Sir Bradley Wiggins says he suffered ‘borderline rape, sexual abuse’ over three years after being groomed by cycling coach from the age of 12 as he reveals he’s haunted by the man’s face and used cycling as a ‘distraction’
- Sir Bradley Wiggins, 42, spoke out the abuse today and how he is haunted by it
- The Olympic champion disclosed he now hated cycling and did it to escape life
Olympic cycling and Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins revealed today he had suffered ‘borderline rape and sexual abuse’ from the age of 12 by a coach.
Sir Bradley, 42, said the face of the adult – who he did not name – still haunted him.
He disclosed he now ‘hated cycling’ and only dedicated his life to it as a distraction from the other issues in his life.
And Sir Bradley said he had come to realise he now needs therapy to deal with the ‘trauma’ of the abuse he suffered as a teenager.
He revealed his alleged abuser began grooming him at a cycling club, taking his pulse at the age of 12 and flattering him by saying ‘you’ll be the greatest cyclist that ever lived’ – but has since discovered he told other youngsters the same.
Sir Bradley Wiggins, 42, spoke out the abuse today and how he is haunted by the face of his abuser
He revealed his alleged abuser began grooming him at a cycling club, taking his pulse at the age of 12 and flattering him
Last year the athlete – who became first Brit to win the Tour de France – alleged he was groomed by the coach and has recently launched an NSPCC campaign but has not previously spoken about details of what happened to him.
The five time Olympic champion told the Happy Place podcast: ‘The hardest part was the campaign stuff, doing interviews about it.
‘I was having to relive some of the minor incidents that happened to me with this coach to add weight to the campaign.
‘This happened over a three-year period. I can’t remember how many times it happened.
‘We’re talking about incidents from very minor to borderline rape, sexual abuse, whatever term you want to use.
‘In recalling this stuff to add weight to the interviews and trying to really beef it up, I found I was recalling a lot of the incidents in my head over and over again – particularly this guy’s face.
British Bradley Wiggins celebrates with teammates and team members of British Sky cycling team during his parade in front of the Arc de Triomphe at the end of the 120 km and last stage of the 2012 Tour de France
‘It really hit me hard. I have to be careful how much I do to help people at the expense of myself.
‘My greatest shame was that another man had done that to me. I couldn’t get my head around the abnormality of that – particularly at 13.
‘That is a trauma. From that moment, I pretended it didn’t happen, and I dedicated my life to cycling as a distraction.
‘This guy met me when I was 12, and he felt my pulse. He said ‘you’ll be the greatest cyclist that ever lived’.
‘He used to say that to everyone he met.
‘When I announced it, I got three messages from different clubmates who were in the same club at the same.
‘They said that, ‘looking back, we all knew really, and we should’ve done more to help you’.
‘I was obsessed with cycling. Because I threw myself into cycling, I became like a sponge.
‘When I do cycling commentaries, they call me the Oracle because I know what shoe someone was wearing in 1996, what race they won – it was like a religion to me.
‘Now I don’t pay any interest to cycling – I couldn’t care less.
‘I don’t watch cycling anymore. I have no interest in it.
‘It filled a massive void in my life with a view to be close to my dad.
‘People say it’s a shame I’ve fallen out of love with cycling, but I was never in love with it – it was like a religion.
‘You don’t fall in love with a religion, you adopt a religion.
‘Now I’ve left my faith.
‘I can’t stand it. I hated cycling, really. The act of riding a bike was a means to facilitate what I wanted to do with my life.’
Wiggins, who grew up in Kilburn, says that since retiring in 2016 he has begun to confront the impact of what happened to him, as well as the relationship with his largely absent father Gary who died in 2008.
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