Bradley Wiggins has been hailed as one of the greatest British sportsmen of all time after triumphing in the Tour de France.

Amid calls for the cyclist to be knighted and tributes from other greats of the sport such as Sir Chris Hoy, Wiggins completed the final stage in Paris to become the first ever British winner of cycling's greatest race.

Sir Chris said 32-year-old Wiggins's win was as good as anything any British athlete had achieved. Former Olympic cycling champion Chris Boardman described the win as phenomenal and said it placed Wiggins in a good position to claim gold at the Olympics.

Yesterday's victorious finish in the French capital not only completes Wiggins's stunning transition from track to the pinnacle of road racing, it also marks the emergence of a colourful and outspoken character in sport.

Speaking at the finishing line, Wiggins said: "Job done really. I don't know what to say really. I've had 24 hours for it to sort of soak in. Today we were just on a mission to finish the job off.

"This sort of thing happens to other people, you never imagine it happens to you. It's incredible."

Wiggins, who has become famous for his mutton-chop sideburns and dressing as a Mod, got his first bike when he was two years old and immediately demanded the stabilisers be taken off.

He got into cycling when his parents were splitting up and used to practise on static rollers in his mother's flat in London.

His father was Gary Wiggins, an Australian six-day racer who died in 2008 after battles with alcohol, and Wiggins has admitted that he has had his own struggles with drink. However, he has also said it annoys him that he is constantly asked about drugs on the circuit.

"I would never do dope," he has said. "In fact, the reasons why I would never use drugs have become more important.

"It comes down to my family, and the life I have built for myself, and how I would feel about living with the possibility of getting caught. If I doped I would potentially stand to lose everything."

As he completed his victory procession on the Champs-Elysees yesterday, excitement was mounting among British fans, some of whom called for the cyclist to be knighted. Writing on Wiggins's Facebook page, fan Jim Critchley said: "Arise Sir Bradley. Possibly the best performance ever by a UK athlete and possibly the best season ever by any athlete anywhere in the world. "

There was also some celebrity endorsement, including from footballer Joey Barton, who sent the cyclist a message. "He particularly liked me swearing," said Wiggins. "But I'm determined to not let it change me. I'm not into celebrity life, red carpet, all that rubbish."

It is this self-deprecation and realism that has helped make Wiggins such a hero of his sport and won him more and more fans with each day of the race. He began the 120- kilometre 20th stage from Rambouillet to Paris – his 13th day in the yellow jersey – with a lead of three minutes 21 seconds over his Team Sky colleague Chris Froome.

Not only has the victory raised Wiggins's profile, it has won new supporters for cycling and renewed interest in Britain. A proposal has been made to start the tour from Edinburgh Castle in 2017, with representatives from British Cycling, UK Sport and EventScotland visiting Belgium for talks with the organisers of the Tour.

David Cameron congratulated Wiggins on the win, saying he was "absolutely delighted" and that sportsman had "scaled one of the great heights of British sporting achievement".

l Sir Chris Hoy has said he will delay any decision to retire from cycling until after the Olympics. "All I know is I'm going to have a bit of a holiday afterwards and not touch the bike for a good month," he said.