Bradley Wiggins (Sky) created history becoming the first British winner of the Tour de France in 2012. Off the back of a phenomenal season which had already included overall victories in Paris-Nice, Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné, Wiggins seemed destined for the win.
In the supposed two-man battle between Wiggins and defending champion Cadel Evans (BMC), the Sky rider took the upper-hand from the prologue in Liège and never looked back.
If Wiggins had a true rival, it was his teammate Chris Froome who would finish second overall in his second Tour appearance, 3:21 in arrears. Liquigas-Cannondale's Vincenzo Nibali, third overall, found it tough-going on the time-trial-friendly parcours but became the first Italian to step onto the podium since Ivan Basso in 2005.
