For all the unprecedented scandal and controversy that has tortured cycling and its fans since 1999, we have also been treated to some spectacular sporting drama. Here, Procycling's writers select and relive 10 of their favourite moments from the first 200 issues of the magazine. This is why.
Writers: Ellis Bacon, Peter Cossins, Sam Dansie, Daniel Friebe, Jamie Wilkins
Photography: Tim De Waele
Wiggins wins the Tour de France
Tour de France, stage 19, 21 July 2012
After an inauspicious start with Sky in 2010, when Wiggins now admits that he just didn’t do the work, and a broken collarbone when looking astonishingly fit and lean (earning the temporary nickname 'Twiggo') at the 2011 race, Wiggins returned to the Tour in 2012 carrying a little more weight and a lot more power, fine-tuned by Sky’s coaches for the TT-heavy route. Having already blazed to wins at Paris-Nice, the Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné in the run-up, he had the pressure of being the outright favourite but he and Sky bore it gladly. They rode at the front on the flat stages to keep out of trouble and set a consistently fierce pace in the mountains until the rest had simply fallen away.
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The yellow jersey arrived earlier than expected, on stage 7, so the 41km TT two days later instead served to swell his lead. His only trouble in the mountains was a brief but much discussed attack by team-mate Chris Froome so on the penultimate day’s 53km TT Wiggins was free to stamp his authority, duly winning the stage and securing a historic victory.
When Olympic gold followed 10 days later, his status as national treasure was made official. It’s not because he’s readapting his physique for the track that we no longer call him Twiggo. Since this watershed victory, we call him Sir. JW
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