Wiggins wins time trial gold to become Britain's most prolific Olympian

| Thursday August 2, 2012 00:00

 The 32-year-old is now Britain's most prolific Olympian, his gold medal taking his personal tally to seven, one ahead of Sir Steve Redgrave.

Continuing his unbeaten run in full-distance time trials this season, Wiggins finished 42sec ahead of the world champion Tony Martin of Germany, with the Tour de France runner-up Chris Froome giving Great Britain a second medal by taking bronze.

With four events covered, the home cyclists' tally stands at three medals in four events. In terms of momentum that can only bode well for the track events which start today.

Fabian Cancellara, the defending champion, whose participation had been in doubt following a heavy crash in the road race which had left him with a heavily bruised shoulder, was far from his usual imperious self.

So often Wiggins's nemesis in the past, the Swiss was out of the picture before half of the 44 kilometres had been covered. His deficit on Wiggins at the 18 kilometres mark was 31sec, which sounds minimal but represents a mountain in these circumstances.

'Wiggo, spin to win', proclaimed the banner close to the start, along with the mod roundel which has become synonymous with the first British winner of the Tour de France, and the sideburned national hero's legs spun smoothly enough, his back barely moving in spite of the effort, in contrast to Froome's 'busier' style and the American Taylor Phinney's imitation of a nodding dog. He lay only second at the first checkpoint but pulled ahead by the second, 18.4 kilometres into the race.

The rest was like his Tour de France: a seamless road to victory, with the difference that here he was cheered on by a vast crowd of mainly British support.

The men's course was based on the same loop through Cobham and Esher as the women, but to make up the greater distance, two additional circuits were added: one at the start, westwards towards Walton on Thames, turning at the Queen Elizabeth II reservoir, and a second at the end north through Teddington and Strawberry Hill.

The picture was the same as for the women's event earlier in the afternoon: massive crowds thronging town centres and verdant lanes alike.

The crowds around the start and finish area, and across Hampton Court bridge, were gathered three and four deep on the barriers, union flags of all kinds waving in the breeze, cycling club jerseys proclaiming that they had travelled from all corners of the United Kingdom: Clitheroe, West Wales, south London. (Guardian)