Bradley Wiggins is Britain’s most decorated Olympian after winning the time trial in style at Hampton Court Palace.
The Tour de France winner lived up to his tag of favourite as he blew away the rest of the field, beating German world champion Tony Martin by 42 seconds.
Fellow Team GB cyclist Chris Froome performed impressively to claim bronze, as the host nation continues their recent dominance in the sport.
This latest gold brings Wiggins to seven Olympic medals, beating Sir Steve Redgrave’s British record of six.
The event sees riders race alone against the clock, as they are sent out at different time intervals, requiring a smooth pedalling technique and aerodynamic posture to succeed.
He completed the 44km course in less than 51 minutes, showing no signs of fatigue, as he defeated main rivals Martin and Swiss rider Fabio Cancellara with consummate ease.
Froome, his team-mate and runner-up in Paris, rode equally as impressively, quashing the belief that the route was too flat for him.
For Belgian-born Wiggins though, the time trial triumph comes just ten days after winning the maillot jaune, and he has already stated his intent to defend the title in four years’ time.
Elsewhere, Cancellara was clearly struggling with the shoulder injury sustained in the road race last week, effectively costing him two medals, while fancied Spaniard Luis Leon Sanchez had a wretched day on the road, snapping his bike chain on the starting platform before suffering a tyre puncture during his ride.
However no-one could stop the affectionately named ‘Wiggo’, who after trailing Martin early on, rallied to open up an 11 second advantage after 29km, which only grew as the race wore on.
The victory also continues his unbeaten run in time trials which spans over a year.
James Law
Tags: bradley wiggins, Chris Froome, london 2012, olympics, Team GB, Tony Martin
