A Week for the Brits

British cycling sure had a good week. Bradley Wiggins won the Criterium du Dauphine in France, and Mark Cavendish was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire, just the latest highlights in the story of UK cycling which is growing in number and reputation.

Despite last minute attacks, Wiggins beat out rivals Cadel Evans and Alexander Vinokourov with a steady defense of his lead through the final three mountain stages. The 31-year-old just missed the stage win at the individual time trial in Grenoble, coming in second, but won the general classification on Sunday with the lowest cumulative time over the 8-day race.

Wiggins’ victory was a double win for Britain, as his squad—Team Sky—is the country’s sole player on the Pro Tour. Wiggins helped launch the team last year, and the Dauphine demonstrated the strength of their roster. Teammates such as Edvald Boassen Hagen successfully shepherded their leader throughout the race, indicating that they may improve their Tour de France results this year.

Sprinter Cavendish was given the MBE as part of the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours List made public Friday. Known as the Manx Missile, Cavendish holds the most stage wins by a Britain at the Tour de France with 15 to date. The 26-year-old rides for the American team HTC-Highroad and is a lively tweeter. His daily messages typically include toilet humor (literally), fawning over his girlfriend, and non-PC cursing. Looks like the Queen focused on his professional accomplishments.

Cheers, boys! You make the Empire proud.