Great Britain's Bradley Wiggins Wind Tour de France

It was a rare sight at the Tour de France: The yellow jersey holder charging down the streets of Paris at the head of the peloton, trying to set up a teammate for a sprint victory on the final stage.


Bradley Wiggins turned his victory lap into another exhibition at the Tour de France.

With Wiggins heading for a historic victory at the end of a largely ceremonial ride into the French capital, there was one last job to perform before savoring his achievement of becoming the first British rider to win cycling's biggest race.

As with everything else over the last three weeks, Wiggins did it to perfection - leading the team Sky train for parts of the final kilometers before pulling back to let Mark Cavendish secure yet another sprint victory.

Only then was it time for Wiggins to take it all in - the British flags waving in the heart of Paris, the view of the Champs-Elysees from the top of the podium and ''God Save the Queen'' being sung in his honor.

''It's been a magical couple of weeks for the team and for British cycling,'' Wiggins said. ''Some dreams come true. My mother over there, she's now - her son has won the Tour de France.''

Thanks AP for this article

Film: Hell on Wheels

Film: "Hell on Wheels"


Jul 5, 2012 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Chicago, IL

The Tour de France is not only the most difficult bicycle race in the world, but also a major sporting event, like the Olympic Games or the World Cup. Its venue is an entire country. Major differences in altitude and a competitive field made up of nearly 200 cyclists place enormous demands on the participants. When Pepe Danquart shot his intimate portrait of the Tour de France in 2003, one of the largest sporting events in the world celebrated its 100th anniversary. Yet HELL ON WHEELS is neither an historical review nor a sports report, but a documentary that focuses on the cyclists as people as well as France’s nationwide public festival that unfolds around the tour. Following the rhythm of the daily stages, Danquart plunges into the cyclists’ world, portraying their respect for this “hellish route” and what makes it so distinctive.

Pepe Danquart was born in 1955 in Singen and reached international acclaim as the director of the short film SCHWARZFAHRER, taking home the Oscar in 1994. In addition to his directorial work, the co-founder of the “Medienwerkstatt Freiburg” film collective has taught at the German Film and Television Academy in Berlin and at the Film Academy Baden-Wuerttemberg in Ludwigsburg. Since 2008, he has been Professor for Film at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg.



© Goethe-Institut Chicago

Greg LeMond

In 85 years of the Tour de France not one American had ever won, until Greg LeMond. 

Happy Birthday, Greg!