Bradley Wiggins timeline: From London 2012 hero to 'cocaine addiction'
13 May 2025, 10:58 | Updated: 13 May 2025, 16:37
Sir Bradley Wiggins has described how his life spiralled out of control due to a cocaine addiction.
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Sir Bradley, who retired from cycling in 2016, says said that he struggled to adapt to life without professional cycling, and said he became a ‘functioning cocaine addict.’
Wiggins, who won five Olympic golds and was the first Brit to win the Tour de France, wrote in his new autobiography: “I had a real problem and my kids were actually going to put me in rehab at one point. I’ve never spoken about that.
"I really was walking a tightrope. There were times when my son was worried I was going to end up dead in the morning."
He has now been clean for a year, and is receiving regular therapy, with former cyclist Lance Armstrong offering to pay for him to undergo treatment in the US.
Wiggins last year revealed how Armstrong had offered him financial support, an offer he has since accepted.
He revealed his family “wouldn't hear from me for days on end.
"I can talk about these things candidly now. There was an element of me living a lie, in not talking about it.
"My proclivity to addiction was easing the pain that I lived with."
Who is Sir Bradley Wiggins?
Age: 45 (Born: April 28, 1980)
Olympic medals: Five gold, one silver, two bronze
Road cycling palmares: Tour de France overall winner (2012); World road time trial champion (2014); Tour of Britain winner (2013); Two time national champion
Partner: Married to Catherine from 2004 to 2020
Children: Ben and Isabella
Honours: Knighted in 2013; BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012; Vélo d'Or 2012
He said the drugs were a coping mechanism after he claimed he was sexually assaulted between the ages of 13 and 16 by his coach.
Wiggins continued: "My addiction was a way of easing that pain that I lived with.”
At the height of his fame, Wiggins had reportedly built up a £13m fortune. But last year he was reported to have £1m debts.
He was left homeless and sleeping at various properties, including his ex-wife’s home.
Bradley Wiggins timeline
