The 2012 Tour de France enters Stage 18 of 20 on Friday, and with the latest results in, it is time to start keeping an eye on the overall classifications. Alejandro Valverde won Stage 17 with a 19-second margin of victory, but with a third-place finish, Bradley Wiggins of the U.K. retains his strong, two-minute lead in the individuals standings.
Wiggins, who is racing for Sky Procycling, started the Tour in second place, but has been in first place since Stage 7. The 32-year-old Wiggins spent the 2009 season with Colorado's now-Garmin-Sharp team before joining Team Sky in 2010.
Here is a look at the top ten players in the top 10, courtesy of LeTour.com:
| RANK | NAT | RIDER | RIDER NO. | TEAM | TIMES | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | GBR | WIGGINS Bradley | 101 | SKY PROCYCLING | 78h 28' 02'' | |
| 2. | GBR | FROOME Christopher | 105 | SKY PROCYCLING | 78h 30' 07'' | + 02' 05'' |
| 3. | ITA | NIBALI Vincenzo | 51 | LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE | 78h 30' 43'' | + 02' 41'' |
| 4. | BEL | VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen | 111 | LOTTO-BELISOL TEAM | 78h 33' 55'' | + 05' 53'' |
| 5. | USA | VAN GARDEREN Tejay | 9 | BMC RACING TEAM | 78h 36' 32'' | + 08' 30'' |
| 6. | AUS | EVANS Cadel | 1 | BMC RACING TEAM | 78h 37' 59'' | + 09' 57'' |
| 7. | ESP | ZUBELDIA Haimar | 19 | RADIOSHACK-NISSAN | 78h 38' 13'' | + 10' 11'' |
| 8. | FRA | ROLLAND Pierre | 29 | TEAM EUROPCAR | 78h 38' 19'' | + 10' 17'' |
| 9. | SLO | BRAJKOVIC Janez | 181 | ASTANA PRO TEAM | 78h 39' 02'' | + 11' 00'' |
| 10. | FRA | PINOT Thibaut | 146 | FDJ-BIGMAT | 78h 39' 48'' | + 11' 46' |
SB Nation Denver is your source for 2012 Tour de France updates on Team Garmin-Sharp, and be sure to visit cycling blog Podium Cafe as well.