Bradley Wiggins became Great Britain’s most decorated Olympian when he struck gold in the men’s time trial, the seventh medal of his career which places him one ahead of rower Sir Steve Redgrave.
It completed a remarkable few weeks for the 32-year-old Team Sky rider after he became the first Briton to win the Tour de France and was also given the honour of starting the opening ceremony at Olympics.
Wiggins underlined his position as favourite for Olympic gold as he produced another dominant performance against the clock, winning by 42 seconds from world time trial champion Tony Martin of Germany, with Team GB and Team Sky colleague Chris Froome also on the podium in third, a further 26 seconds back.
It was the fourth Olympic gold medal of Wiggins' remarkable career, with a silver and two bronzes also on his CV.
And 27-year-old Froome's heroics shouldn't be underestimated - second in the Tour de France and now a bronze medal in first Olympic Games.
The other two Team Sky riders representing their countries also made the top 15, with Australian Michael Rogers in sixth and Norway's Edvald Boasson 13th.
Wiggins was the penultimate rider out on the largely flat 44 kilometres course around Hampton Court Palace and it soon became clear his remarkable run of form was about to be extended.
He was quickest at the 18.4km check, 11 seconds in front of Martin, and gradually extended his advantage through the rest of the race.
He stopped the clock in 50 minutes 39 seconds, with Martin on 51:21 and Froome third in 51:47.
Wiggins, who is from London, said: "It's been an amazing six weeks. I can’t put it into words that will do it justice. It was incredible. To win Olympic gold in your home city in the velodrome with a few thousand people cheering you on would have been incredible but to do it around the city streets was phenomenal. The noise was amazing.
"I don’t think my sporting career will ever top that now, it's never, ever going to get any better than that. What a month it’s been. I won the Tour de France and the time trial at the Olympic Games. This was the plan and I've answered all the questions in the last six weeks."
"Just to just be mentioned in the same breath as Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Chris Hoy is an absolute honour. To be up there with those guys as a British Olympian is very special.
"The important number is four [in terms of the gold medals] and I've got to carry on to Rio now and go for number five!
Wiggins took the opportunity before the medal presentation to see his wife Cath and children, Ben and Isabella, and to acclaim the crowd by riding down the road back along the route.
He added: "I wanted to go and see my wife and all the people that had come to stand there on the roadside.
"The great thing about cycling is it's free to come and watch. It was nice to go back out and roll up and down."
Of the podium presentation, he added: "I was just trying to soak it in. I had no memories of my last Olympics. I was too young or it just happened so quick. It just doesn’t get much better than this setting. I realised on the podium, I don't think anything's going to top that."
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