Burden of the Crown: Reflecting on Wiggins’ Struggles

The view from the ornate throne on which Bradley Wiggins sat in the blazing London summer sun in 2012 must have been glorious.

To say all the planets had aligned for him would have been an understatement. He had become the first Briton to win the Tour de France, following it up with an Olympic time trial gold in his home city. It felt like the coronation of a king. Wiggins, then 32, glided to London 2012 glory under a constantly moving tifo of union flags and Olympic rings.

By 2016, thanks largely to his many successes on the track, he would become Britain’s most decorated Olympian. With his sideburns and the sharpest mod feather cut, he even looked good in Lycra. By the end of the year, he was endorsing his signature style with top clothing brands and curating records alongside his idol Paul Weller on BBC 6 Music. It seemed as though he had it all.

Drugs, Divorce, and Bankruptcy: How Did It Come to This?

However, as his career came to a close, Wiggins would face a battle far more daunting than any cycling competition: a cocaine addiction. In an interview with the Observer, he candidly revealed, “There were times my son thought I was going to be found dead in the morning. I was a functioning addict. People wouldn’t realize – I was high most of the time for many years.”

Wiggins, a lanky north Londoner from a broken home raised in poverty, reached the zenith of a sport demanding clinical preparation and a calm demeanor under pressure. Throughout his career, he exuded a calm charm in interviews, appearing to have everything under control.

This sense of composure was certainly bolstered by the tightly organized, well-funded Team Sky, run by Dave Brailsford and Rod Ellingworth, with whom he won the 2012 Tour, the 2014 world time trial championship, and much more. His talent inspired a period of domination in road cycling that had never before been seen.

But following his retirement, personal troubles began to spiral. In 2020, his marriage to Cath ended, leaving them the parents of two children: Ben, who has also taken up cycling, and Isabella. The collapse of Team Wiggins, which he had established in 2015, compounded his difficulties. Despite having many talented riders, the team struggled to attract significant sponsorship, and Wiggins invested far more of his own money than most realized.

Combine this with a cocaine addiction, and financial turmoil seemed almost inevitable. Ultimately, Wiggins was declared bankrupt. “I already had a lot of self-hatred,” he reflected on his post-career addiction. “But I was amplifying it. It was a form of self-harm and self-sabotage. It was not the person I wanted to be. I realized I was hurting a lot of people around me.”

He went on to explain his struggle with addiction: “There’s no middle ground for me. I can’t just have a glass of wine – if I have a glass of wine, then I’m buying drugs. My proclivity to addiction was easing the pain that I lived with.”

The Perspective of a Team Boss

Jonathan Vaughters, Wiggins’ former team boss who now heads the EF Education-EasyPost World Tour team, understood Wiggins’ struggles but emphasized that this wasn’t due to a lack of self-awareness. “Ultimately, pro cyclists are always going to search for that dopamine hit they got while racing,” Vaughters noted. “It makes them an easy target for addiction.” He described Wiggins as gifted and intelligent, suggesting that his heightened sensitivity to social situations, combined with the dopamine-laden lifestyle of a pro cyclist, created a “perfect storm.”

Vaughters acknowledged Wiggins’ intellect despite lacking formal education, highlighting his ability to read social interactions well. This exceptional aptitude, however, did not spare him from the pitfalls that can accompany a demanding professional life.

The ‘Jiffy Bag’ Question

As Wiggins rose to prominence, he symbolized hopes for a new, cleaner era in cycling, following the dark days marred by doping scandals involving figures like Lance Armstrong. His fourth place at the 2009 Tour de France, just behind a fading Armstrong, was a noteworthy achievement, and soon he and Team Sky would ascend to the top of the cycling world, winning seven Tours between 2010 and 2019.

However, after his retirement, questions arose regarding the integrity of his achievements, particularly surrounding the infamous “Jiffy bag” sent to him by a Team Sky doctor at a race in 2011. Two investigations by the UK Anti-Doping Agency and the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee did not substantiate what the package contained. Nevertheless, a report by the committee stated that Wiggins and Team Sky had “crossed an ethical line” by using permitted substances to enhance performance rather than for legitimate medical needs.

Wiggins expressed his desire for clarity regarding the allegations: “The amount of times I then got asked ‘what was in the package?’ But I had absolutely no idea.” This incident left a sour note for many, prompting fans and politicians to scrutinize the ambiguous boundaries within sports medicine.

Cycling’s Great Escape

For professional cyclists, time spent on the bike often represents a solitary escape from their realities, serving as a crucial form of therapy. For Wiggins, this was particularly important. Growing up in a crowded inner-London suburb, the football fan needed an outlet during his youth. A pivotal moment came when his mother encouraged him to watch Chris Boardman’s gold medal triumph at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, igniting his passion for cycling.

Even though his estranged father, Gary, was a former professional cyclist, Wiggins aimed to carve out his own path. This journey, however, was fraught with difficulties. His father’s condescension—claiming he would “never be as good as” him—was a painful burden during Wiggins’ formative years. Additionally, he openly admitted to being “groomed” by a coach early in his career, which cast a shadow over his ascent.

Back on the Bike

Wiggins has since advocated for better support systems for cyclists both during and post-career. The sport of cycling is evolving, influenced by increased globalization thanks to television revenues and emerging structural proposals. The mental and emotional toll of a rigorous training regime—where riders often go “full gas” for six hours a day—requires acknowledgment and response.

Notably, British Cycling’s CEO Jon Dutton has reached out to Wiggins for discussions regarding these subjects. Wiggins was inducted into British Cycling’s Hall of Fame last year, and the new leadership seeks to honor a legacy that bore many Olympic golds and transformed the landscape of cycling.

Change is on the horizon, with Wiggins receiving support from unexpected quarters; even the disgraced Armstrong has reportedly offered to fund his latest rehabilitation efforts. Wiggins has recognized a sense of solace in the act of cycling alone, a return to his comforting roots. While he may never reclaim the victor’s throne, simply being back in the saddle offers a form of healing and peace that could prove invaluable as he moves forward.