HispanicBusiness

Britain's Bradley Wiggins won the Tour de France on Sunday, becoming the first Briton to win cycling's most prestigious race after a final stage ending in a sprint on the Champs-Elysees avenue.

There was further glory for Britain as Wiggins' Team Sky teammate Mark Cavendish, won the Champs-Elysees stage for an historic fourth time.

Wiggins' compatriot and team-mate Christopher Froome finished second overall, while Italy's Vincenzo Nibali took third.

Wiggins, 32, had said after Sunday's final 120-kilometre stage to Paris that winning the 99th edition of the was just wonderful. "There is nothing bigger than that.

"They were crazy weeks and a few dreams became reality. I am just overjoyed."

Thousands of people, some waving Union Jacks and signs reading "Allez Wiggo", lined the Champs-Elysees five- and six-deep to cheer on the Londoner as he rode through the French capital in the leader's yellow jersey.

The triple Olympic champion with the bushy sideburns and dry wit gained a French following over the course of the three-week tour.

Local media dubbed him "Le Gentleman" for deliberately slowing down the peloton after tacks were scattered on the road in the Pyrenees mountains last weekend. Wiggins wanted to give riders who suffered punctures a chance to catch up.

Born in Belgium in 1980 to an Australian racing cyclist father Wiggins moved to London with his English mother at the age of two, after his parents split up.

He has six Olympic medals (including three gold) from the Sydney, Athens and Beijing games. He has also won six gold medals at the world championships.

He leaves France with 450,000 euros (551,159 dollars) in prize money.