British cycling legend Bradley Wiggins has revealed he became a drug addict within three years of his 2016 retirement and opened up on the dark experiences that led to his downfall: child abuse, his father’s abandonment of the family, witnessing the murder of his headmaster, and imposter syndrome.
But the 44-year-old said the £2 million debt he found himself in last year was now “all resolved” and declared: “My life’s in a good place”.
The five-time Olympic gold medallist and one-time Tour de France champion also confirmed the disgraced Lance Armstrong had paid for him to undergo therapy late last year, as was reported at the time.
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“The contradiction is that the coach who abused me [Stan Knight] was my first male role model in cycling,” Wiggins told an audience of some 300 people at an event dubbed An evening with Bradley Wiggins.
“I had grown up with an absent father, and so this man instilled a confidence in me as a bike rider. Wherever he went, he would tell everyone: ‘This kid’s going to be special’. It kind of offset what was going on behind the scenes.
British cycling legend Bradley Wiggins pictured in 2023. Getty
“There were other kids at the club it was happening to, as well. We were normalised to the behaviour, made to feel there was nothing wrong with it.
“You’re only 13, but it leads to a really dark period.
“Within three years of retiring in 2016, I was a drug addict, and a lot of it was to do with this recall of my childhood.”
In 2012, at the peak of Wiggins’ cycling powers, the life of the Belgian-born Briton appeared to be a dream.
Conquering the Tour de France and winning Olympic gold on the road in London opened up a world of seemingly incredible experiences.
A ride on Bono’s private jet was one; dining with Lady Gaga another.
Bradley Wiggins and his team celebrate winning the 2012 Tour de France. Getty
But his rise to global stardom triggered a battle with imposter syndrome.
To hide his pain, he’d tap into his eccentric “Sir Wiggo” persona.
In the glow of his London 2012 triumph in the individual time trial, he was snapped sitting in a golden throne at Hampton Court Palace. Sporting his iconic sideburns, he made the peace sign with both hands.
“When I became successful in cycling, I played a character more, in order to hide in public,” Wiggins explained.
“It was really just to hide from actually being me. I didn’t know who I was, and so this ‘Sir Wiggo’ character manifested itself more and more. I would always do something silly when the tension was on me off the bike.
Bradley Wiggins is photographed at Hampton Court Palace after winning Olympic gold at London 2012. Getty
“Take the time I stuck my tongue out on the Olympic podium in Rio in 2016, or the throne incident [at London 2012].”
Wiggins was knighted for his services to cycling by Queen Elizabeth II in 2013 — another moment that didn’t sit well with him.
“It was quite nerve-wracking, actually,” he said at the time.
“I’m still shaking now, to be honest.
“… I was just talking to some of the other people getting stuff, and asking them what they’ve been honoured for, and they’re historic things, ground-breaking sciences or whatever.
“I’ve won a bike race, you know, and I feel a little bit inferior to everyone, really.”
Bradley Wiggins receives his knighthood in 2013. Getty
At one stage, Wiggins had a fortune of £13 million.
He said it wasn’t just his drug addiction that ruined him financially.
“I regret I never paid attention to my financial affairs when I was racing,” he said.
“It’s one of the things that happens to athletes — you make a lot of money and, if you haven’t got your eyes on it, people take advantage. I was getting ripped off left, right and centre by the people looking after me. Accountants, as well.”
But Wiggins shared heartwarming news for his millions of admirers.
“It’s all resolved now. I’m on the front foot now,” he said.
Lance Armstrong celebrates winning a stage in the 2004 Tour de France. Getty
“This was something that was done to me.
“Eight months on, it has all turned around.
“The people who are responsible are paying a heavy price for it.
“Fortunately, it’s all good. My life’s in a good place.”
Abandoned by his father, Armstrong had a similar upbringing to Wiggins.
“I’ve really got to know him over the past eight years, and he has been there for me in recent times,” Wiggins said of the disgraced American, who in 2012 was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life from competing in any sport that follows the World Anti-Doping Code.
Bradley Wiggins (left) and Mark Cavendish in 2016, the year Wiggins retired. Getty
“He packed me off to this extensive therapy centre, paid for it all. ‘You can’t will this stuff away’, he told me. ‘You have to sort it out’. On the human side, he has been very good for me.
“You always have to put this disclaimer in with Lance: ‘It’s not to condone what he did’,” Wiggins added.
“Yeah, he took drugs and all that. That’s a different part of it, very polarising. It’s an open wound in cycling.
“But in terms of me being here, being alive, he has really helped.”
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