in December 2011 coach Rod Ellingworth told The Guardian , "The chances of him doing the team pursuit are really slim now". [ 187 ] He began his 2012 season with third place in the Volta ao Algarve , including victory in the concluding time trial, edging out world champion Martin ( Omega Pharma-Quick Step ) by less than a second. [ 188 ] In March Wiggins finished second in the opening time trial of the Paris–Nice , one second behind Vacansoleil-DCM 's Gustav Larsson , who avoided the wet conditions, unlike Wiggins and the other favourites that set off later in the day. [ 189 ] The following day he took the lead in the race after being part of a 30-man breakaway as the peloton split into echelons . [ 190 ] He held the lead for the rest of the event, winning the final stage, a time-trial on the Col d'Èze , to win the race by eight seconds overall and become the first British rider to win the race since Tom Simpson in 1967. His final stage victory was also good enough to give him the points classification . [ 191 ] On the stage one of the Tour de Romandie in April, Wiggins took a rare sprint victory from a group of 59 riders. [ 192 ] He lost the jersey to Rabobank rider Luis León Sánchez after Sánchez won two consecutive stages, [ 193 ] but won the final time trial, despite suffering a