Tour de Force

Over the years we have often had to dig deep to find a true “British sporting hero.” Bradley Wiggins has been at the pinnacle of his sport for sometime but these past couple of weeks he has burst into our lives with immaculate timing. There are just days left until the opening of the London Olympics and we hope for more British achievement, but it is hard to imagine anyone coming even close to what Bradley accomplished today.

Team player first, when Wiggins should’ve been swigging champagne and waving to adoring fans on the Champs-Élysées, he instead hurtled to the front of the peloton to give compatriot Mark Cavendish every chance of sprinting to victory, which he conclusively did. We must also remember that Chris Froome came 2nd overall to make the podium. Unfortunately both had to grin and bear Lesley Garrett mullering the national anthem, which would at least have given the Parisians a laugh.

The moment was impossible to ruin and a few weeks after sports fans had to endure the John Terry and Anton Ferdinand court case, Wiggins’ wonderful achievement reminds us of what a real sporting hero looks and acts like.