Sir Bradley Wiggins has bravely opened up on the difficulties he’s faced post-cycling, claiming he’s now “in a good place”. The former Tour de France winner and London 2012 gold medallist was one of the biggest stars in British sport a decade ago. But his life spiralled out of control following his retirement from cycling in 2016. Wiggins, who once had a fortune of £13million, developed a drug addiction and suffered financial hardship, which led to him being made virtually homeless and resorting to sofa surfing. Some of his troubles can be traced to the sexual abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of his coach Stan Knight. Knight, who died in 2003, is accused of abusing other young cyclists.
“The contradiction is that the coach who abused me was my first male role model in cycling,” Wiggins told the Telegraph. “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. 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.”
On his financial problems, Wiggins, 44, claims he was taken advantage of by accountants and advisors he used, but regrets not paying more attention to his fiscal affairs during his cycling career. He added: “I regret I never paid attention to my financial affairs when I was racing.
“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.”
Despite the debt on his estate reportedly rising to almost £2million in November, Wiggins insists he is now piecing his finances – and life in general – back together. “I’m on the front foot now,” he declared. “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.”