Bradley Wiggins, the Tour De France, and Olympic Champion has revealed that he was sexually harassed by his coach when he was a teenager. He explained all of this in an interview with Men’s Health UK, apart from this, he also opened up about other issues he faced.
Wiggins said in the interview:
I was groomed by a coach when I was younger – I was about 13 – and I never fully accepted that.
In the interview, Wiggins did not share intense details about the misconduct or named the coach who did this to him. Although he did say that whatever happened with him, affected his adult life in the biggest ways.
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Bradley Wiggins also explained that his relationship with his step-father was not the best, in fact it was disruptive. His stepfather was very violent and used to abuse him.
My stepfather was quite violent to me, he used to call me a f****t for wearing Lycra and stuff, so I didn’t think I could tell him.
Wiggins opened up about his biological father, the Australian Cyclist Gray Wiggins, who was murdered in 2008. Bradley used to look up to his father a lot, he shared a lot of thoughts in the interview:
He left us when I was little, so I met him for the first time when I was 18. We rekindled some kind of relationship but then we didn’t speak for the last couple of years before he was murdered… He was my hero.
I wanted to prove myself to him. He was a good cyclist – he could have been really good – but he was a wasted talent. He was an alcoholic, a manic depressive, quite violent and he took a lot of amphetamines and [sports] drugs back then.
Wiggins revealed his mental health issues, he said that having a routine is very useful. It helps normalizing things, and in being better. He said:
Training every day, it’s important. Not drinking too much… With my depression, if I’m not looking after myself it manifests more like a mania.
After winning the Tour De France in 2012, his life changed completely, he did not want fame. He further explained:
Life was never the same again. I was thrust into this fame and adulation that came with the success.
I’m an introverted, private person. I didn’t know who ‘me’ was, so I adopted a kind of veil – a sort of rock star veil. It wasn’t really me… It was probably the unhappiest period of my life.
Bradley Wiggin’s exclusive interview is covered in the May issue of Men’s Health Health magazine. It will go on sale from April 20th onwards.
Also Read: Mathieu Van Der Poel Aims To Recover Lost Time At Giro D’Italia
Featured Image Via Instagram/bradwiggins
