Bradley Wiggins has written his name in history after becoming the first man to win the Tour de France and Olympic gold in the same year with victory in the Road Cycling Time Trial.

The 32-year-old claimed his fourth Olympic Games gold and seventh medal in all, surpassing Sir Steve Redgrave with a British record haul of Games medals, in an imperious victory.

Wiggins was the penultimate of 37 riders to take to the course and completed the 44km route in 50:39.54 to triumph by 42 seconds, with fellow Briton Chris Froome third in 51:47.87.

World champion Tony Martin of Germany clocked 51:21.54 to claim silver.

Wiggins, who is from London, said: “It’s been an amazing six weeks.

“This was the plan. I’ve answered all the questions in the last six weeks.

“We’ve done it. To win another Olympic title in another event, it’s never, ever going to get any better than that.”

Earlier in the day Team Great Britain had been celebrating its first gold medal of the London 2012 Games - which was swiftly followed by number two courtesy of Wiggins - after Helen Glover and Heather Stanning stormed to victory in the final of the women’s Rowing Pair.

Glover and Stanning dominated the field, winning by more than a length to make history at Eton Dorney as the first British female rowers to be crowned Olympic champions.