In an eye-opening interview with the Observer, Bradley Wiggins discussed the profound challenges he encountered after his cycling career, recalling distressing moments when his son feared he might not wake up the next day. “There were instances when my son believed I would be found dead in the morning,” he revealed.
He described himself as a “functioning addict,” noting the irony that many were unaware of his ongoing struggles. “I was high for a majority of the time over several years,” he shared, providing insight into a life fraught with hidden difficulties.
Wiggins, who hails from North London, triumphed over a challenging childhood characterized by financial hardship and a fragmented family. He rose to prominence in a sport that demands extraordinary focus and resilience.
Throughout his competitive years, he carried an aura of calmness and charm, appearing to have life perfectly orchestrated.
Competing under the Team Sky banner from 2010 to 2015, and with the guidance of notable figures like Dave Brailsford and Rod Ellingworth, Wiggins celebrated landmark achievements, including the prestigious 2012 Tour de France win and the 2014 world time trial championship.
His exceptional talent and magnetic presence ushered the team into a period of unmatched success in road cycling.
However, his retirement marked the beginning of a troubling phase.
In 2020, Wiggins’s personal life took a significant hit with the end of his marriage to Cath. They share two children: Ben, who is now making strides as a cyclist with Hamens Berman Jayco, and Isabella.
Compounding his challenges was the collapse of Team Wiggins, an initiative he had established in 2015. Despite an abundance of local talent, the team struggled to attract sufficient sponsorship, resulting in Wiggins pouring substantial personal finances into the venture.
This financial strain, alongside his cocaine dependency, created a perfect storm that led him to face bankruptcy.
Looking back, Wiggins reflected, “I already grappled with a significant amount of self-loathing. I just intensified it. It was a form of self-harm and a way to sabotage my own happiness. This wasn’t the person I aspired to be, and I recognized I was causing pain to those close to me.”
He openly admitted, “There’s no middle ground for me. If I have a glass of wine, it inevitably leads to purchasing drugs. My addiction was a way of dulling the pain I faced.”
Jonathan Vaughters, Wiggins’s former team principal and current director of the EF Education-EasyPost World Tour team, expressed understanding regarding Wiggins’s issues. He emphasized that these challenges arise from a deep self-awareness rather than a lack thereof.
“Professional cyclists are always in pursuit of that dopamine rush they felt while racing,” Vaughters noted. “This can make them particularly vulnerable to addiction.”
He further remarked, “Wiggins is exceptionally bright, with a keen sensitivity to social cues. You have someone with extraordinary intelligence, a deep awareness of social interactions, all against the backdrop of a disciplined life interwoven with the exhilaration of racing… it’s a volatile mix.”
“He’s incredibly intelligent. Despite lacking formal education, he has an uncanny ability to read people effortlessly.”
