Wiggins reaches first ever stage race podium in Tour of Murcia

BRADLEY Wiggins has finished in third overall for Team Sky on the Tour of Murcia while Frantisek Rabon was crowned the winner in Spain.

FIRST STAGE RACE PODIUM: Bradley Wiggins finishes third in Spain on the Tour of Murcia (Getty Images)

Wiggins finished safely inside the peloton in 38th along with HTC-Columbia rider Rabon and second-placed Denis Menchov for Rabobank.

Menchov's podium place had looked in danger when he punctured in the final 30km, but his team-mates rallied and guided him back into the bunch.

Wiggins, finishing on a stage race podium for the first time, will next compete in the Tour of Catalunya at the end of the month.

Cervelo rider Theo Bos won the fifth and final stage crossing the line in 2:43.35 hours ahead of Graeme Brown and Daniel Schorn.

Leading Team Sky home was 31-year-old Russell Downing crossing the line in sixth after an eighth place finish in stage one.

Radioshack's Lance Armstrong finished in the bunch to take seventh place in the race, one minute 23 seconds behind the winner, and eighth place overall.