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news
BBC SPOTY trophy (picture credit BBC)Bradley Wiggins wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012
Bradley Wiggins has become the third cyclist in five years to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award. The Tour de France and Olympic time trial champion follows in the footsteps of 2008 winner Sir Chris Hoy and last year's victor, Mark Cavendish. Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis was second, with Andy Murray, winner of the men's singles at the Olympics and the US Open, third. Dave Brailsford of Team Sky and British Cycling took the Coach of the Year title, which he had previously won following the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
A cyclist was always hotly tipped for the title, given that Wiggins, Hoy and Sarah Storey made up three of the 12 nominees for the prize.
Dressed in a velvet, double breasted, brass buttoned slim dark suit by Soho tailor Mark Powell and shiny black shoes, Wiggo swaggered up to the stage to the tune of Oasis's Fucking in the Bushes, to introduce himself - the first of the nominees to do so, just as he had been the first British athlete to appear in the London Olympics Opening Ceremony when he rang the bell to get the party started.
He joked that it wasn't an individual effort to achieve the joint Tour and Olympic victories, but, much like Gary Lineker's makeup, it was a team masterpiece, and repeatedly called Sue Barker 'Susan', to the delight of the crowd.
Accepting his prize later, he gave a shout-out to the BBC's free bar backstage, confirming suspicions that he may have familiarised himself with his surroundings at London's Excel before the show got under way.
Wiggins, Storey and Hoy were up against Ennis, Murray, Ellie Simmonds, Katherine Grainger, Ben Ainslie, David Weir, Nicola Adams, Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Rory McIlroy for the prize, returned by the 2011 winner Mark Cavendish.
Golfer McIlroy was the only sportsperson nominated not to have win Olympic or Paralympic gold in London this summer.
The prize was voted for by the audience in a live Eurovision-style phone in, with each personality stating his or her case live on the BBC One programme after a montage of their achievements had been shown.
Hoy, Britain's greatest Olympian, joined the ceremonies live from Perth, Australia, while Sarah Storey, who took 4 Paralympic gold medals this summer, making her one of the most successful Paralympians of all time, wore a black feathered cocktail dress for her appearance.
Had there been a prize for the show-stopping outfit of the night, though, it would almost certainly have gone to the red, figure-hugging dress sported by Ennis. The cheers that greeted her as she walked up to the stage suggested that Wiggins might not be such a clear favourite as many had assumed.
While it has been a golden year for cycling, which quite rightly garnered much of the attention this evening – not all of it welcome, with former Overseas Sports Personality winner Lance Armstrong popping up briefly on screen – it was also an occasion to celebrate all sporting achievement.
None proved more emotional than the story of Martine Wright, who the day after London had been awarded the Games back in 2005 lost both legs in the Aldgate bomb on July 7, and made it her mission to gain a place at the Paralympic Games, which she did in the sitting volleyball event.
Great Britain’s Olympic cyclists were expected to be among the frontrunners for the Team of the Year award, which they had clinched four years ago following their stunning performance at the Beijing Olympics.
However, in contravention of the BBC’s own rules, the award instead went to the whole of Team GB and Paralympics GB, and was accepted on behalf of all of both teams’ athletes by Victoria Pendleton, who described London 2012 as “a once in a lifetime experience.”
The terms and conditions for the Team of the Year award, published on the BBC website, explicitly state: “For the avoidance of doubt this criteria [sic] excludes Team GB/Paralympics GB but includes the likes of British Cycling, Rowing Coxless Four and the European Ryder Cup team.”
It’s a doubly unfortunate gaffe given that the BBC is under particular scrutiny at the moment, as well as the fact that the nomination process for the main award this year had been changed following last year’s controversy over an all-male shortlist.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
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Don't open at Edinburgh Fringe with that one.
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Is that the South Downs or the Wessex Downs?
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Imagine writing such a pathetic, victim-ey article in a national newspaper.
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I got something that'll beat you all .....
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Aggrieved motorists?...
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Wouldn't generalisations about generations be, I don't know, "generationalisations"?
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No chance of that ever being a human being.
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29 comments
Labour to lose the next election since Ed Miliband wanted everyone to back Mo Farah.
I was there in my final role as a Gamesmaker (and what a privilege that was), and for me Martine Wright's speech was the most moving (as was her walk onto the stage). Friends of mine lost their son James Adams in the Russell Square bombing. Martine was truly inspirational that we will not be defeated by terrorism. I had to wipe away a lot of tears.
Dame Martine Wright would be a fitting honour.
Thanks for that Roberj4.
For those of us without a dish or subscription package ITV4 does a fantastic job for the Tour, we just need them to put some of the other events on 'normal' telly.
I know we're biased on here, but even bearing in mind how different challenge each sports is, I don't think any of them have achieved anything like the comprehensive set of wins Bradley did this year, in most case taking the leader's jersey early and holding it through most of the race.
Change of note. Radio 6 on Boxing day at 1pm 'When Bradley Wiggins meet Paul Weller' two hour special. Worth a listen I think
If cycling came to the BBC, it would probably be fronted by Fearne Cotton and Geoff Capes or some other dynamic combination.
Leave Cycling to Eurosport, they're very very good at what they do and the channel comes on all freeview boxes now anyway ^.^
Cycling on the BBC? Big no from me, they'd only ruin it by putting that no nothing whopper Colin Murray on it.
BTW - is anywhere reporting the vote percentages? Just curious.
From the BBC
Total votes: 1,626,718
1. Bradley Wiggins 492,064 (30.25%)
2. Jessica Ennis 372,765 (22.92%)
3. Andy Murray 230,444 (14.17%)
4. Mo Farah 131,327 (8.07%)
5. David Weir 114,633 (7.05%)
6. Ellie Simmonds 102,894 (6.33%)
7. Sir Chris Hoy 42,961 (2.64%)
8. Nicola Adams 35,560 (2.19%)
9. Ben Ainslie 35,373 (2.17%)
10. Rory McIlroy 29,729 (1.83%)
11. Katherine Grainger 28,626 (1.76%)
12. Sarah Storey 10,342 (0.64%)
Anyone else here prevented from voting by a sequence of engaged tones and recorded "not in service" messages?
The less cyclists making guest appearances on lowest common denominator TV the better IMHO. Sadly for the ladies especially who earning potential is relatively poor I am afraid that it will be a trend that we see develop.
The rousing applause that Jess Ennis got had me convinced she was going to pull off the win. I've been amazed for weeks that BW seemed miles ahead of all. A great win.
I read the Terms and Conditions of SPOTY (a little bit) and I'm sure in there a caveat was placed that the expert panel could change the criteria if unanimous. So no cock up by the BEEB from what I saw.
I was really pushing for Brad to win but with the exception of the golfer and tennis player the remaining 10 were all deserving of the win. IMHO of course.
How long before there is a cycling 'Star in a reasonably priced car'? Jeremy cannot go on ignoring them forever. Maybe some have been asked and told him to shove it?
Cav's already done it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLeFYWkzt8g
Its was a a Top Gear Live show rather than the prog
Well done Wiggo and Dave Brailsford!!
What an end to an excellent year for British cycling...
Arise Sir Bradley of Wiggins !
Well done Brad you've done us proud.
Ability, humility and charisma..........and an Austin Powers suit...... BRILLIANT !
"not to have win Olympic or Paralympic gold in London this summer".
Not to be an arse Simon but
They voted for the wrong Scotsman! Andy Murray is like watching paint dry as a personality, this is not an attack on his sporting prowess as he can bat a ball about
. It should have been Storey as well for the clean sweep but I suppose we have to give the joggers something 
like Mrs Wiggins, I was wincing a bit when he started rambling away at the beginning. There was a danger he might blow it with the public by seeming cocky or a bit awkward - like he sometimes does - but it seemed to work out well enough!
More cycling on the BBC would be good. I think itv have had the spring classics in the past - highlights only, but it'll probably mean they get first crack at them. The BBC could probably get the domestic calendar pretty easily though and I'd watch it when I'm not at the roadside.
Fantastic news.
Now all we need to do is get the BBC to show a bit more competitive cycling. (The Spring classics would be a start).
When Tom Simpson won SPOTY in 1965 after winning the Worlds (I of course voted for him) I wrote to the BEEB asking if they would show some cycle racing on tv the following year I got a reply, which in a nutshell was no they had a problem with the sponsors names on clothing sounds a bit silly now, things have improved at the BEEB but we in my opinion are still being shortchanged by them.
Super-happy for Wiggins and delighted that cyclists have won it two years running now.
Did anyone else spot the cut away to Chris Froome's hilariously expressionless face when he was being thanked by Brad?
'Familiarised himself with his surroundings.' Love it. Could this be Road.CC's own version of Private Eye's 'tired and emotional' ? I hope so.
Well done Wiggo; but was he a bit drunk at the start? He called Sue Barker 'Susan' three times. He said he had been to the bar.
Good show much better than the usual TV trash we have to watch on a weekend. Well done to Bradley and David well deserved. Ellis must have been a close call but Brad pipped her to the post down to his smart dress code cos who made Jessica's dress got the 'pointy bits' stitched wrong (my wife made the observation
)
Hooray!
Never mind Gkam, at least you got third place
Well done Bradley and no swearing !!!!!!!!!!
He had Liam Gallagher to do that for him
WELL DONE (he says biting his tongue.....)