Bookies William Hill immediately cut the odds on Wiggins, who has now won four Olympic gold medals and claimed his latest just 10 days after becoming the first Briton to wear the Yellow Jersey on the Champs Elysees, becoming Sir Bradley in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours to 1/2.

Ladbrokes, meanwhile, paid out early on any bets struck on Wiggins winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award this December.

Brailsford, who saw Chris Hoy knighted after taking his gold haul to four in Beijing, said: “I’ve got no idea what criteria they use to hand things out like that (a knighthood), but if anybody is deserving of one, I think Brad is, given other people that you see walking around with a ’Sir’ before their name.

“I’m sure he’s on a par, if not above certain other people. Chris’ (Hoy) achievement was absolutely brilliant and that was well, well deserved, but Bradley now deserves to be recognised, for sure.”

Chris Froome, who came runner-up to Wiggins in the Tour de France and claimed a bronze for Britain in the time trial, also believes his teammate should get a call from the Palace.

Froome said: “That’s not for me to decide but, yeah, definitely, why not?”

Typically, Wiggins preferred to play it all down.

When asked ’How does Sir Wiggo sound to you?’ he said: “It doesn’t quite sound right, let’s be honest. As much as an honour it would be to receive something like that, I don’t think I’d ever use it. I’d just put it in a drawer. I’ll always just be Brad.”

Brailsford reckons Wiggins’ achievements make him the greatest British Olympian as well as the one with the most medals.

He said: “I’d be biased, of course, and I think the difference between what Bradley’s done and anybody else is that he’s done them in different disciplines, whereas everybody else has done it in similar disciplines.

“If you can go from the track – individual pursuit, team pursuit and madison - and then do it on the road time trial, I don’t think anybody can touch that, really.”