Decorated British Olympic and Tour de France cycling champion Sir Bradley Wiggins has revealed a hidden struggle with drug addiction and financial ruin in his new autobiography, linking his post-career struggles to childhood sexual abuse and a tumultuous family life.
The former cyclist, 45, states in his book, “The Chain,” that he developed a cocaine addiction, confessing at one point to “snorting cocaine on the Olympic gold I had worked so hard to win.” He added that he “came to hate my medals.”
Despite earning millions during a prolific career on both road and track, Wiggins also faced financial ruin after retiring from the sport.
He attributes these post-career difficulties partly to sexual abuse he suffered as an adolescent by his former coach, Stan Knight, between the ages of 13 and 16. Wiggins described Knight as “the first adult who made me feel I was worth something, but he was also the one who stole my innocence.” Knight died in 2003.
Wiggins also addressed his relationship with his father, Gary Wiggins, an alcoholic and violent former cyclist who abandoned the family. Gary Wiggins died in 2008 in Australia, a death Sir Bradley states was a “murder.”
Despite the difficult relationship and tragic end, Wiggins remarked, “although it sounds terrible, I felt a relief. Like a liberation. Even so, he remains my hero.”
Sir Bradley won eight Olympic medals, including four golds, and notably became the first British rider to win the Tour de France in 2012.