Wiggins became one of the stars of London 2012 when he won gold in the men’s time trial, just 10 days after becoming the first Briton to triumph in the Tour, cycling’s most prestigious road race. That day, his overall lead improved to 1 minute, 47 seconds on Dutch rider Bauke Mollema and he relegated fellow Briton Adam Yates 2:45 back, with Nairo Quintana lagging by 2:59. Richie Porte (BMC Racing) secured fifth place after a late stage 2 puncture cost him any serious tilt at the general classification.
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But the 31-year-old is already focusing on next year’s Tour and beyond.
Froome travelled to Rio last November to check out the Olympic courses, a trip that encouraged him to sign up for the time trial.
RideLondon-Surrey Classic race director Mick Bennett said: “We are thrilled to have Tour de France champion Chris Froome riding for Team Sky at this year’s Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic”.
During his wins in 2013 and previous year, Froome achieved his victories with aggressive attacks in the mountain stages.
A sometimes robotic character, Froome looked human when, after his bike was broken in a crash involving a motorbike on the slopes of Mont Ventoux, he started to run up the road in one of the most memorable moments in Tour history.
Froome said: “My team mates this yellow jersey is for you as it is for David Brailsford”.
Froome cut both his elbow and right knee in a crash on a downhill section in Friday’s stage.
Wanting to maintain a sense of suspense until the very end of the race, they crafted a well-balanced route with many opportunities for Froome’s main rivals: Colombian climbing ace Nairo Quintana, two-time Tour victor Alberto Contador of Spain – who arrived in very good shape – and the French duo of Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet.
Froome celebrates victory with his family.
“I think as this race has gone on people have got to me know me a little bit better, know my character a little bit better”, he said.
“It’s nice we can laugh about it now, but at the time it was pretty chaotic and pretty stressful”.
“It’s heart-warming to feel that and feel there’s this respect now from the French public”.
He safely crossed the finishing line with his Sky team-mates on the Champs-Elysees in Paris at the end of the 21st and final stage, which was largely a processional ride.
“If anyone can do it, he can do it of all those people that were there at the Tour”.
He added: “I’m happy, the team is happy, we are not exhausted, we have got plenty of energy, all the guys have finished well, the Olympics are coming up and a lot of riding the Olympics, they are going to enjoy that, and then it’s on to the Tour of Spain”.
Not since 1995 has a rider won successive Tour titles – excluding the expunged wins of Lance Armstrong – when Indurain made it five in a row.
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“It would be my dream to keep coming back to the Tour de France for the next five, six years”, he said.
