Bradley Wiggins wins Tour de France time trial, extends lead
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) Credit: Getty Images
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.
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.
