Cycling legend Sir Bradley Wiggins claims he was groomed by a trainer as a teenager
Cycling legend Sir Bradley Wiggins has revealed how he was sexually groomed by a trainer as a teenager. The 41-year-old Olympic gold medalist told how he hid the ordeal from his stepfather Brendan and claimed it affected his adult life.
Sir Bradley said: “I was groomed by a trainer when I was younger and never fully accepted that. I was so lonely. I just wanted to get out of the environment. I became so insular .I was a pretty weird teenager in a lot of ways.”
He claimed he couldn’t tell family members about the issue, so he buried the pain. He admitted: “It all affected me as an adult. I think riding the bike stems from adversity.”
He made startling revelations in a Men’s Health magazine interview with former Labor Party adviser Alistair Campbell and claimed some of the problems stemmed from his father Gary, also a professional cyclist, who left the family when Sir Bradley n was only two years old, reports the mirror.
Her father returned to Australia and later developed a drug and alcohol addiction before being found dead from a blow to the head. His killers were never brought to justice.
When asked why he was running away from the things of life, the five-time gold medalist said: “It was because of my father. I never got any answers when he was murdered in 2008 He left us when I was little, so I first met him when I was 18.
“We rekindled a relationship with a child, but we didn’t speak for the last two years before he was murdered. He was my hero. I wanted to prove my worth to him.”
(Image: Chris Floyd/Men’s Health)
Sir Bradley, who grew up in Kilburn, north London, started cycling aged 12 after watching the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992. Encouraged by mum Linda, he joined a club like his father in the 1970s.
However, the couple separated when Sir Bradley was a teenager. Father-of-two Sir Bradley also split from his wife Catherine in 2020. He said he quit professional cycling after winning the Tour de France and the London Olympics in 2012.
The Survivors Trust
The Survivors Trust is the largest umbrella agency for specialist rape and sexual abuse services in the UK.
Their services work with victims and survivors of all ages, genders, all forms of sexual violence, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation, including support for partners and family members.
If you have been the victim of a sexual offence, you can call the free helpline at 08088 010 818.
He added: “It was probably the most unhappy time of my life. All I did was win for others and the pressure of being the first British Tour winner. I was pushed by the fame and adulation that came with success. It wasn’t really me.
Sir Bradley gave up professional cycling in 2016 to study for a social work qualification.
- The May edition of Men’s Health is available from Wednesday.
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