Bradley Wiggins won the 70th edition of the Paris to Nice race here on Sunday, edging home first in the closing 9.6-kilometre time-trial stage. His victory in the race’s eighth and final time-trial stage made him the first Briton since Tommy Simpson in 1967 to triumph in the early-season stage race. Wiggins took possession of the yellow jersey in Monday’s 185.5-kilometre second stage on the flat between Mantes-la-Jolie west of Paris and Orleans. Completing the podium were Dutchman Lieuwe Westra, eight seconds behind Wiggins, and Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, one minute 10 seconds back. They had likewise gone into Sunday’s 9.6kms uphill time-trial from Nice to the Col d’Eze in second and third place. In the time-trial, triple Olympic champion Wiggins pipped newcomer Westra by 1.98 seconds, while the day’s early leader, Frenchman Jean-Christophe Periaud slipped back into third place, 33 seconds back.
