GREAT BRITAIN’S Bradley Wiggins said nothing will ever top winning gold in the time trial at the London Olympics.
The Tour de France champion capped off a memorable month when he cruised to the gold medal in a time of 50 minutes 39 seconds.
It was the fourth gold medal of his career and seventh of any colour, making him Great Britain’s most successful Olympian. Wiggins paid tribute to the home fans who cheered him on during the closing stages of yesterday’s race.
“It was incredible, it really was. From the minute I turned up at the start area and rolled down the ramp it was incredible, the noise,” he said. ”Obviously that, and I had to really focus on my effort and not get carried away with the moment and not go out too fast. I have my schedule that I have to ride and pace judgement.
“So I controlled those emotions and that hype and everything, it was incredible. You don’t remember a lot about the ride, because you are so focused and concentrated and you are hurting, but I remember coming quite slow into a roundabout in Kingston — a right-hander and on the acceleration out, the noise. I thought to myself this is phenomenal.
“The whole way round I don’t think there was one gap in the noise for the 44km. So I am never ever going to experience anything like that in my sporting career on home soil in an Olympic games.”
Wiggins also became the first man to win both the Tour de France and Olympic gold in the same year, an achievement the 32-year-old is proud of. ”And perhaps this last six weeks I don’t think I’m ever going to top it in my sporting career now – winning the Tour and coming back and winning a home Olympic Games and a fourth Olympic gold medal,” he said. ”I still can’t believe I have won a fourth Olympic gold medal.
“It is more relief and just trying to soak it all in as much as possible. I’m in a bit of a daze to be honest. This is the bit you don’t prepare for. You prepare for the preparation to do that performance and the minute you finish it is just mad.
“I guess tomorrow it will really start to sink in. But at the moment it is just relief that I didn’t have any problems, mechanical or anything. I put that performance together and I got what I thought I would get from my fitness and form at the moment.”
