Bradley Wiggins on podium, Tour de France 2012, stage 17

Bradley Wiggins will join his heroes tomorrow in Paris. Barring any accident, he will become the first British winner of the Tour de France and cap off a record setting year.

"There are not many Tour winners when you look at the list. In my lifetime, in 32 years, there's probably only been 15 winners of the Tour. It's a very special list to be on," Wiggins said today.

He won the second of two time trials in Chartres and gave himself an extra margin to secure the overall victory tomorrow when the race travels to Paris for its final leg. He will ride in the yellow jersey of overall winner, something a Brit has never done in the past 98 editions.

"Robert Millar, Tom Simpson... I still never see myself up there with them. They were cult heroes and I looked up to them when I was a child," Wiggins continued. "They rarely raced in the UK like we do now, they lived in France, there wasn't the internet and I could only see them in cycling magazines. To be up there with Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and that. And now, barring any accident, I'll be up there."

He paused, looked over the room of about 200 journalists and reflected on his record-setting run. Ahead of the Tour, he became the first cyclist to win Paris-Nice, the Tour of Romandy and the Critérium du Dauphiné in one season. And of course, no one has ever topped that off with a Tour win.

"I have respect for the whole racing calendar," he said. He listed the wins and added, "It's quite something, you know."

Wiggins will join the Olympic members to travel from Paris to London Luton airport tomorrow night instead of drink and party as former winners have. The road race and time trial are on his mind. Even with the yellow jersey, the possibility of more gold medals, he said that he would remain the same person cleaning up muck.

"I'm determined to not let it change me," he said. "I'm not into celebrity life or all that rubbish. So much of British culture is built around people who are famous for doing nothing... I'm still Bradley Wiggins, at the end of the day, I have to go home and clean up dog muck and horse muck. At the end of the day, it's just sport, there will be more Tour winners in the future."

Wiggins refused to reply to the final question in French even when pushed to do so. He did pause and thank the room of journalists for dealing with him for the three weeks and in the races that helped him create a record run.

Tour de France 2012: Latest news

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Hoy says a Wiggins win would be greatest ever British sporting achievement

Cavendish adds to impressive Tour de France for Sky

Schleck's Tour B sample also positive for banned substance

Sky's quick exit strategy from the Tour

Wiggins and Froome explain Tour stage 17 final climb debate

Liquigas hopes Tour success could help find sponsor

Froome: Nibali's attacks weren't going anywhere

Wiggins' Tour de France training

Voigt tries to carry on as RadioShack's future seems in doubt

Tour de France 2012: Teams, riders, start list

Tour 2012: Who will win?

Tour de France 2012 start list and withdrawals

Tour de France 2012 team list

Tour de France 2012: Stage reports

Stage 19: Wiggins wins time trial to claim Tour de France

Stage 18: Cavendish wins Tour stage 18 with irresistible sprint

Stage 17: Wiggins step closer to Paris as Valverde wins stage

Stage 16: Voeckler the Pyrenean king as he wins in Bagneres de Luchon

Stage 15: Fedrigo wins, day off for peloton

Stage 14: Sanchez solos to Foix victory to save Rabobank's Tour

Stage 13: Greipel survives climb and crosswinds to win third Tour stage

Stage 12: Millar wins Tour stage nine years from his last

Stage 11: Wiggins strengthens Tour lead as Evans slips back

Stage 10: Voeckler wins and saves his Tour

Stage nine: Wiggins destroys opposition in Besancon TT

Stage eight: Pinot solos to Tour win as Wiggins fights off attacks

Stage seven: Wiggins takes yellow as Froome wins stage

Stage six: Sagan wins third Tour stage

Stage five: Greipel wins again as Cavendish fades

Stage four: Greipel wins stage after Cavendish crashes

Stage three: Sagan runs away with it in Boulogne

Stage two: Cavendish takes 21st Tour stage victory

Stage one: Sagan wins at first attempt

Prologue: Cancellara wins, Wiggins second

Tour de France 2012: Comment, analysis, blogs

Analysis: What we learned at La Planche des Belles Filles

Analysis: How much time could Wiggins gain in Tour's time trials

CW's Tour de France podcasts

Blog: Tour presentation - chasing dreams and autographs

Comment: Cavendish the climber

Tour de France 2012: Photo galleries

Stage 19 by Graham Watson

Stage 18 by Graham Watson

Stage 17 by Graham Watson

Stage 16 by Graham Watson

Stage 15 by Graham Watson

Stage 14 by Graham Watson

Stage 13 by Graham Watson

Stage 12 by Graham Watson

Stage 11 by Graham Watson

Stage 10 by Graham Watson

Stage nine by Graham Watson

Stage eight by Graham Watson

Stage seven by Graham Watson

Stage six by Graham Watson

Stage five by Graham Watson

Stage four by Graham Watson

Stage three by Graham Watson

Stage two by Andy Jones

Stage two by Graham Watson

Stage one by Graham Watson

Prologue photo gallery by Andy Jones

Prologue photo gallery by Roo Rowler

Prologue photo gallery by Graham Watson

Tour de France 2012: Team presentation

Sky and Rabobank Tour de France recce

Tour de France 2012: Live text coverage

Stage 18 live coverage

Stage 17 live coverage

Stage 16 live coverage

Stage 12 live coverage

Stage 11 live coverage

Stage 10 live coverage

Stage nine live coverage

Stage six live coverage

Stage five live coverage

Stage four live coverage

Stage three live coverage

Cycling Weekly's live text coverage schedule

Tour de France 2012: TV schedule

ITV4 live schedule

British Eurosport live schedule

Tour de France 2012: Related links

Brits in the Tours: From Robinson to Cavendish

Brief history of the Tour de France

Tour de France 2011: Cycling Weekly's coverage index

1989: The Greatest Tour de France ever

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