Froome completes Tour de France hat-trick

CHRIS FROOME completed a Tour de France hat-trick today after crossing the line on the Champs-Élysées in Paris safely wearing the yellow jersey.

Team Sky cyclist Froome - who previously won the event in 2013 and 2015 - finished more than four minutes ahead of his nearest rivals, Frenchman Romain Bardet and Colombian Nairo Quintana.

Another Briton, Adam Yates of Orica-BikeExchange, was fourth overall and took the white jersey, awarded since 1975 to the Tour's best rider aged under 26.

Those prizes capped another superb three weeks overall for British cycling in a Tour which has featured no fewer than seven stage wins for Britons.

Meanwhile, the two other jersey winners were both from the Tinkoff team. Poland's Rafał Majka took the King of the Mountains award while Slovakian Peter Sagan won a fifth consecutive green jersey in the points competition.

Despite that fact, points jersey rival Mark Cavendish can still be pleased with his efforts over the last few weeks in France.

The Manx Missile won the opening stage to wear yellow himself for the first time ever, and further victories on stages three, six, and 14 took his overall career tally to 30. Only legendary Belgian Eddy Merckx, with 34, now has more.

At the second rest day on 19 July, Cavendish understandably withdrew from this gruelling challenge with a view of turning his focus to the Rio 2016 Olympics, now less than two weeks away.

And so, for now, Froome deservedly takes the limelight. Indeed, of his trio of triumphs, this was surely his most assured.

Froome, in customary style, first took control of this year's contest in the mountains with the pack taking on the Pyrenees from stage eight.

Immediately, Froome sensed a chance to gain an advantage and broke away himself from a breakaway group of 14 riders on the descent into Bagnères-de-Luchon.

His reward was a sixth career stage victory on the Tour - and the still more valuable prize of the yellow jersey and a nascent lead of 16 seconds.

That lead would grow heading out of the mountains on stage 11 between Carcassonne and Montpellier, and then it would increase again in unusual circumstances on what would become a fateful Bastille Day in France.

The course for the stage on 14 July had already been adjusted by Tour organisers with high winds preventing a full ascent to the summit of the notorious Mont Ventoux.

Instead, the 12th stage was shortened by 6 km though it still finished at a height of 1,435 metres (4,708 ft) at Chalet Reynard.

But, while the stage had been cut, the size of the big holiday crowd remained the same, and unfortunately they caused all manner of chaos as the climb reached its climax.

The problems arose when a motorbike in front of the three leading riders of the day - Froome, Richie Porte, and Bauke Mollema - could not get through the throng. On stopping suddenly, all three riders ploughed into the back of the bike and therefore crashed.

Mollema was able to get back in the saddle and quickly ride off, but Porte and Froome were both delayed, especially Froome whose bike was badly damaged.

In remarkable scenes, the defending champion then decided to run up Mont Ventoux, ultimately finishing the stage one minute and 40 seconds behind Mollema. Vitally, the result also meant he provisionally ceded the yellow jersey to Yates.

Unsurprisingly, Team Sky appealed - and, after the incident was reviewed, a jury granted both Froome and Porte the same time as Mollema, who had finished ahead of the main field despite the crash.

The judgement restored the yellow jersey again to Froome, and also gave him time on both Yates and Quintana. It was, no doubt, a moment of relief for the leader.

Overnight, however, came a moment of horror which put any controversy surrounding the timings on the Tour de France firmly into perspective.

In Nice, on the south coast, a 19-tonne cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day by an Islamic State terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel.

The attack, on the Promenade des Anglais in the city centre, killed 84 people and injured 303, and so became the latest in a series of tragedies to scar France.

Undaunted, the show went on - and, on stage 15, Froome made yet more time on his nearest competitors by finishing second in an individual time trial.

At the podium ceremony, however, there was no music played, no presentation of the sponsors, and all the jersey winners walked onto the stage together, in silence.

A few days on the flat allowed the likes of Cavendish and Sagan to take centre stage again briefly.

But, following the second rest day, Froome nailed home his advantage with time gains on stages 17, 18 and 19.

Stage 18, indeed, was a second victory of the race for Froome as he dominated a short mountainous time trial up to the summit of the Côte des Chozeaux.

The lead was up to nearly four minutes, and any chance of the competition reeling in Froome had basically disappeared.

Thereafter, all the 31-year-old had to do was stay upright on his bike heading into Paris - and, unsurprisingly, Froome found such a task to be a breeze.

Drinking beer as well as the traditional champagne as he headed for the Champs-Élysées, Froome was met at the finish line by his wife Michelle and seven-month first child, Kellan.

It was a touching moment - and it was followed by a highly emotional speech in which he thanked his team-mates and his family before paying tribute to the victims in Nice.

Froome may represent British success - but, having become the first man in over 20 years to defend his title legally, he has also now gained legendary status in France.

And, with the French public still impatiently waiting for a first home winner since 1985, that is no mean feat.

DAY-BY-DAY

		Route	Dist	Winner	Yellow jersey	Lead
01	02-Jul	Mont Saint-Michel to Utah Beach, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont	188km	Cavendish	Cavendish	+4"
02	03-Jul	Saint-Lô to Cherbourg-Octeville	183km	Sagan	Sagan	+8"
03	04-Jul	Granville to Angers	223.5km	Cavendish	Sagan	+8"
04	05-Jul	Saumur to Limoges	237.5km	Kittel	Sagan	+12"
05	06-Jul	Limoges to Le Lioran	216km	Van Avermaet	Van Avermaet	+5'11"
06	07-Jul	Arpajon-sur-Cère to Montauban	190.5km	Cavendish	Van Avermaet	+5'11"
07	08-Jul	L'Isle-Jourdain to Lac de Payolle	162.5km	Cummings	Van Avermaet	+5'50"
08	09-Jul	Pau to Bagnères-de-Luchon	184km	Froome	Froome	+16"
09	10-Jul	Vielha Val d'Aran (ESP) to Andorra-Arcalis (AND)	184.5km	Dumoulin	Froome	+16"
Rest	11-Jul	Andorra (rest day)	-
10	12-Jul	Escaldes-Engordany (AND) to Revel	197km	Matthews	Froome	+16"
11	13-Jul	Carcassonne to Montpellier	162.5km	Sagan	Froome	+28"
12	14-Jul	Montpellier to Chalet Reynard	178km	De Gendt	Froome	+47"
13	15-Jul	Bourg-Saint-Andéol to La Caverne du Pont-d'Arc	37.5km	Dumoulin	Froome	+1'47"
14	16-Jul	Montélimar to Villars-les-Dombes	208.5km	Cavendish	Froome	+1'47"
15	17-Jul	Bourg-en-Bresse to Culoz	160km	Pantano	Froome	+1'47"
16	18-Jul	Moirans-en-Montagne to Bern (SUI)	209km	Sagan	Froome	+1'47"
Rest	19-Jul	Bern (SUI) (rest day)	-
17	20-Jul	Bern (SUI) to Finhaut-Émosson (SUI)	184.5km	Zakarin	Froome	+2'27"
18	21-Jul	Sallanches to Megève	17km	Froome	Froome	+3'52"
19	22-Jul	Albertville to Saint-Gervais-les-Bains	146km	Bardet	Froome	+4'11"
20	23-Jul	Megève to Morzine	146.5km	Izagirre	Froome	+4'05"
21	24-Jul	Chantilly to Paris Champs-Élysées	113km	Griepel	Froome	+4'05"

FINAL STANDINGS
General classification Yellow jersey

Pos		Team	Time
(1)	Chris FROOME (GBR)	Team Sky	89h 04'48"
(2)	Romain BARDET (FRA)	AG2R La Mondiale	+4'05"
(3)	Nairo QUINTANA (COL)	Movistar	+4'21"
(4)	Adam YATES (GBR)	Orica-BikeExchange	+4'42"
(5)	Richie PORTE (AUS)	BMC Racing Team	+5'17"

Points classification Green jersey

Pos		Team	Points
(1)	Peter SAGAN (SVK)	Tinkoff	470
(2)	Marcel KITTEL (GER)	Etixx-Quick-Step	228
(3)	Michael MATTHEWS (AUS)	Orica-BikeExchange	199
(4)	André GREIPEL (GER)	Lotto-Soudal	178
(5)	Alexander KRISTOFF (NOR)	Team Katusha	172

Mountains classification Red polka-dot jersey

Pos		Team	Points
(1)	Rafał MAJKA (POL)	Tinkoff	209
(2)	Thomas DE GENDT (BEL)	Lotto-Soudal	130
(3)	Jarlinson PANTANO (COL)	IAM Cycling	121
(4)	Ilnur ZAKARIN (RUS)	Team Katusha	84
(5)	Rui COSTA (POR)	Lampre-Merida	76

Young riders classification White jersey

Pos		Team	Time
(1)	Adam YATES (GBR)	Orica-BikeExchange	89h 09'30"
(2)	Louis MEINTJES (RSA)	Lampre-Merida	+2'16"
(3)	Emanuel BUCHMANN (GER)	Bora-Argon 18	+42'58"
(4)	Warren BARGUIL (FRA)	Giant-Alpecin	+47'32"
(5)	Wilco KELDERMAN (NED)	LottoNL-Jumbo	+1h 19'56"

Tour de France: Froome defeats them all

CHRIS FROOME became a double Tour de France champion on a sodden Champs-Élysées in Paris tonight, overcoming obstacles both on and off the road in a gruelling three-week campaign.

On the road, Froome ultimately finished in a total official time of 81 hours, 56 minutes and 33 seconds - 1'12" ahead of his closest rival, Colombian Nairo Quintana.

Moreover, Froome became the first man since the legendary Belgian Eddy Merckx in 1970 to win the general classification and the King of the Mountains prize in the same year.

Notably, this was also Team Sky's third overall victory in the last four years after Sir Bradley Wiggins' win in 2012 and Froome's first in 2013. However, success for Team Sky and Froome, in particular, has come at a cost.

For, in the past three weeks, the Kenya-born Briton has been subject to some of the most vile abuse in the Tour's 112-year history.

Some members of the crowd have spat at him and, in one particularly nasty incident, a cup of urine was chucked at him by a man accusing him of being a doper.

The assaults became so bad that Tour race director Christian Prudhomme demanded that the French public show respect to all of the competitors and especially the yellow jersey. Meanwhile, Froome began a stage in Mende surrounded by gendarmes.

Unsurprisingly, just as he did two years ago, the 30-year-old also went to some lengths to deny the accusations of his detractors.

But, as Team Sky general manager Sir Dave Brailsford has said, it is difficult to "prove" a negative.

That has not stopped Sky trying their best to end the rumours - and, in an unprecedented move, the team published some of Froome's performance data before calling on others to do the same.

Nevertheless, even the equivalent of a Formula One team allowing its rivals to look at its technical data has clearly not been enough to satisfy some critics - and Froome is aware that they are unlikely ever to be convinced.

Perhaps the most obvious explanation for the French hatred of Froome is petty jealousy - for, while he has won their race twice since 2013, it is now 30 years since France last toasted a home-grown success.

Of course, public opinion rarely suddenly springs from absolutely nowhere, and Team Sky has angrily made its position quite clear on some of the disreputable reporting by host broadcaster France 2.

It has not helped either that the likes of serial doper Lance Armstrong and accused cheat Laurent Jalabert have cast their own doubts.

Banned Armstrong even had the audacity to turn up and ride part of this year's Tour route, albeit in a private capacity for charity purposes.

Overall, though, Armstrong's presence anywhere near the race casts a shadow which it is still struggling to shrug off - and which, in turn, gives false credence to Froome's accusers.

After all, it only took one phenomenal performance from him - on Bastille Day - for them all to crawl out of the woodwork.

The Tour, which this year had began in the Netherlands for the sixth time in its history, had made its way across the north of France via several crashes caused by difficult crosswinds.

Froome had briefly worn yellow after the third day before German sprinter Tony Martin enjoyed the flat stages out in front prior to crashing out.

Then, on 14 July, Froome made his move. Up the Col de Soudet on the way into La Pierre Saint-Martin, high in the Pyrenees, he destroyed the field and finished the day with a lead of nigh on three minutes.

It was a brilliant performance by Froome, one which matched his attack on Mont Ventoux which all but won him the race in 2013, and none of his rivals for the yellow jersey - Quintana, reigning champ Vincent Nibali or Alberto Contador - got anywhere near his pace.

Suddenly, it was all about countering rumours and protecting the lead for Team Sky, although Froome did actually extend his advantage further on stage 14 on the Côte de la Croix Neuve.

That stage also saw Merseysider Steve Cummings win in the Tour de France for the first time ever, while Manx Missile Mark Cavendish had earlier won his 26th individual stage in a sprint to Fougères.

For Froome, however, success or failure would ultimately be decided in the Alps - and, on stage 19, Nibali and Quintana had nibbled into his lead a little.

Inevitably then, it would all come down to the climb up the Alpe d'Huez on the penultimate day yesterday, in what is very much the blue ribbon event of the Tour de France in general.

This time, Froome was in defensive mode, ready to shut down any attacks by his closest rival Quintana but not willing to expend potentially needed energy by attacking from the front.

For a while, Froome had the situation under control - but, aware he was running out of opportunities, Quintana was relentless in his approach and eventually opened up a gap of around 30 seconds.

The Colombian then stretched his lead and Froome - with his Sky team-mates Richie Porte and Wouter Poels - had to work hard to limit any losses.

They knew, however, if they could do this that victory would be theirs. This was, after all, Quintana's very last chance.

Amid a lot of tension, Froome - emotionally and physically exhausted - did indeed succeed in his task on the Alpe, and Quintana eventually was only able to take 86 seconds out of the Briton's lead of 2'38".

All that was left for Froome to do this evening was to make the short ride into the damp streets of Paris while sipping the sweet taste of champagne and the even sweeter taste of success.

For, let there be no doubt about it - this victory, for Froome and for Team Sky, was particularly sweet.

DAY-BY-DAY

		Route	Dist	Winner	Yellow jersey	Lead
01	04-Jul	Utrecht (time-trial)	13.8km	Rohan Dennis	Rohan Dennis	+5"
02	05-Jul	Utrecht to Zeeland	166km	André Griepel	Fabian Cancellara	+3"
03	06-Jul	Antwerp to Huy	159.5km	Joaquim Rodríguez	Chris Froome	+1"
04	07-Jul	Seraing to Cambrai	223.5km	Tony Martin	Tony Martin	+12"
05	08-Jul	Arras to Amiens	189.5km	André Griepel	Tony Martin	+12"
06	09-Jul	Abbeville to Le Harve	191.5km	Zdeněk Štybar	Tony Martin	+12"
07	10-Jul	Livarot to Fougères	190.5km	Mark Cavendish	Chris Froome	+11"
08	11-Jul	Rennes to Mûr-de-Bretagne	181.5km	Alexis Vuillermoz	Chris Froome	+11"
09	12-Jul	Vannes to Plumelec (team time-trial)	28km	BMC Racing	Chris Froome	+12"
Rest	13-Jul	Pau	-
10	14-Jul	Tarbes to La Pierre Saint-Martin	167km	Chris Froome	Chris Froome	+2'52"
11	15-Jul	Pau to Cauterets	188km	Rafał Majka	Chris Froome	+2'52"
12	16-Jul	Lannemezan to Plateau de Beille	195km	Joaquim Rodríguez	Chris Froome	+2'52"
13	17-Jul	Muret to Rodez	198.5km	Greg Van Avermaet	Chris Froome	+2'52"
14	18-Jul	Rodez to Mende	178.5km	Steve Cummings	Chris Froome	+3'10"
15	19-Jul	Mende to Valence	183km	André Griepel	Chris Froome	+3'10"
16	20-Jul	Bourg-de-Péage to Gap	201km	Rubén Plaza	Chris Froome	+3'10"
Rest	21-Jul	Gap	-
17	22-Jul	Digne-les-Bains to Pra Loup	161km	Simon Geschke	Chris Froome	+3'10"
18	23-Jul	Gap to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne	186.5km	Romain Bardet	Chris Froome	+3'10"
19	24-Jul	Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Les Sybelles	138km	Vincenzo Nibali	Chris Froome	+2'38"
20	25-Jul	Modane to Alpe d'Huez	110.5km	Thibaut Pinot	Chris Froome	+1'12"
21	26-Jul	Sèvres to Paris	109.5km	André Griepel	Chris Froome	+1'12"

FINAL STANDINGS
General classification Yellow jersey

Pos		Team	Time
(1)	Chris FROOME (GBR)	Team Sky	81h 56'33"
(2)	Nairo QUINTANA (COL)	Movistar	+1'12"
(3)	Alejandro VALVERDE (ESP)	Movistar	+5'25"
(4)	Vincenzo NIBALI (ITA)	Astana	+8'36"
(5)	Alberto CONTANDOR (ESP)	Tinkoff-Saxo	+9'48"

Points classification Green jersey

Pos		Team	Points
(1)	Peter SAGAN (SVK)	Tinkoff-Saxo	432
(2)	André GRIEPEL (GER)	Lotto-Soudal	366
(3)	John DEGENKOLB (GER)	Giant-Alpecin	298
(4)	Mark CAVENDISH (GBR)	Etixx-Quick Step	206
(5)	Bryan COQUARD (FRA)	Team Europcar	152

Mountains classification Red polka-dot jersey

Pos		Team	Points
(1)	Chris FROOME (GBR)	Team Sky	119
(2)	Nairo QUINTANA (COL)	Movistar	108
(3)	Romain BARDET (FRA)	AG2R La Mondiale	90
(4)	Thibaut PINOT (FRA)	FDJ	82
(5)	Joaquim RODRIGUEZ (ESP)	Katusha	78

Young riders classification White jersey

Pos		Team	Time
(1)	Nairo QUINTANA (COL)	Movistar	81h 57'45"
(2)	Romain BARDET (FRA)	AG2R La Mondiale	+14'48"
(3)	Warren BARGUIL (FRA)	Giant-Alpecin	+30'03"
(4)	Thibaut PINOT (FRA)	FDJ	+37'40"
(5)	Bob JUNGELS (NED)	Trek Factory	+1h 32'09"

Yorkshire ready for t'Grand Départ

Buttertub Pass, Yorkshire Dales

CHRIS FROOME begins the defence of his Tour de France title tomorrow as the world's biggest annual sporting event starts in the unfamiliar surroundings of Yorkshire.

It is actually not that unusual for the Grand Départ of Le Tour to take place outside of France - in fact, this will be the 20th occurrence since idea was first implemented in Amsterdam in 1954.

And, largely done for financial gain by aiming to spread interest in the event, this will be the fourth time that Le Tour has come to Britain.

In 1974, the race visited for the first time with a one-day circuit stage in Plymouth - while the other two previous occasions are both in the last 20 years.

In 1994, Le Tour celebrated the opening of the Channel Tunnel with stages in Dover and Portsmouth.

Meanwhile, in 2007, London hosted the Grand Départ with a prologue time-trial before a full stage to Canterbury in Kent the next day.

It seems quite appropriate in a way for Le Tour to begin in Britain this year considering this country's recent success in the event.

Indeed, after 99 editions without a British winner, the last two have been won by Sir Bradley Wiggins in 2012 and Kenya-born Froome last year.

Of course, this has had the consequent effect of producing a simmering rivalry between the Team Sky team-mates - and, to some discord, it is Wiggins who has been dropped from the squad for 2014.

Olympic champion Wiggins now seems certain to move onto pastures new - but Froome will not bother himself worrying about that: he has a maillot jaune to retain.

The maillot jaune - or yellow jersey - is won by the leader of the general classification, i.e. the rider who has taken, cumulatively, the least amount of time to complete the race.

The three other jerseys are the maillot blanc - the white jersey - used to denote the best-placed rider under 26 years of age; the maillot a pois - the polka-dot jersey - worn by the King of the Mountains, the rider who has performed best on the mountain stage; and the maillot vert - the green jersey.

The green jersey is given to the rider who has picked up the most points during Le Tour, gained by winning stages and being the first to reach various points along the route. It rewards consistently good finishers and is usually won by a sprinter.

Britain has also had success in this category in recent years with Mark Cavendish winning it in 2011.

The Manxman, who has 25 stage wins altogether, was also an overall runner-up in 2009, 2010 and last year. Slovakian Peter Sagan, who has won for the last two years, is the man to beat.

The route: from Yorkshire to Paris
To begin its latest visit to Britain, Le Tour sets off from Harewood in West Yorkshire after a ceremonial roll-out from the city of Leeds.

The opening day finishes in the pretty spa town of Harrogate before the riders reconvene in York city centre on Sunday for a tougher second stage to Sheffield.

On the way to the Steel City, the competitors will ride right through Bronte country, visiting Haworth itself and then later Holmfirth where the Last of the Summer Wine was set.

And, having survived the treacherous cross-winds across the moors, the field may be split again as they take on Jenkin Road in Sheffield, a notoriously steep hill with a 33% gradient.

The peloton get it easier on day three, a largely flat stage, which sets off from the famously cycle-friendly university city of Cambridge and finishes outside of Buckingham Palace on the Mall in London.

Instead, all the attention will be specifically on the sprinters - and Britain's Cavendish in particular.

Cavendish failed to feature on the Mall in the closing stages of the London 2012 Olympics road race - so this particular stage offers him a chance of redemption ahead of Le Tour's return to mainland Europe from stage four.

But, even with the move back across the Channel, the rest of the race will not be exclusively held in France.

Stage five begins in Ypres, Belgium, in a commemorative nod to the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War One.

And, just like in Sheffield, Le Tour can easily be lost early on here, as the riders nimbly take on nine cobbled sections, wary of punctures and skids.

On day six, there will be more World War One remembrance with a départ in Arras and finish in Reims - before the race heads into the Alps on stage 13.

Coming out of the Alps after just two days, most of the climbing action this year is actually set in the Pyrenees - with stage 16 heading off from Carcassonne, a beautiful fairytale-like walled town.

Then, just before the finish, there may be a late twist in the tale in a 54km time trial between Bergerac and Périgueux.

This is the only time trial of any kind on the 2014 circuit and offers the chasing pack one final chance of reeling in a leader ahead of the ceremonial final stage on the Champs Élysée in Paris.

It is a gruelling three weeks with no guarantees - so tune in to daily coverage on ITV4 and British Eurosport to find out if the champagne flows for Froome again.

STAGE BY STAGE Tour de France 2014

(1)	05-Jul	Leeds (UK) - Harrogate (UK)	191km
(2)	06-Jul	York (UK) - Sheffield (UK)	198km
(3)	07-Jul	Cambridge (UK) - London (UK)	159km
(4)	08-Jul	Le Touquet-Paris-Plage - Lille	164km
(5)	09-Jul	Ypres (BEL) - Arenberg Porte du Hainaut	156km
(6)	10-Jul	Arras - Reims	194km
(7)	11-Jul	Épernay - Nancy	233km
(8)	12-Jul	Tomblaine - Gérardmer La Mauselaine	161km
(9)	13-Jul	Gérardmer - Mulhouse	166km
(10)	14-Jul	Mulhouse - La Planche des Belles Filles	161km
(-)	15-Jul	Rest day
(11)	16-Jul	Besançon - Oyonnax	186km
(12)	17-Jul	Bourg-en-Bresse - Saint-Étienne	183km
(13)	18-Jul	Saint-Étienne - Chamrousse	200km
(14)	19-Jul	Grenoble - Risoul	177km
(15)	20-Jul	Tallard - Nîmes	222km
(-)	21-Jul	Rest day
(16)	22-Jul	Carcassonne - Bagnères-de-Luchon	237km
(17)	23-Jul	Saint Gaudens - Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d'Adet	125km
(18)	24-Jul	Pau - Hautacam	145km
(19)	25-Jul	Maubourguet Pays du Val d'Adour - Bergerac	208km
(20)	26-Jul	Bergerac - Périgueux (time trial)	54km
(21)	27-Jul	Évry - Champs Élysée, Paris	136km

Froome for another

CHRIS FROOME kept the Tour de France title in British hands after the traditional victory procession for the leader through Paris brought the 100th edition of the race to a close.

Froome saw off his closest rivals for the maillot jaune - Colombian Nairo Quintana and Spaniard Joaquim Rodríguez - by 4:20" and 5:04" respectively.

Meanwhile, another Spanish contender, two-time winner Alberto Contador finished fourth in the general classification, 6:27" off the pace over the 21 stages.

This was as convincing a win as it was going to get for the Kenya-born cyclist who went mountain biking as a teenager in the rural highlands, north of the capital Nairobi.

And that early training would prove absolutely vital for the toughest Tour route in living memory, without doubt a more difficult route than Sir Bradley Wiggins faced last year.

Of course, that fact should in no way denigrate Wiggins' achievement of becoming the first British cyclist to win the Tour last year, before he went on to win gold at the London Olympics.

Rather, it is an accurate assessment of the difficulties which Froome faced in his efforts to ensure that the very British cliché about London buses rang true.

Britain had waited 98 years for a winner of the Le Tour; now there has been two in a row.

Starting on the island of Corsica for the first time in history, the race got off to an inauspicious start for Froome when he crashed in the neutral zone before the race started in Porto-Vecchio.

Thankfully, no serious damage was done - and, following Sky's third place in the team time trial in Nice on day four, Froome was already well-placed in seventh overall, with support from Australian team-mate Richie Porte.

On stage eight, the first in the Pyrenees, Froome launched his first major attack of the Tour on the climb to the summit finish at Ax 3 Domaines.

It worked. The offensive strategy was a significant early success, and a devastating blow to the confidence of his rivals, none of whom could match his pace.

But, just as quickly as Froome had built his advantage, it was almost lost as Team Sky riders dropped like flies early on the following day.

Froome was suddenly horribly exposed and 23-year-old Quintana, in particular, proved a menace by continuously attacking with his team Movistar.

However, Froome - entirely against the odds - chased Quintana down to hold on, and he ultimately extended his lead in the General Classification after his team-mate Porte's terrible day in the saddle.

It was a brilliant defensive ride by the leader, arguably more important than his stage win 24 hours earlier, and at least there was a rest day to recover immediately afterwards.

On the resumption, Froome's next big day came in stage 11 - an individual time-trial to Mont-Saint-Michel in which he excelled, finishing second behind German Tony Martin to extend his overall lead past three minutes.

But, on flat stage 13, that was cut by 69 seconds as crosswinds split the peloton, and Bauke Mollema and Contador gained vital time, with an ailing Team Sky unable to respond.

Nevertheless, there was still some British success to celebrate heading into Saint-Amand-Montrond as Mark Cavendish chalked up his 25th stage win since 2008.

Otherwise, though, the Manx Missile will not look back on the last three weeks with particular fondness.

Stage 13 would ultimately be his only win and, on stage 11, he had to contend with being booed while, disgustingly, he also had urine thrown at him by a spectator.

Back to Froome - and the pressure was now on, his lead having been cut as the riders lined up for a race-defining stage up Mont Ventoux on Bastille Day.

Froome was brilliant and attacked up the exposed peak, overtaking Quintana in the run-in to win the stage by 29 seconds and stretch his overall lead back over four minutes.

The ascent of Mont Ventoux achieved notoriety, 46 years earlier on 13 July 1967, when it claimed the life of Britain's first world road race champion Tommy Simpson.

Simpson died close to the summit after taking a cocktail of amphetamines and alcohol - and there is a permanent memorial near to where he perished.

Such was Froome's dominance that it was perhaps inevitable awkward questions would be asked. Could his success - and that of Team Sky, led by Team GB performance director Sir Dave Brailsford, actually be attributed to doping?

The response was unequivocal and understandably angry.

Following Mont Ventoux, Brailsford said: "We have a great performance and I jump for joy and 10 minutes later I guarantee I will be answering these allegations and questions about doping for the next few days.”

Meanwhile, Froome added: "I just think it's quite sad that we're sitting here the day after the biggest victory of my life, a historic win, talking about doping.

"My team-mates and I have been away from home for months training together and working our arses off to get here, and here I am accused of being a cheat and a liar."

But, if Froome had been angered by the ongoing insinuations, he would prove over the final few days that they had not shaken him. 

On stage 17, an unusual mountain time trial, Froome took his third stage win of the Tour thanks to a combination of powerful riding and canny strategy.

Trailing his rival Contador throughout, an inspired swap to a time trial bike before the second of two category two climbs was probably the difference and he secured a nine-second win to put his overall advantage at 4:34".

For his rivals, Froome was still just about in reach, particularly as the centrepiece stage of the Tour was still to come.

The famous Alpe d'Huez would be climbed not once - but twice - to celebrate the 100th edition. It was, as one commentator described it, 42 hairpins of hell.

Froome, however, coped generally well - and, despite a 20-second penalty for taking on food in the final 5km of the stage, he still extended his lead by 37 seconds.

Some considered Froome's energy bar consumption as a rare sign of weakness but, in reality, it was probably another example of a shrewd tactical mind.

Without the extra energy, it was very possible that he would have lost more time than the penalty which was deducted from him. As it was, he was now in a formidable position with a lead of over five minutes.

Two more days in the Alps and, despite Quintana's win in stage 20, Froome's third-place finish meant that there was no significant bite into his advantage.

All he had to do tonight was remain upright on the cobbles of the Champs-Elysées, while sipping on champagne.

Mission accomplished. From Wiggins's super-domestique - and a second-placed finish - in 2012 to the maillot jaune champion of 2013. 

As the French say themselves, "Chapeau! à M. Froome".


OVERALL CLASSIFICATION Maillot Jaune

1	Chris FROOME (Gbr)	Team Sky	83 hours 56 minutes 40 seconds
2	Nairo QUINTANA (Col)	Movistar	+4:20
3	Joaquim RODRIGUEZ (Esp)	Katusha	+5:04
4	Alberto CONTADOR (Esp)	Saxo-Tinkoff	+6:27
5	Roman KRUEZIGER (Cze)	Saxo-Tinkoff	+7:27

STAGE-BY-STAGE Tour de France 2013

(1)	29 June	Porto-Vecchio - Bastia	213km	Marcel Kittel (Ger)	Kittel
(2)	30 June	Bastia - Ajaccio	156km	Jan Bakelants (Bel)	Bakelants
(3)	1 July	Ajaccio - Calvi	146km	Simon Gerrans (Aus)	Bakelants
(4)	2 July	Nice - Nice (team TT)	25km	Orica-GreenEDGE	Gerrans
(5)	3 July	Cagnes-sur-Mer - Marseille	229km	Mark Cavendish (Gbr)	Gerrans
(6)	4 July	Aix-en-Provence - Montpellier	177km	Andre Greipel (Ger)	Impey
(7)	5 July	Montpellier - Albi	206km	Peter Sagan (Svk)	Impey
(8)	6 July	Castres - Ax 3 Domaines	195km	Chris Froome (Gbr)	Froome
(9)	7 July	Saint Girons - Bagneres-de-Bigorre	169km	Daniel Martin (Ire)	Froome
(10)	9 July	Saint Gildas-des-Bois - Saint Malo	197km	Marcel Kittel (Ger)	Froome
(11)	10 July	Avranches - Mont Saint-Michel (TT)	33km	Tony Martin (Ger)	Froome
(12)	11 July	Fougeres - Tours	218km	Marcel Kittel (Ger)	Froome
(13)	12 July	Tours - Saint-Amand-Montrond	173km	Mark Cavendish (Gbr)	Froome
(14)	13 July	Saint-Pourcain-sur-Sioule - Lyon	191km	Matteo Trentin (Ita)	Froome
(15)	14 July	Givors - Mont Ventoux	243km	Chris Froome (Gbr)	Froome
(16)	16 July	Vaison-La-Romaine - Gap	168km	Rui Costa (Por)	Froome
(17)	17 July	Embrun - Chorges (TT)	32km	Chris Froome (Gbr)	Froome
(18)	18 July	Gap - Alpe d'Huez	173km	Christophe Riblon (Fra)	Froome
(19)	19 July	Le Bourg-d'Oisans - Le Grand-Bornand	205km	Rui Costa (Por)	Froome
(20)	20 July	Annecy - Mont Semnoz	125km	Nairo Quintana (Col)	Froome
(21)	21 July	Versailles - Paris	134km	Marcel Kittel (Ger)	Froome

JERSEY WEARERS The winners

Yellow	General Classification	Chris FROOME (Gbr)
Green	Points Classification	Peter SAGAN (Svk)
Red polka dot	Mountains Classification	Nairo QUINTANA (Col)
White	Young Rider (under-26) Classification	Nairo QUINTANA (Col)
Black-on-yellow number	Team Classification	Team SAXO-TINKOFF (Den)
White-on-red number	Combativity Award	Christophe RIBLON (Fra)

London 2012 Olympics: An unofficial sport-by-sport guide

ARCHERY

Total Golds: 4
Venue: Lord's cricket ground
Events: Men's individual and team, Women's individual and team.
Key dates:
Sat 28 July Men's team final
Sun 29 July Women's team final
Thu 2 August Women's individual final
Fri 3 August Men's individual final

Team GB: Laurence Godfrey, Simon Terry, Alan Wills; Naomi Folkard, Amy Oliver, Alison Williamson

ATHLETICS - TRACK
Total Golds: 29
Venue: Olympic Stadium
Events:
Men 100m (Sun 5 August), 200m (Wed 8 August), 400m (Mon 6 August), 800m (Wed 8 August), 1500m (Tue 7 August), 5000m (Sat 11 August), 10000m (Sat 4 August), 110m hurdles (Wed 8 August), 400m hurdles (Mon 6 August), 3000m steeplechase (Sun 5 August), 4x100m relay (Sat 11 August), 4x400m relay (Fri 10 August), Marathon (Sun 12 August), 20km walk (Sat 4 August), 50km walk (Sat 11 August)
Women 100m (Sat 4 August), 200m (Wed 8 August), 400m (Sun 5 August), 800m (Sat 11 August), 1500m (Fri 10 August), 5000m (Fri 10 August), 10000m (Fri 3 August), 100m hurdles (Wed 8 August), 400m hurdles (Tue 7 August), 3000m steeplechase (Mon 6 August), 4x100m relay (Fri 10 August), 4x400m relay (Sat 11 August), Marathon (Sun 5 August), 20km walk (Sat 11 August)
Key dates:
- Finals dates for each event stated above in parentheses 

Team GB (men): Adam Gemili (100m, 4x100m), Dwain Chambers (100m, 4x100m), James Dasaolu (100m, 4x100m), Christian Malcolm (200m, 4x100m), James Ellington (200m, 4x100m), Martyn Rooney (400m, 4x400m), Conrad Williams (400m, 4x400m), Nigel Levine (400m, 4x400m), Andrew Osagie (800m), Gareth Warburton (800m), Michael Rimmer (800m), Ross Murray (1500m), Andrew Baddeley (1500m), Nick McCormick (5000m), Mo Farah (500m, 10000m), Chris Thompson (10000m), Stuart Stokes (3000m steeplechase), Lawrence Clarke (110m hurdles), Andrew Pozzi (110m hurdles), Andy Turner (110m hurdles), Dai Greene (400m hurdles, 4x400m), Jack Green (400m hurdles, 4x400m), Rhys Williams (400m hurdles), Scott Overall (marathon), Lee Merrien (marathon);

Team GB (women): Abi Oyepitan (100m, 200m), Anyika Onuora (100m, 200m), Margaret Adeoye (200m), Christine Ohuruogu (400m, 4x400m), Shana Cox (400m, 4x400m), Lee McConnell (400m, 4x400m), Lynsey Sharp (800m), Laura Weightman (1500m), Lisa Dobriskey (1500m), Hannah England (1500m), Jo Pavey (5000m, 10000m), Julia Bleasdale (5000m, 10000m), Barbara Parker (5000m, 3000m steeplechase), Eilish McColgan (3000m steeplechase), Johanna Jackson (20km walk), Tiffany Porter (100m hurdles), Perri Shakes-Drayton (400m hurdles), Eilidh Child (400m hurdles), Paula Radcliffe (marathon), Mara Yamauchi (marathon), Claire Hallissey (marathon)

ATHLETICS - FIELD
Total Golds: 18
Venue: Olympic Stadium
Events:
Men High jump (Tue 7 August), Long jump (Sat 4 August), Triple jump (Thu 9 August), Pole vault (Fri 10 August), Shot put (Fri 3 August), Discus throw (Tue 7 August), Hammer throw (Sun 5 August), Javelin throw (Sat 11 August), Decathlon (Wed-Thu 8-9 August)
Women High jump (Sat 11 August), Long jump (Wed 8 August), Triple jump (Sun 5 August), Pole vault (Mon 6 August), Shot put (Mon 6 August), Discus throw (Sat 4 August), Hammer throw (Fri 10 August), Javelin throw (Thu 9 August), Heptathlon (Sat-Sun 3-4 August)
Key dates:
- Finals dates for each event stated above in parentheses

Team GB (men): Philips Idowu (triple jump), Greg Rutherford (long jump), Chris Tomlinson (long jump), Brett Morse (discus), Abdul Buhari (discus), Lawrence Okoye (discus), Robbie Grabarz (high jump), Steven Lewis (pole vault), Mervyn Luckwell (javelin), Carl Myerscough (shot put), Alex Smith (hammer), Daniel Awde (decathlon)

Team GB (women): Goldie Sayers (javelin), Yamile Aldama (triple jump), Holly Bleasdale (pole vault), Kate Dennison (pole vault), Sophie Hitchon (hammer), Shara Proctor (long jump), Jessica Ennis (heptathlon), Louise Hazel (heptathlon), Katarina Johnson-Thompson (heptathlon)

  
BADMINTON
Total Golds: 5
Venue: Wembley Arena
Events: Men's singles, men's doubles, Women's singles, women's doubles, Mixed doubles
Key dates:
Fri 3 August Mixed doubles final
Sat 4 August Women's singles, women's doubles finals
Sun 5 August Men's singles, men's doubles finals

Team GB: Rajiv Ouseph (men's singles), Susan Egelstaff (women's singles), Chris Adcock/Imogen Bankier (mixed doubles)

BASKETBALL
Total Golds: 2
Venue: The O2 Arena (North Greenwich Arena)
Events: Men's competition (12 teams), women's competition (12 teams)
Key dates:
Sat 28 July Team GB women v Australia (group match)
Sun 29 July Team GB men v Russia (group match)
Mon 30 July Team GB women v Canada (group match)
Tue 31 July Team GB men v Brazil (group match)
Wed 1 August Team GB women v Russia (group match)
Thu 2 August Team GB men v Spain (group match)
Fri 3 August Team GB women v France (group match)
Sat 4 August Team GB men v Australia (group match)
Sun 5 August Team GB women v Brazil (group match)
Mon 6 August Team GB men v China (group match)
Sat 11 August Women's final
Sun 12 August Men's final

Team GB (men's squad): Kieron Achara, Robert Archibald, Eric Boateng, Dan Clark, Luol Deng, Joel Freeland, Kyle Johnson, Andrew Lawrence, Mike Lenzly, Pops Mensa-Bonsu, Nate Reinking, Andrew Sullivan

Team GB (women's squad): Dominique Allen, Rose Anderson, Kim Butler, Stef Collins, Temi Fagbenle, Chantelle Handy, Jo Leedham, Julie Page, Natalie Stafford, Azania Stewart, Rachael Vanderwal, Jenaya Wade-Fray

BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Total Golds: 2
Venue: Horse Guards Parade
Events: Men's competition (24 teams), women's competition (24 teams)
Key dates:
Sat 28 July Team GB men v Binstock-Reader (Canada) (group stage)
Sun 29 July Team GB women v Lessard-Martin (Canada) (group stage)
Mon 30 July Team GB men v Cunha-Santos (Brazil) (group stage)
Tue 31 July Team GB women v Cicolari-Menegatti (Italy) (group stage)
Wed 1 August Team GB men v Skarlund-Spinnangr (Norway) (group stage)
Thu 2 August Team GB women v Khomyakova-Ukolova (Russia) (group stage)
Wed 8 August Women's final
Thu 9 August Men's final

Team GB: John Garcia Thompson/Steve Grotowski; Zara Dampney/Shauna Mullin

BOXING
Total Golds: 13
Venue: ExCel Exhibition Centre
Events:
- Men: Light flyweight (49kg), Flyweight (52kg), Bantamweight (56kg), Lightweight (60kg), Light welterweight (64kg), Welterweight (69kg), Middleweight (75kg), Light heavyweight (81kg), Heavyweight (91kg), Super heavyweight (+91kg)
- Women: Flyweight (51kg), Lightweight (60kg), Middleweight (75kg)
Key dates:
Thu 9 August All three Women's finals
Sat 11 August Men's finals at Light flyweight, Bantamweight, Light welterweight, Middleweight, and Heavyweight
Sun 12 August Men's finals at Flyweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, Light heavyweight, and Super heavyweight

Team GB (men): Andrew Selby (flyweight), Luke Campbell (bantamweight), Josh Taylor (lightweight), Tom Stalker (light welterweight), Fred Evans (welterweight), Anthony Ogogo (middleweight), Anthony Joshua (super heavyweight) 

Team GB (women): Nicola Adams (flyweight), Natasha Jonas (lightweight), Savannah Marshall (middleweight)

CANOEING - SLALOM
Total Golds: 4
Venue: Lee Valley White Water Centre
Events: Men's C-1, Men's C-2, Men's K-1, Women's K-1
Key dates:
Tue 31 July Men's C-1
Wed 1 August Men's K-1
Thu 2 August Men's C-2, Women's K-1

Team GB: Richard Hounslow (K-1), David Florence (C-1), Richard Hounslow/David Florence (C-2), Tim Baillie/Etienne Stott (C-2); Lizzie Neave (K-1)

CANOEING - SPRINT
Total Gold: 12
Venue: Eton Dorney, Berkshire
Events: Men's C-1 200m, Men's C-1 1000m, Men's C-2 1000m, Men's K-1 200m, Men's K-1 1000m, Men's K-2 200m, Men's K-2 1000m, Men's K-4 1000m; Women's K-1 200m, Women's K-1 500m, Women's K-2 500m, Women's K-4 500m
Key dates:
Wed 8 August Men's C-1 1000m, Men's K-1 1000m, Men's K-2 1000m, Women's K-4 500m
Thu 9 August Men's C-2 1000m, Men's K-4 1000m, Women's K-1 500m, Women's K-2 500m
Sat 11 August Men's C-1 200m, Men's K-1 200m, Men's K-2 200m, Women's K-1 200m

Team GB: Edward McKeever (K-1 200m), Liam Heath/Jonathan Schofield (K-2 200m), Tim Brabants (K-1 1000m), Richard Jefferies (C-1 200m, C-1 1000m); Jessica Walker (K-1 200m), Rachel Cawthorn (K-1 500m), Abigail Edmonds (K-2 500m), Jessica Walker/Rachel Cawthorn/Angela Hannah/Louise Sawers (K-4 500m)

CYCLING - BMX, MOUNTAIN BIKE, ROAD
Total Golds: 8
Venue: London Velopark
Events:
- BMX - Men's event, Women's event
- Mountain Bike - Men's cross-country, Women's cross-country
- Road - Men's road race, Men's time trial, Women's road race, Women's time trial
Key dates:
Sat 28 July Men's road race
Sun 29 July Women's road race
Wed 1 August Men's time trial, Women's time trial
Fri 10 August Men's BMX final, Women's BMX final
Sat 11 August Women's cross-country
Sun 12 August Men's cross country

Team GB (men): Liam Phillips (BMX), Liam Killeen (cross-country), Mark Cavendish, Chris Froome, David Millar, Ian Stannard, Bradley Wiggins (road race), Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggins (time trial)

Team GB (women): Shanaze Reade (BMX), Annie Last (cross-country), Lizzie Armitstead, Nicole Cooke, Lucy Martin, Emma Pooley (road race), Lizzie Armitstead, Emma Pooley (time trial)

CYCLING - TRACK
Total Golds: 10
Venue: London Velopark
Events:
- Men: Keirin, Omnium, Sprint, Team sprint, Team pursuit
- Women: Keirin, Omnium, Sprint, Team sprint, Team pursuit
Key dates:
Thu 2 August Men's team sprint final, Women's team sprint final
Fri 3 August Men's team pursuit final, Women's Keirin final
Sat 4 August Women's team pursuit final
Sun 5 August Men's Omnium scratch race
Mon 6 August Men's sprint final
Tue 7 August Men's Keirin final, Women's Omnium scratch race, Women's sprint final

Team GB (men): Philip Hindes, Sir Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny (sprints); Steven Burke, Ed Clancy, Peter Kennaugh, Andy Tennant, Geraint Thomas (endurance)

Team GB (women): Victoria Pendleton, Jessica Varnish (sprints); Wendy Houvenaghel, Dani King, Laura Trott, Joanna Rowsell (endurance)

DIVING
Total Golds: 8
Venue: Aquatics Centre
Events:
- Men: 3m springboard (Tue 7 August), 10m platform (Sat 11 August), synchronised 3m springboard (Wed 1 August), synchornised 10m platform (Mon 30 July)
- Women: 3m springboard (Sun 5 August), 10m platform (Thu 9 August), synchronised 3m springboard (Sun 29 July), synchornised 10m platform (Tue 31 July)
Key dates:
- Finals dates for each event stated above in parantheses

Team GB (men): Tom Daley (10m indiv, 10m synch), Peter Waterfield (10m indiv, 10m synch), Chris Mears (3m indiv, 3m synch), Nick Robinson-Baker (3m synch), Jack Laugher (3m indiv)

Team GB (women): Alicia Blagg/Rebecca Gallantree (3m synch), Hannah Starling (3m indiv), Tonia Couch/Sarah Barrow (10m synch), Stacie Powell (10m indiv), Monique Gladding (10m indiv)

EQUESTRIAN
Total Golds: 6
Venue: Greenwich Park
Events: Individual and team dressage, Individual and team jumping, Individual and team eventing
Key dates:
Tue 31 July Individual and team eventing finals
Mon 6 August Team jumping final
Tue 7 August Team dressage final
Wed 8 August Individual jumping final
Thu 9 August Individual dressage final

Team GB: Kristina Cook [Miners Frolic], William Fox-Pitt [Lionheart], Nicola Wilson [Opposition Buzz], Mary King [Imperial Cavalier], Zara Phillips [High Kingdom] (eventing); 

Laura Bechtolsheimer [Mistral Hojris], Charlotte Dujardin [Valegro], Carl Hester [Uthopia], Richard Davison [Artemis] (dressage); 

Scott Brash [Hello Sanctos], Nick Skelton [Big Star], Ben Maher [Triple X III], Peter Charles [Murka's Vindicat W] (show jumping)

FENCING
Total Golds: 10
Venue: ExCel Exhibition Centre
Events:
- Men: Individual epee, Invidivual and team foil, Individual and team sabre
- Women: Individual and team epee, Invidivual and team foil, Individual sabre
Key dates:
Sat 28 July Women's individual foil final
Sun 29 July Men's individual sabre final
Mon 30 July Women's individual epee final
Tue 31 July Men's individual foil final
Wed 1 August Men's individual epee and Women's individual sabre finals
Thu 2 August Women's team foil final
Fri 3 August Men's team sabre final
Sat 4 August Women's team epee final
Sun 5 August Men's team foil final

Team GB: James Davis (foil), Richard Kruse (foil), Husayn Rosowsky (foil), James Honeybone (sabre); Anna Bentley (foil), Natalia Sheppard (foil), Sophie Troiano (foil), Louise Bond-Williams (sabre), Sophie Williams (sabre), Corinna Lawrence (epee)

FOOTBALL
Total Golds: 2
Venues: Hampden Park, Glasgow; St James Park, Newcastle upon Tyne; Old Trafford, Manchester; City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry; Millennium Stadium, Cardiff; Wembley Stadium, London. Finals at Wembley.
Events: Men's competition (16 teams), Women's competitions (12 teams)
Key dates:
Wed 25 July Team GB women v New Zealand (group stage)
Thu 26 July Team GB men v Senegal (group stage)
Sat 28 July Team GB women v Cameroon (group stage)
Sun 29 July Team GB men v United Arab Emirates (group stage)
Tue 31 July Team GB women v Brazil (group stage)
Wed 1 August Team GB men v Uruguay (group stage)
Thu 9 August Women's final
Sat 11 August Men's final

Team GB (men): Jack Butland, Jason Steele, Ryan Bertrand, Steven Caulker, Craig Dawson, Micah Richards, Danny Rose, Neil Taylor, James Tomkins, Joe Allen, Tom Cleverley, Jack Cork, Ryan Giggs, Aaron Ramsey, Scott Sinclair, Craig Bellamy, Marvin Sordell, Daniel Sturridge, Stuart Pearce (coach)

Team GB (women): Eniola Aluko, Anita Asante, Karen Bardsley, Sophie Bradley, Rachel Brown, Karen Carney, Ifeoma Dieke, Stephanie Houghton, Kim Little, Claire Rafferty, Alex Scott, Jill Scott, Kelly Smith, Casey Stoney, Fara Williams, Rachel Williams, Ellen White, Rachel Yankey, Hope Powell (coach)

GYMNASTICS
Total Golds: 18
Venue: The O2 Arena (North Greenwich Arena)
Events:
- Artistic (a) - Men's team all-round, Men's individual all-round, Men's floor, Men's pommel horse, Men's rings, Men's vault, Men's parallel bars, Men's horizontal bars; Women's team all-round, Women's individual all-round, Women's floor, Women's vault, Women's uneven bars, Women's balance beam
- Rhythmic (r) - Individual all-round, Group all-round
- Trampoline (t) - Men's final, Women's final
Key dates:
Mon 30 July Men's team all-round (a) final
Tue 31 July Women's team all-round (a) final
Wed 1 August Men's individual all-round (a) final
Thu 2 August Women's individual all-round (a) final
Fri 3 August Men's trampoline (t) final
Sat 4 August Women's trampoline (t) final
Sun 5 August Men's floor (a) final, Men's pommel horse (a) final, Women's vault (a) final
Mon 6 August Men's vault (a) final, Men's rings (a) final, Men's parallel bars (a) final, Men's horizontal bar (a) final, Women's floor (a) final, Women's uneven bars (a) final, Women's balance beam (a) final
Sat 11 August Individual all-round (r) final
Sun 12 August Group all-round (r) final

Team GB: Louis Smith, Dan Purvis, Kristian Thomas, Max Whitlock, Sam Oldham (men's artistic); Beth Tweddle, Hannah Whelan, Rebecca Tunney, Jennifer Pinches, Imogen Cairns (women's artistic); Kat Driscoll (women's trampoline); Francesca Jones (individual rhythmic), Georgina Cassar, Jade Faulkner, Francesca Fox, Lynne Hutchison, Louisa Pouli, Rachel Smith (team rhythmic)

HANDBALL
Total Golds: 2
Venue: Copper Box (preliminaries and quarter finals), Basketball Arena (semi finals and finals)
Events: Men's competition (12 teams), Women's competition (12 teams)
Key dates:
Sat 28 July Team GB women v Montenegro (group stage)
Sun 29 July Team GB men v France (group stage)
Mon 30 July Team GB women v Russia (group stage)

Tue 31 July Team GB men v Sweden (group stage)

Wed 1 August Team GB women v Brazil (group stage)

Thu 2 August Team GB men v Argentina (group stage)

Fri 3 August Team GB women v Angola (group stage)

Sat 4 August Team GB men v Tunisia (group stage)

Sun 5 August Team GB women v Croatia (group stage)

Mon 6 August Team GB men v Iceland (group stage)
Sat 11 August Women's final
Sun 12 August Men's final

Team GB (men's squad): Bob White, Jesper Parker, John Pearce, Mark Hawkins, Martin Hare, Ciaran Williams, Chris Mohr, Steven Larsson, Seb Edgar, Seb Prieto, Gawain Vincent, Robin Garnham, Dan McMillan, Chris McDermott

Team GB (women's squad): Sarah Hargreaves, Jane Mayes, Zoe ven der Weel, Holly Lam-Moores, Ewa Palies, Kathryn Fudge, Lynn McCafferty (captain), Nina Heglund, Yvonne Leuthold, Marie Gerbron, Kelsi Fairbrother, Britt Goodwin, Louise Jukes, Lyn Byl

HOCKEY
Total Golds: 2
Venue: Riverbank Arena
Events: Men's competition (12 teams), Women's competition (12 teams)
Key dates:
Sun 29 July Team GB women v Japan (group stage)
Mon 30 July Team GB men v Argentina (group stage)
Tue 31 July Team GB women v Korea (group stage)
Wed 1 August Team GB men v South Africa (group stage)
Thu 2 August Team GB women v Belgium (group stage)
Fri 3 August Team GB men v Pakistan (group stage)
Sat 4 August Team GB women v China (group stage)
Sun 5 August Team GB men v Australia (group stage)
Mon 6 August Team GB women v Netherlands (group stage)
Tue 7 August Team GB men v Spain (group stage)
Fri 10 August Women's final
Sat 11 August Men's final

Team GB (men's squad): Nicholas Catlin, Jonathan Clarke, Matt Daly, James Fair, Daniel Fox, Ben Hawes, Ashley Jackson, Glenn Kirkham, Iain Lewers, Iain Mackay, Harry Martin, Barry Middleton, Robert Moore, Richard Smith, James Tindall, Alastair Wilson

Team GB (women's squad): Ashleigh Ball, Laura Bartlett, Crista Cullen, Alex Danson, Hannah Macleod, Emily Maguire, Anne Panter, Helen Richardson, Chloe Rogers, Beth Storry, Sarah Thomas, Georgie Twigg, Laura Unsworth, Kate Walsh, Sally Walton, Nicola White

JUDO
Total Golds: 14
Venue: ExCel Exhibition Centre
Events:
- Men: Extra-lightweight (60kg), Half-lightweight (66kg), Lightweight (73kg), Half-middleweight (81kg), Middlewight (90kg), Half-heavyweight (100kg), Heavyweight (+100kg)
- Women: Extra-lightweight (48kg), Half-lightweight (52kg), Lightweight (57kg), Half-middleweight (63kg), Middlewight (70kg), Half-heavyweight (78kg), Heavyweight (+78kg)
Key dates:
Sat 28 July Men and Women's extra-lightweight finals
Sun 29 July Men and Women's half-lightweight finals
Mon 30 July Men and Women's lightweight finals
Tue 31 July Men and Women's half-middleweight finals
Wed 1 August Men and Women's middleweight finals
Thu 2 August Men and Women's half-heavyweight finals
Fri 3 August Men and Women's heavyweight finals

Team GB (men): Ashley McKenzie (extra-lightweight), Colin Oates (half-lightweight), Daniel Williams (lightweight), Euan Burton (half-middleweight), Winston Gordon (middleweight), James Austin (half-heavyweight), Christopher Sherrington (heavyweight)

Team GB (women): Kelly Edwards (extra-lightweight), Sophie Cox (half-lightweight), Sarah Clark (lightweight), Gemma Howell (half-middleweight), Sally Conway (middleweight), Gemma Gibbons (half-heavyweight), Karina Bryant (heavyweight)

MODERN PENTATHLON
Total Golds: 2
Venue: Copper Box (fencing), Aquatics Centre (swimming), Greenwich Park (riding, running/shooting)
Events: Men's individual competition, Women's individual competition
Key dates:
Sat 11 August Men's competition (all disciplines)
Sun 12 August Women's competition (all disciplines)

Team GB: Nick Woodbridge, Sam Weale; Mhairi Spence, Samantha Murray

ROWING
Total Golds: 14
Venue: Dorney Lake, Eton Dorney, Berkshire
Events:
- Men: Single scull, Pair, Double scull, Lightweight double scull, Four, Quadruple scull, Lightweight four, Eight
- Women: Single scull, Pair, Double scull, Lightweight double scull, Quadruple scull, Eight
Key dates:
Wed 1 August Men's Eight, Women's Pair and Women's Quadruple scull finals
Thu 2 August Men's Double scull, Men's Lightweight four, and Women's Eight finals
Fri 3 August Men's Single scull, Men's Pair, Men's Quadruple scull, and Women's Double scull finals
Sat 4 August Men's Lightweight double scull, Men's Four, Women's Single scull, and Women's lightweight double scull finals

Team GB (men): George Nash/Will Satch (pair), Alex Gregory/Tom James/Pete Reed/Andrew Triggs Hodge (four), Richard Egington/James Foad/Matthew Langridge/Alex Partridge/Tom Ransley/Mohamed Sbihi/Greg Searle/Constantine Louloudis/Phelan Hill [cox] (men's eight), Alan Campbell (single scull), Bill Lucas/Sam Townsend (double scull), Charles Cousins/Stephen Rowbotham/Tom Solesbury/Matthew Wells (quadruple scull), Chris Bartley/Peter Chambers/Richard Chambers/Rob Williams (lightweight four), Mark Hunter/Zac Purchase (lightweight double scull);

Team GB (women): Helen Glover/Heather Stanning (pair), Jessica Eddie/Katie Greves/Lindsey Maguire/Natasha Page/Louisa Reeve/Victoria Thornley/Annabel Vernon/Olivia Whitlam/Caroline O'Connor [cox] (eight), Katherine Grainger/Anna Watkins (double scull), Debbie Flood/Frances Houghton/Beth Rodford/Melanie Wilson (quadruple scull), Katherine Copeland/Sophie Hosking (lightweight double scull)

SAILING
Total Golds: 10
Venue: Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy
Events:
Men 470 (Thu 9 August), Finn (Sun 5 August), Laser (Mon 6 August), Star (Sun 5 August), RS-X (Tue 7 August)
Women 470 (Fri 10 August), Elliott 6m (Sat 11 August), RS-X (Tue 7 August), Laser Radial (Mon 6 August)
Open 49er (Wed 8 August)
Key dates:
- Finals dates for each event stated above in parentheses

Team GB (men): Ben Ainslie (Finn), Paul Goodison (Laser), Iain Percy/Andrew Simpson (Star), Nick Dempsey (RS-X), Luke Patience/Stuart Bithell (470), Stevie Morrison/Ben Rhodes (Open 49er);

Team GB (women): Lucy Macgregor, Kate Macgregor, Annie Lush (Elliott 6m), Alison Young (Laser Radial), Hannah Mills/Saskia Clark (470), Bryony Shaw (RS-X)

SHOOTING
Total Golds: 15
Venue: Royal Artillery Barracks
Events:
- Men: 10m air pistol, 25m rapid fire pistol, 50m pistol, 10m air rifle, 50m rifle prone, 50m rifle three positions, Trap, Double trap, Skeet
- Women: 10m air pistol, 10m air rifle, 25m pistol, 50m rifle three positions, Trap, Skeet
Key dates:
Sat 28 July Men's 10m air pistol, Women's 10m air rifle
Sun 29 July Women's 10m air pistol, Women's Skeet
Mon 30 July Men's 10m air rifle
Tue 31 July Men's Skeet
Wed 1 August Women's 25m pistol
Thu 2 August Men's Double Trap
Fri 3 August Men's 50m rifle prone, Men's 25m rapid fire pistol
Sat 4 August Women's 50m rifle three positions, Women's Trap
Sun 5 August Men's 50m pistol
Mon 6 August Men's 50m rifle three positions, Men's Trap

Team GB (men): Richard Brickell (Skeet), Rory Warlow (Skeet), Ed Ling (Trap), Richard Faulds (Double Trap), Peter Wilson (Double Trap), Jonathan Hammond (prone rifle), James Huckle (three position rifle);

Team GB (women): Elena Allen (Skeet), Charlotte Kerwood (Trap), Jennifer McIntosh (air rifle), Georgina Geikie (25m pistol)

SWIMMING
Total Golds: 32
Venue: Aquatics Centre
Events:

Men

Freestyle - 50m (Fri 3 August), 100m (Wed 1 August), 200m (Mon 30 July), 400m (Sat 28 July), 1500m (Sat 4 August)
Backstroke - 100m (Mon 30 July), 200m (Thu 2 August)
Breaststroke - 100m (Sun 29 July), 200m (Wed 1 August)
Butterfly - 100m (Fri 3 August), 200m (Tue 31 July)
Individual Medley - 200m (Thu 2 August), 400m (Sat 28 July)
Relays - 4x100 freestyle (Sun 29 July), 4x 200m freestyle (Tue 31 July), 4x100 medley (Sat 4 August)
Women
Freestyle - 50m (Sat 4 August), 100m (Thu 2 August), 200m (Tue 31 July), 400m (Sun 29 July), 800m (Fri 3 August)
Backstroke - 100m (Mon 30 July), 200m (Fri 3 August)
Breaststroke - 100m (Mon 30 July), 200m (Thu 2 August)
Butterfly - 100m (Sun 29 July), 200m (Wed 1 August)
Individual Medley - 200m (Tue 31 July), 400m (Sat 28 July)
Relays - 4x100 freestyle (Sat 28 July), 4x 200m freestyle (Wed 1 August), 4x100 medley (Sat 4 August)
Key dates:
- Finals dates for each event stated above in parentheses

Team GB (men): Adam Brown (50m freestyle), Liam Tancock (100m backstroke), Chris Walker-Hebborn (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke), Craig Benson (100m breaststroke), Michael Jamieson (100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke), Michael Rock (100m butterfly), Antony James (100m butterfly), Marco Loughran (200m backstroke), Andrew Willis (200m breaststroke), Joe Roebuck (200m butterfly, 200m medley, 400m medley), Roberto Pavoni (200m butterfly, 400m medley), Robbie Renwick (200m freestyle, 400m freestyle), Ieuan Lloyd (200m freestyle), James Goddard (200m medley), David Carry (400m freestyle), David Davies (1500m freestyle), Daniel Fogg (1500m freestyle), Simon Burnett/James Disney-May/Adam Brown/Craig Gibbons/Grant Turner (4x100m freestyle), Robbie Renwick/Ieuan Lloyd/Robert Bale/Ross Davenport/David Carry (4x200m freestyle)

Team GB (women): Fran Halsall (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly), Amy Smith (50m freestyle, 100m freestyle), Gemma Spofforth (100m backstroke), Georgia Davies (100m backstroke), Kate Haywood (100m breaststroke), Siobhan Marie O'Connor (100m breaststroke), Ellen Gandy (100m butterfly, 200m butterfly), Elizabeth Simmonds (200m backstroke), Steph Proud (200m backstroke), Stacey Tadd (200m breaststroke), Jemma Lowe (200m butterfly), Rebecca Turner (200m freestyle), Caitlin McClatchey (200m freestyle), Hannah Miley (200m medley, 400m medley), Sophie Allen (200m medley), Rebecca Adlington (400m freestyle, 800m freestyle), Jo Jackson (400m freestyle), Aimee Willmott (400m medley), Eleanor Faulkner (800m freestyle), Rebecca Turner/Jessica Lloyd/Caitlin McClatchey (4x100m freestyle), Rebecca Turner/Caitlin McClatchey/Eleanor Faulkner/Jo Jackson/Rebecca Adlington (4x200m freestyle)

OPEN-WATER SWIMMING
Total Golds: 2
Venue: The Serpentine, Hyde Park
Events: Men's individual 10k competition, Women's individual 10k competition
Key dates:
Thu 9 August Women's 10k competition
Fri 10 August Men's 10k competition

Team GB: Daniel Fogg, Keri-Anne Payne

SYNCHRONISED SWIMMING
Total Golds: 2
Venue: Aquatics Centre
Events: Women's duet competition, Women's team competition
Key dates:
Tue 7 August Women's duet final
Wed 8 August Women's team technical routine
Thu 9 August Women's team free routine (final)

Team GB squad: Yvette Baker, Katie Clark, Katie Dawkins, Olivia Federici, Jennifer Knobbs, Vicki Lucass, Asha Randall, Jenna Randall, Katie Skelton

 
TABLE TENNIS
Total Golds: 4
Venue: ExCel Exhibition Centre
Events: Men's singles, Men's team, Women's singles, Women's team
Key dates:
Wed 1 August Women's singles final
Thu 2 August Men's singles final
Tue 7 August Women's team final
Wed 8 August Men's team final

Team GB: Andrew Baggaley, Paul Drinkhall, Liam Pitchford; Na Liu, Joanna Parker, Kelly Sibley

TAEKWONDO
Total Golds: 8
Venue: ExCel Exhibition Centre
Events:
- Men: Flyweight (58kg), Lightweight (68kg), Middleweight (80kg), Heavyweight (+80kg)
- Women: Flyweight (49kg), Lightweight (57kg), Middleweight (67kg), Heavyweight (+67kg)
Key dates:
Wed 8 August Men and Women's flyweight finals
Thu 9 August Men and Women's lightweight finals
Fri 10 August Men and Women's middleweight finals
Sat 11 August Men and Women's heavyweight finals

Team GB: Martin Stamper (68kg), Lutalo Muhammad (80kg); Jade Jones (57kg), Sarah Stevenson (67kg)

TENNIS
Total Golds: 5
Venue: All England Club, Wimbledon
Events: Men's singles, men's doubles, Women's singles, women's doubles, Mixed doubles
Key dates:
Sat 4 August Women's singles, Men's doubles finals
Sun 5 August Men's singles, Women's doubles, and Mixed doubles finals

Team GB: Andy Murray (men's singles), Anne Keothavong (women's singles), Elena Baltacha (women's singles), Andy Murray/Jamie Murray (men's doubles), Colin Fleming/Ross Hutchins (men's doubles), Laura Robson/Heather Watson (women's doubles)

TRIATHLON
Total Golds: 2
Venue: Hyde Park
Events: Men's individiual competition, Women's individual competition (1.5km swim, 40km cycle, 10km run)
Key dates:
Sat 4 August Women's competition (all disciplines)
Tue 7 August Men's competitions (all disciplines)

Team GB: Alistair Brownlee, Jonny Brownlee, Stuart Hayes; Helen Jenkins, Vicky Holland, Lucy Hall

VOLLEYBALL
Total Golds: 2
Venue: Earls Court Exhibition Centre
Events: Men's competition (12 teams), women's competition (12 teams)
Key dates:
Sat 28 July Team GB women v Russia (group stage)
Sun 29 July Team GB men v Bulgaria (group stage)
Mon 30 July Team GB women v Algeria (group stage)
Tue 31 July Team GB men v Australia (group stage)
Wed 1 August Team GB women v Italy (group stage)
Thu 2 August Team GB men v Italy (group stage)
Fri 3 August Team GB women v Dominican Republic (group stage)
Sat 4 August Team GB men v Poland (group stage) 
Sun 5 August Team GB women v Japan (group stage) 
Mon 6 August Team GB men v Argentina (group stage)
Sat 11 August Women's final
Sun 12 August Men's final

Team GB (men's squad): Mark Plotyczer, Dan Hunter, Kieran O'Malley, Joel Miller, Nathan French, Dami Bakare, Ben Pipes, Mark McGivern, Peter Bakare, Andrew Pink, Chris Lamont, Jason Haldane

Team GB (women's squad): Grace Carter, Jennifer Taylor, Rachel Laybourne, Ciara Michel, Rachel Bragg, Joanne Morgan, Janine Sandell, Lynne Beattie, Lucy Wicks, Maria Bertelli, Lizzie Reid, Savanah Leaf

WATER POLO
Total Golds: 2
Venue: Water Polo Arena
Events: Men's competition (12 teams), Women's competition (8 teams)
Key dates:
Sun 29 July Team GB men v Romania (group stage)
Mon 30 July Team GB women v Russia (group stage)
Tue 31 July Team GB men v Serbia (group stage)
Wed 1 August Team GB women v Australia (group stage)
Thu 2 August Team GB men v United States (group stage)
Fri 3 August Team GB women v Italy (group stage)
Sat 4 August Team GB men v Hungary (group stage)
Mon 6 August Team GB men v Montenegro (group stage
Thu 9 August Women's final
Sun 12 August Men's final

Team GB (men's squad): Edward Scott, Matthew Holland, Joseph O'Regan, Jake Vincent, Robert Parker, Craig Figes, Ciaran James, Glen Robinson, Sean Ryder, Adam Scholefield, Jack Waller, Sean King, Alexander Parsonage

Team GB (women's squad): Rosemary Morris, Robyn Nicholls, Frances Leighton, Angela Winstanley-Smith, Lisa Gibson, Rebecca Kershaw, Ciara Gibson-Byrne, Fiona McCann, Chloe Wilcox, Francesca Clayton, Francesca Painter-Snell, Alexandra Rutlidge, Hazel Musgrove

WEIGHTLIFTING
Total Golds: 15
Venue: ExCel Exhibition Centre
Events:
- Men: 56kg, 62kg, 69kg, 77kg, 85kg, 94kg, 105kg, +105kg
- Women: 48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 75kg, +75kg
Key dates:
Sat 28 July Women's 48kg final
Sun 29 July Men's 56kg final, Women's 53kg final
Mon 30 July Men's 62kg final, Women's 58kg final
Tue 31 July Men's 69kg final, Women's 63kg final
Wed 1 August Men's 77kg final, Women's 69kg final
Fri 3 August Men's 85kg final, Women's 75kg final
Sat 4 August Men's 94kg final
Sun 5 August Womens +75kg final
Mon 6 August Men's 105kg final
Tue 7 August Men's +105kg final

Team GB: Gareth Evans (69kg), Jack Oliver (77kg) Peter Kirkbride (94kg); Zoe Smith (58kg), Natasha Perdue (69kg) 

WRESTLING
Total Golds: 18
Venue: ExCel Exhibition Centre
Events:
- Men: Freestyle and Greco-Roman at 55kg, 60kg, 66kg, 74kg, 84kg, 96kg, and 120kg
- Women: Freestyle only at 48kg, 55kg, 63kg, and 72kg
Key dates:
Sun 5 August Men's Greco-Roman 55kg and 74kg finals
Mon 6 August Men's Greco-Roman 60kg, 84kg, and 120kg finals
Tue 7 August Men's Greco-Roman 66kg and 96kg finals
Wed 8 August Women's Freestyle 48kg and 63kg finals
Thu 9 August Women's Freestyle 55kg and 72kg finals
Fri 10 August Men's Freesyle 55kg and 74kg
Sat 11 August Men's Freestyle 60kg, 84kg, and 120kg finals
Sun 12 August Men's Freestyle 66kg and 96kg finals
Team GB: Olga Butkevych (women's freestyle 55kg)