Wiggins bookies' favourite for Sports Personality Award

Cyclist Bradley Wiggins, who lives and trains in Lancashire, is the bookmakers' odds-on favourite to be named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

William Hill last night named him their 2/5 favourite after a year that saw him triumph in the Tour de France and win gold in the Olympics time trial.

Wiggins, who was in the news recently after he was knocked off his bicycle by a motorist, put in a mammoth effort to win gold in the London 2012 Olympic time trial just weeks after becoming the first Briton to win the Tour de France.

Just behind the cyclist with the statement side burns is Mo Farah, the Olympic double gold medallist in the 5,000 metres and 10,000m, who is on 4/1.

Tennis star Andy Murray comes in as the third favourite to claim the title with the Scotsman being served odds of 7/1 after he became the first British man to win a grand slam singles title for 76 years when he triumphed in the US Open.

Murray also took a slice of Olympic glory winning gold in the final against Swiss ace Roger Federer.

In fourth place, with odds of 8/1, is Farah's super Saturday co-star Jessica Ennis, the golden girl of the 2012 London Games who became the Heptathlon champion.

William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said that even though Wiggins is the favourite to win, it does not necessarily mean that he will.

"SPOTY favourite Wiggins kicked off our superb summer of sport by scooping the Yellow Jersey on the streets of France before following that up with Olympic Gold but with so many fantastic performances this year, the curse of the favourite could strike for the sixth time in eight years," he said.