfahrt
2nd UCI Road World Championship Time Trial
3rd Paris-Nice
3rd Vuelta a España

2010

A difficult year for Wiggins, being a team leader with the newly-founded Team Sky for the first time in his career, and carrying huge expectations after his fourth place finish at the Tour de France 2010. He participated in the Giro d'Italia, winning the opening time trial but his overall race was not successful. His Tour de France was also disappointing, and proof that race circumstances can take the better of any meticulous plan, even that of the highly ambitious Team Sky.

1st British National Time Trial Championships
1st Stage 1 TTT Tour of Qatar
1st Stage 1 ITT Giro d'Italia

2009

Wiggins' breakthrough year on the road. With his American Garmin-Slipstream outfit, and having considerably improved his climbing skills, he surprised everyone at the Tour de France and finished fourth overall - the dream of the next British Tour de France winner was born. Wiggins had been contracted to ride for Garmin through 2010, but following much speculation it was announced in December that he was to leave to join Team Sky, having signed a four-year contract with the new British based team.

1st British National Time Trial Championships
1st Herald Sun Tour
1st Stage 1 TTT Tour of Qatar
4th Overall 2009 Tour de France

2008

In 2008 he signed with Team High Road, a team later known as HTC-Highroad. At the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Manchester, he won three gold medals: pursuit, team pursuit and madison.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics he again won the pursuit, the first rider to successfully defend a pursuit title at the Olympics. Wiggins was also a member of the Olympic pursuit team which won the gold with a new world record.

Olympic Gold medal individual pursuit
Olympic Gold medal team pursuit
1st UCI World Championships individual pursuit
1st UCI World Championships team pursuit
1st UCI World Championships madison

2007

With his French team Cofidis, he raced the Dauphiné Libéré and won the prologue, before competing in the 2007 Tour de France and finishing fourth in the prologue in London. he also continued his track career, winning gold medals in the individual and team pursuit events of the World Championships.

1st Prologue Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st UCI World Championships individual pursuit
1st UCI World Championships team pursuit

2006

Wiggins first year with Cofidis. He had no victories that year, effectively making the transition from track to road and riding his very first Tour de France.

2005

The second of his two years at Crédit Agricole. Wiggins wins the time trial at the Circuit de Lorraine as well as stage eight of the Tour de l'Avenir.

1st Stage 2 ITT, Circuit de Lorraine
1st Stage 8 Tour de l'Avenir

2004

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Wiggins became the first British athlete in 40 years to win three medals at one Games. He won gold in the pursuit, silver in the team pursuit, and bronze in the madison with his race partner Rob Hayles.

Olympic Gold medal individual pursuit
Olympic Silver medal team pursuit
Olympic Bronze medal madison

Wiggins began his career in 2001 at 20 years of age, signing with British professional road Linda McCartney Racing Team before it disbanded in early 2001. He joined Française des Jeux in 2002, before moving to Crédit Agricole in 2004.

Words by Patrick Fletcher