TdF champ Bradley Wiggins reveals his coach sexually groomed him as a boy
The Brit says it happened when he was 13
Bradley Wiggins has said he was sexually groomed by his coach at the age of 13, and was never able to share it with anyone.
In an interview with Men’s Health U.K., the former Tour winner and multiple Olympic gold medallist said that was never able to open up about the horrific experience as a result of having a strained relationship with his stepfather.
“I was groomed by a coach when I was younger, I was about 13, and I never fully accepted that,” he said. “It all impacted me as an adult…I buried it. My stepfather was quite violent to me, he used to call me a faggot for wearing Lycra and stuff, so I didn’t think I could tell him.”
Bradley Wiggins, who was the first British winner of the Tour de France, has disclosed that he was sexually groomed by a cycling coach when he was 13 https://t.co/cP48Rwmxbl
— The Times (@thetimes) April 19, 2022
His now estranged father left his family when Bradley was just a baby, and was absent for much of his life, although the two did reconnect later in life. Tragically, his father Gary Wiggins was murdered at a house party n 2008.
“He left us when I was little, so I met him for the first time when I was 18. We rekindled some kind of relationship but then we didn’t speak for the last couple of years before he was murdered,” Wiggins said. “He was my hero.”
Wiggins said that his father, also an ex-pro cyclist, was one of the reasons he worked so hard to be a champion. “I wanted to prove myself to him. He was a good cyclist, and he could have been really good, but he was a wasted talent,” Wiggins added. “He was an alcoholic, a manic depressive, quite violent and he took a lot of amphetamines and performance-enhancing drugs back then.”
Even to this day, the Olympic champion says he must be careful to mind his mental health. ““I have to have routine. Training every day, it’s important. Not drinking too much. With my depression, if I’m not looking after myself it manifests more like a mania. I always thought of depression as taking you to a dark room in a stoop. I try to be funnier and end up being shocking and contentious.”
In a statement on Tuesday, British Cycling has offered its full support to Wiggins.
