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Bradley Wiggins says sometimes he wishes he hadn’t won Tour de France

Sky rider who hopes to win Commonwealth gold for England today talks about how race changed his life

Bradley Wiggins says he has had problems dealing with the level of fame that accompanied his becoming the first British rider to win the Tour de France in 2012 – and says there are times he wishes it hadn’t happened.

Less than a week after winning the yellow jersey in Paris, Wiggins was similarly attired as he rang the bell to start the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London and days later took the fourth Olympic gold medal of his career in the time trial.

“It was nice people saying ‘it changed my life’ and hearing things like ‘the Wiggo effect’; that was a positive,” he told BBC Scotland’s David McDaid ahead of his going for Commonwealth Games gold in the team pursuit on the first day of competition in Glasgow today.

“From a personal point of view, there’s been times I wish I’d never done all that,” he continued.

“I left for the Tour de France that year relatively unknown in the general public’s eyes. When I came back, for a week or so I felt like the most famous man in the country.

“It’s quite hard that level of fame, when you just want to do normal stuff with the children, things like that. That was hard but I think you learn to deal with it.

“You can plan physically to try to win the Tour but I could never plan for what was going to happen after it.

“It just went mad for a bit. Looking back now you don’t fully appreciate it at the time, you just try to take it in your stride… and drinking and stuff to try to ease your way through it.

“It was massive really. I can’t really put it into words how much it changed everything.

“Talking to people like Chris Hoy really helped, because he went through a similar thing after Beijing [in 2008]. You realise that it’s not just you.”

Wiggins, who aims to end his career at the Rio Olympics in 2016, said he decided to take part in the team pursuit after he was left out of Team Sky’s line-up for the Tour de France, and that it had been Sir Dave Brailsford who suggested that he ride on the track rather than the time trial which he was originally targeting.

“As soon as he said it, I thought that was the next best thing really,” Wiggins explained. “I got straight back in the velodrome and training with the guys.

“The last six or seven weeks since I’ve been back on the track have just been really refreshing and a good distraction from all of that Tour de France nonsense.

“It’s given me another focus rather than just lolling about at home feeling miserable.”

Wiggins has three Commonwealth Games silver medals, and will hope to race for gold in this evening’s final at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

“It’s one of the few things missing from my collection,” he went on. “Being in Scotland, it’s almost a home Games and there’s always a nice feeling with that.

“So it’d be nice to come away with a gold and put that with the rest of them, 16 years on from the first one.”

Looking ahead, Wiggins two remaining career goals are to win Paris-Roubaix and a fifth Olympic gold medal in the team pursuit in Brazil.

“If I am to compete with this team in Rio - which is what I want - I’m going to have to give it the time necessary,” he said. “The guys have got so fast and the event’s moved on.

“I didn’t want to take it for granted that I could just come back in with a couple of weeks of preparation and be able to do it. This gives me a chance to see where I’m at and see what I have to work on.”

Wiggins added: “I’m pretty content with what I’ve achieved. I never imagined years ago I’d achieve all of this. Cycling’s given me everything and if I had to stop tomorrow I’d be content.

“I remember when I got my first [Olympic] medal in Sydney in 2000. We got bronze, I was 19, and I walked away from there thinking ‘if I never do anything else, I’ve always got an Olympic medal’. Everything else is a bonus really.”

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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7 comments

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WolfieSmith | 9 years ago
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Agreed. Reminds me of that Pete and Dud sketch of Greta Garbo aka 'Anna Bargo'. Pete being driven up a high st atop an armoured car, wearing a headscarf, and shouting 'I vont to me alone! Leave me alone..' into a megaphone.

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ajmarshal1 | 9 years ago
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Perhaps if he deosn't like the trappings of fame he should stop whining in the papers and on TV every five minutes.

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farrell | 9 years ago
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"It was nice people saying ‘it changed my life’ and hearing things like ‘the Wiggo effect’; that was a positive, from a personal point of view, there’s been times I wish I’d never done all that”

That's not quite the same as wishing he'd never won the tour, unless I've missed something?

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samuri replied to farrell | 9 years ago
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My heart bleeds for him. Catapaulted from relatively unknown individual outside cycling communities to a national hero with all the bells and whistles that go with it. That's what he wanted from a very young age. You'd have to be very naive to not understand that's what would happen.

I've got an awful lot of time for Brad, I loved watching him win and was gutted he wasn't in the TdF this year but don't start complaining that it's not all that great Brad, we'd all swap places with you in an instant.

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brackley88 | 9 years ago
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Imagine the enormous salary softens the blow a little. Be strong Brad.

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Airzound | 9 years ago
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I bet he doesn't …….

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mad_scot_rider | 9 years ago
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Yet another to learn that fame brings problems as well as
rewards

But I'd still happily trade my troubles for his I suspect

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