LONDON, July 25, 2012 (AFP) – Bradley Wiggins’ victory in the Tour de
France elevates him to the pantheon of British sporting greats and should see
the 32-year-old receive a knighthood, Britain’s press said on today.
In becoming the first ever Briton to win the prestigious race, the
Belgian-born Londoner has set the stage for the upcoming Olympic Games and
also demonstrated how a top athlete should conduct himself on and off the
track, the country’s papers noted.
“Wiggo hailed UK’s greatest sportsman,” tabloid The Mirror ran across its
front page.
Popular tabloid The Sun said “a new British hero” had been immortalized,
comparing Wiggins to cricketer Ian Botham, footballer Bobby Moore and Olympic
rowing legend Steve Redgrave.
“It’s only a shame we have to wait until the New Year’s honors list to
hear the Queen say, “Arise, Sir Bradley,” it added.
The Daily Mail led with “£20m and a knighthood next for wonderful Wiggins,”
echoing calls for the three-time Olympic gold medalist to be honored by the
queen.
Meanwhile, The Daily Star called for Wiggins to light the Olympic flame at
Friday’s ceremony, although he is due to compete in the men’s road race the
following day.
Wiggins was crowned Britain’s first Tour de France champion on Sunday after
helping Sky team-mate Mark Cavendish to secure a fourth consecutive stage win
on the world-famous Champs Elysees.
Wiggins, who virtually sealed victory with his second time-trial win of the
three-week epic on Saturday, finished the 3,479km race with a 3min 21sec lead
over British team-mate Chris Froome after the 20th and last stage to Paris.
“There is no easy way to win the Tour de France, and even in this Olympic
year it is hard to imagine a British sporting achievement that will even run
it close,” the Guardian suggested.
Brendan Gallagher, who helped Wiggins write his autobiographies,
highlighted the champion’s rounded personality which has endeared him to
British supporters.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Gallagher celebrated the achievements of “a
man who used to neck 15-20 pints of strong Belgian beer in one sitting and who
now goes six months without touching a drop” and “a devoted family man who
this year has hardly seen his wife Cath and their two children”.
“This year and particularly this last week in France we have seen the real
Brad Wiggins, a very human, sometimes flawed but very decent individual who
makes us laugh, think and proud at the same time,” he added.
The Sunday Times, which carried a souvenir cover celebrating the “Promenade
des Anglais”, said Wiggins had “proved to be a great champion of British
sport. He has also shown himself to be a fine man.”
Thousands of Britons lined the streets of Paris to savoir the historic
final stage.
“On a hot afternoon in Paris, a very British party took over the world’s
most famous boulevard,” said the Times’ race report.
“The magical reverie of this historic Tour was encapsulated by yesterday’s
final kilometer, in which Wiggins, wearing the yellow jersey, led Cavendish,
in the world champion’s jersey, to the corner of the Place de la Concorde,
before the Manxman yet again let rip and left his rivals gasping in his wake,”
it added.
