Bradley Wiggins wins Tour de France time trial, extends lead
Photo credit: Getty Images | Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain and SKY Procycling in action on his way to winning stage nine of the 2012 Tour de France, a 41.5km individual time trial, from Arc-et-Senans to Besancon. (July 9, 2012)
BESANCON, France -- Bradley Wiggins of Britain won the first big time trial of the Tour de France on Monday and extended his overall lead.
The three-time Olympic track champion underlined his command of cycling's showcase race in the 25.8-mile ninth stage between Arc-et-Senans and Besancon. He beat runner-up Christopher Froome of Britain by 35 seconds.
The stage marked the dominance of the Sky Team, with Wiggins and Froome delivering a 1-2 punch -- notably to defending champion Cadel Evans, who finished 1:43 behind Wiggins in sixth place.
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Evans remains second overall, trailing Wiggins by 1:53. Froome jumped to third, from sixth, and is 2:07 behind his teammate.
After 10 straight days of racing, the 178-rider pack gets its first rest day Tuesday. The field then faces two hard days in the Alps, including a summit finish Thursday that is likely to shake up the standings.
