April 30, 2012 (Crans-Montana , Switzerland) – Bradley Wiggins produced a sensational ride to claim overall victory at the Tour de Romandie after winning the final stage time trial. The Brit secured his second stage race victory of the year by 12 seconds after battling back from a mechanical issue out on course, replicating his success at Paris-Nice.
That time was seven tenths of a second quicker than rival Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Barracuda) with Richie Porte rounding out the podium places on the day, 16 seconds back.
Earlier Porte had smashed the best benchmark up to that point, an effort which moved him up to fourth on the overall classification after a selfless week working in service of Wiggins.
Michael Rogers also capped an impressive race with seventh on the day, good enough for fifth on GC to ensure not only a glut of WorldTour points, but the race’s team classification.
A triumphant Wiggins took to the podium alongside Talansky and Rui Costa (Movistar), the Portuguese rider pulling out a great ride to edge Porte off the podium by nine seconds.
Team victory
With two stages wins already in the bag heading into Sunday, the final victory was a fitting reward for the team who had spent much of the six-day event on the front of the peloton on behalf of yellow jersey holders Geraint Thomas and Wiggins.
A tight edition of the race, 34 riders began the final day within 40 seconds of the race lead in what had been a tough peloton to control for world champion Mark Cavendish, Chris Froome, Danny Pate, Porte, Rogers, Kanstantsin Siutsou and Thomas.
After emptying the tank out on the course a happy Wiggins confirmed: “It’s really nice to finish it off in a time trial on the last day for the boys. All week they’ve been incredible – it doesn’t matter how strong you are as an individual, without those team-mates this week I wouldn’t be in this position.
“What a team we’ve had here this week; you know you’re in a great team when you’ve got the world champion riding for you on the front.”
A late birthday present after turning 32 on Saturday, Wiggins also paid tribute to how far he has come as a rider, revealing about the course: “It was a true test of a GC rider; it had a bit of everything in it plus a mechanical for myself. I’m pleased with the way I handled that moment because a few years ago I might have thrown my toys out of the pram and chucked my bike down the ravine! It was a good test for the bigger races coming up and I’m delighted.
“I think [this year] is a result of the hard work I’ve put in this winter. I’ve really grafted at it and hopefully there’s more to come.”
Stand-out performance
After the race Team Principal Dave Brailsford was full of praise for the way the team has worked together collectively.
He said: “Obviously Bradley is now demonstrating that he can perform at the highest level in these races, but I think more importantly, from my perspective, is I’m interested in how the overall team performs. Not just the riders but the backroom staff. I’m very pleased with the week in Switzerland.
“We’ve had a flawless performance on the bike. People don’t see it but it’s becoming a well-oiled machine both on the road and off the road. That’s very pleasing and people are really starting to establish themselves in their roles.
“The other key thing was that there was a lot of discussion pre-race about Bradley and Mark riding together. Obviously that has been a positive and I think when you see Mark riding on the front up a second category climb it tells you more than any words can.”
As the stage began, eighth man down the ramp Froome attacked the 16.24-kilometre course to lay down a benchmark time of 30:41 on what has been an impressive return from illness in Switzerland.
With that time eventually pipped by two seconds by Nelson Oliveira (RadioShack-Nissan), Gustav Erik Larsson was the first man under the half-hour mark but was bettered shortly after by Vacansoleil-DCM team-mate Thomas De Gendt who put in a time of 29’ 50″.
With the top names opting to run a regular road bike with clip-on extensions, a tough course which climbed up steeply ensured a tough day all round.
Wiggins sent pulses racing as he was forced to dismount shortly into his ride, losing a few seconds dropping the chain as he hit the early ramps on the climb.
Overnight race leader Luis Leon Sanchez looked to be struggling from early in the stage, yet with new rivals emerging in Talansky and Costa, the Brit had to dig deep, eventually replicating the result of compatriot Robert Millar – the last man to win when the race visited Crans-Montana in 1984.
Results
1. Bradley Wiggins (Gbr) Sky Procycling 28:56.6
2. Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin-Barracuda 00:00.7
3. Richie Porte (Aus) Sky Procycling 00:16.6
4. Rui Costa (Por) Movistar Team 00:22.8
5. Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Pro Team Astana 00:40.2
6. Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale 00:41.6
7. Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling 00:42.9
8. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 00:52.2
9. Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 00:53.6
10. Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Pro Team Astana 00:54.6
11. Simon Spilak (Slo) Katusha Team 01:00.5
12. Gustav Larsson (Swe) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 01:01.5
13. Fabrice Jeandesboz (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 01:03.4
14. Jerôme Coppel (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 01:06.5
15. Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Barracuda 01:08.3
16. Pieter Weening (Ned) GreenEdge Cycling Team 01:11.1
17. Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 01:14.6
18. Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Pro Team Astana 01:14.6
19. Maxime Mederel (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 01:17.2
20. Tiago Machado (Por) RadioShack-Nissan 01:20.0
21. Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 01:22.5
22. Luis Leon Sanchez (Esp) Rabobank Cycling Team 01:23.7
23. Stef Clement (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 01:24.1
24. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 01:25.5
25. Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan 01:26.5
26. Manuele Boaro (Ita) Team Saxo Bank 01:27.7
27. Jeremy Roy (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 01:28.4
28. Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Blr) Sky Procycling 01:29.2
29. Johann Tschopp (Sui) BMC Racing Team 01:29.5
30. Daniel Navarro (Esp) Team Saxo Bank 01:33.6
31. John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 01:34.3
32. Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Movistar Team 01:35.1
33. Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Pro Team Astana 01:35.4
34. Mikel Astarloza (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 01:36.5
35. Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 01:37.7
36. Gorka Verdugo (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 01:41.3
37. Branislau Samoilau (Blr) Movistar Team 01:42.0
38. Nelson Oliveira (Por) RadioShack-Nissan 01:43.2
39. Chris Froome (Gbr) Sky Procycling 01:44.6
40. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 01:45.7
41. Steve Morabito (Sui) BMC Racing Team 01:47.3
42. Jonathan Castroviejo (Esp) Movistar Team 01:49.6
43. Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 01:53.3
44. Jesus Hernandez (Esp) Team Saxo Bank 01:56.3
45. Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar 01:57.7
46. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 01:57.7
47. Luke Durbridge (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team 01:59.1
48. Cyrille Gautier (Fra) Team Europcar 01:59.8
49. Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 02:00.2
50. Rob Ruijgh (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 02:00.2
51. Chris Anker Sorensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank 02:01.7
52. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team 02:02.5
53. Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 02:07.8
54. Serge Pauwels (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 02:10.2
55. Jean-Christophe Perraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 02:14.3
56. Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin-Barracuda 02:18.0
57. Peter Stetina (USA) Garmin-Barracuda 02:19.3
58. Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 02:22.5
59. Danny Pate (USA) Sky Procycling 02:23.8
60. Amaël Moinard (Fra) BMC Racing Team 02:23.8
61. Thomas Rohregger (Aut) RadioShack-Nissan 02:24.4
62. Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Katusha Team 02:26.1
63. Mikel Landa (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 02:27.4
64. Juan Jose Cobo (Esp) Movistar Team 02:28.1
65. Maciej Paterski (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale 02:32.6
66. David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin-Barracuda 02:35.7
67. Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Movistar Team 02:36.0
68. Martijn Keizer (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 02:37.5
69. Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre-ISD 02:38.7
70. Kevin Seeldraeyers (Bel) Pro Team Astana 02:41.3
71. Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale 02:43.9
72. George Bennett (Nzl) RadioShack-Nissan 02:44.9
73. Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha Team 02:46.1
74. Molina Ruben Plaza (Esp) Movistar Team 02:48.5
74. Jean Marc Marino (Fra) Saur-Sojasun
76. Pavel Brutt (Rus) Katusha Team 02:49.5
77. Michael Matthews (Aus) Rabobank Cycling Team 02:49.5
78. Kenny Elissonde (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 02:56.2
79. Egoi Martinez (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 02:56.9
80. Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 02:57.0
81. Mathieu Perget (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 02:57.5
82. Julien Berard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 02:59.3
83. Angel Madrazo (Esp) Movistar Team 03:00.7
84. Ricardo Garcia (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 03:01.7
85. Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 03:02.1
86. Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Pro Team Astana 03:05.9
87. Evgeny Petrov (Rus) Pro Team Astana 03:06.1
88. Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 03:08.2
89. Romain Sicard (Fra) Euskaltel-Euskadi 03:08.8
90. Martin Kohler (Sui) BMC Racing Team 03:09.4
91. Cristiano Salerno (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 03:10.6
92. Davide Malacarne (Ita) Team Europcar 03:12.1
93. Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Pro Team Astana 03:14.3
94. Jorge Azanza (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 03:16.3
95. Manuele Mori (Ita) Lampre-ISD 03:17.1
96. Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin-Barracuda 03:18.0
97. Martin Elmiger (Sui) AG2R La Mondiale 03:18.3
98. Kevin Reza (Fra) Team Europcar 03:18.9
99. Oliver Zaugg (Sui) RadioShack-Nissan 03:22.3
99. Giovanni Bernaudeau (Fra) Team Europcar
101. Jose Cayetano Sarmiento (Col) Liquigas-Cannondale 03:24.5
102. Eduard Vorganov (Rus) Katusha Team 03:27.3
103. Petr Ignatenko (Rus) Katusha Team 03:30.0
104. Francis Mourey (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 03:30.3
105. Christian Meier (Can) GreenEdge Cycling Team 03:31.6
106. Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 03:32.0
107. Marco Marzano (Ita) Lampre-ISD 03:32.9
108. Yannick Talabardon (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 03:35.1
109. Angelo Tulik (Fra) Team Europcar 03:38.6
110. Alex Rasmussen (Den) Garmin-Barracuda 03:40.4
111. Martin Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 03:44.2
112. Lars Bak (Den) Lotto Belisol Team 03:49.3
113. Rémi Pauriol (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 03:49.6
114. Julien Vermote (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 03:53.6
115. Gert Dockx (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 03:56.6
116. Maarten Neyens (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 04:06.9
117. Klaas Lodewyck (Bel) BMC Racing Team 04:09.7
118. Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) GreenEdge Cycling Team 04:10.0
119. Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Team Saxo Bank 04:14.2
120. Franck Bouyer (Fra) Team Europcar 04:16.5
121. Anders Lund (Den) Team Saxo Bank 04:17.9
122. Davide Cimolai (Ita) Lampre-ISD 04:27.6
123. Leigh Howard (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team 04:28.8
124. Jussi Veikkanen (Fin) FDJ-Big Mat 04:40.2
125. Cedric Pineau (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 04:40.4
126. Maarten Wynants (Bel) Rabobank Cycling Team 04:52.9
127. Alan Perez (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 04:53.3
128. Frederik Willems (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 04:57.9
129. Said Haddou (Fra) Team Europcar 05:25.0
130. Bert Grabsch (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 05:29.7
131. Tosh Van Der Sande (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 06:08.7
132. Matthew Lloyd (Aus) Lampre-ISD 06:20.2
133. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) RadioShack-Nissan 06:20.7
DNS Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Barracuda
DNS Danilo Hondo (Ger) Lampre-ISD
DNS Mirko Selvaggi (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
DNS Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre-ISD
DNS Morris Possoni (Ita) Lampre-ISD
Final GC
1. Bradley Wiggins (Gbr) Sky Procycling 18:05:40
2. Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin-Barracuda 0:00:12
3. Rui Costa (Por) Movistar Team 0:00:36
4. Richie Porte (Aus) Sky Procycling 0:00:45
5. Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling 0:00:50
6. Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Pro Team Astana 0:00:59
7. Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:01:03
8. Simon Spilak (Slo) Katusha Team 0:01:13
9. Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Pro Team Astana 0:01:14
10. Luis Leon Sanchez (Esp) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:01:15
11. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:01:21
12. Jerôme Coppel (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 0:01:22
13. Fabrice Jeandesboz (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 0:01:26
14. Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Barracuda 0:01:31
15. Tiago Machado (Por) RadioShack-Nissan 0:01:33
16. Stef Clement (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
17. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:01:35
18. Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Pro Team Astana
19. Pieter Weening (Ned) GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:01:38
20. Maxime Mederel (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 0:01:40
21. Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:41
22. Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan 0:01:45
23. Daniel Navarro (Esp) Team Saxo Bank 0:01:50
24. Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Movistar Team 0:01:54
25. Mikel Astarloza (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:01:55
26. Branislau Samoilau (Blr) Movistar Team 0:01:56
27. Steve Morabito (Sui) BMC Racing Team 0:02:01
28. Gorka Verdugo (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:02:06
29. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:02:07
30. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:02:09
31. Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar 0:02:23
32. Jesus Hernandez (Esp) Team Saxo Bank 0:02:26
33. Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:02:34
34. Thomas Rohregger (Aut) RadioShack-Nissan 0:02:41
35. Mikel Landa (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:03:00
36. Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha Team 0:03:21
37. George Bennett (Nzl) RadioShack-Nissan 0:03:24
38. Amaël Moinard (Fra) BMC Racing Team 0:03:31
39. Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:03:34
40. Chris Anker Sorensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank 0:04:01
41. David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin-Barracuda 0:04:23
42. Jonathan Castroviejo (Esp) Movistar Team 0:04:32
43. Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:04:36
44. John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:04:44
45. Kevin Seeldraeyers (Bel) Pro Team Astana 0:05:08
46. Kenny Elissonde (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:05:17
47. Molina Ruben Plaza (Esp) Movistar Team 0:05:29
48. Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:05:58
49. Manuele Mori (Ita) Lampre-ISD 0:06:23
50. Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 0:06:49
51. Serge Pauwels (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:06:54
52. Maciej Paterski (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:07:18
53. Angel Madrazo (Esp) Movistar Team 0:07:43
54. Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:08:06
55. Cyrille Gautier (Fra) Team Europcar 0:08:07
56. Johann Tschopp (Sui) BMC Racing Team 0:08:26
57. Peter Stetina (USA) Garmin-Barracuda 0:09:09
58. Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Movistar Team 0:09:37
59. Marco Marzano (Ita) Lampre-ISD 0:09:41
60. Juan Jose Cobo (Esp) Movistar Team 0:10:32
61. Petr Ignatenko (Rus) Katusha Team 0:10:38
62. Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Pro Team Astana 0:10:43
63. Jose Cayetano Sarmiento (Col) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:12:57
64. Evgeny Petrov (Rus) Pro Team Astana 0:13:51
65. Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:15:00
66. Pavel Brutt (Rus) Katusha Team 0:16:08
67. Yannick Talabardon (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 0:16:23
68. Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:17:13
69. Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin-Barracuda 0:17:24
70. Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre-ISD 0:17:50
71. Egoi Martinez (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:18:13
72. Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Blr) Sky Procycling
73. Gustav Larsson (Swe) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:18:15
74. Oliver Zaugg (Sui) RadioShack-Nissan 0:18:24
75. Rob Ruijgh (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:18:26
76. Eduard Vorganov (Rus) Katusha Team 0:19:55
77. Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Team Saxo Bank 0:20:37
78. Jorge Azanza (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:20:56
79. Davide Malacarne (Ita) Team Europcar 0:21:31
80. Romain Sicard (Fra) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:22:36
81. Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Pro Team Astana 0:22:55
82. Francis Mourey (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:23:03
83. Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:23:42
84. Cristiano Salerno (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:23:57
85. Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Katusha Team 0:24:58
86. Jeremy Roy (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:25:23
87. Jean Marc Marino (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 0:25:25
88. Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Pro Team Astana 0:26:32
89. Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:26:36
90. Mathieu Perget (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:27:45
91. Angelo Tulik (Fra) Team Europcar 0:27:59
92. Julien Berard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
93. Manuele Boaro (Ita) Team Saxo Bank 0:28:09
94. Luke Durbridge (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:28:16
95. Martin Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:28:38
96. Jean-Christophe Perraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:28:39
97. Ricardo Garcia (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:29:04
98. Klaas Lodewyck (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:29:05
99. Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:29:11
100. Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:30:10
101. Kevin Reza (Fra) Team Europcar 0:30:41
102. Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:30:43
103. Martijn Keizer (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:31:15
104. Jussi Veikkanen (Fin) FDJ-Big Mat 0:31:22
105. Nelson Oliveira (Por) RadioShack-Nissan 0:32:55
106. Christian Meier (Can) GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:33:09
107. Leigh Howard (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team 0:34:53
108. Julien Vermote (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:35:12
109. Martin Elmiger (Sui) AG2R La Mondiale 0:36:02
110. Michael Matthews (Aus) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:36:10
111. Martin Kohler (Sui) BMC Racing Team 0:36:31
112. Lars Bak (Den) Lotto Belisol Team 0:36:37
113. Rémi Pauriol (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:36:56
114. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) RadioShack-Nissan 0:37:17
115. Giovanni Bernaudeau (Fra) Team Europcar 0:38:12
116. Gert Dockx (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 0:38:22
117. Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Garmin-Barracuda 0:38:28
118. Maarten Neyens (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 0:38:34
119. Anders Lund (Den) Team Saxo Bank
120. Frederik Willems (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 0:38:39
121. Cedric Pineau (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:39:12
122. Davide Cimolai (Ita) Lampre-ISD 0:40:14
123. Chris Froome (Gbr) Sky Procycling 0:41:10
124. Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Saur-Sojasun 0:41:36
125. Matthew Lloyd (Aus) Lampre-ISD 0:41:55
126. Franck Bouyer (Fra) Team Europcar 0:42:48
127. Bert Grabsch (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quickstep 0:43:55
128. Maarten Wynants (Bel) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:44:34
129. Alex Rasmussen (Den) Garmin-Barracuda 0:45:41
130. Tosh Van Der Sande (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team 0:46:57
131. Said Haddou (Fra) Team Europcar 0:47:39
132. Danny Pate (USA) Sky Procycling 0:47:41
133. Alan Perez (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 0:50:02