“High for years”: Cycling star reveals about drug addiction

Former Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins has spoken about his drug addiction.

13 May 2025

From: dpa

"I was taking huge amounts of cocaine. I had a really bad problem. My children wanted to send me to rehab. I was like walking a tightrope," the 45-year-old Briton told the newspaper The Observer"There were times when my son thought I would be found dead the next morning," said the five-time Olympic champion.

For him, there was no middle ground. "I was a functioning addict. People didn't notice. For years, I was almost always high." He kicked his addiction just over a year ago. "I realized I had a huge problem. I had to stop. I'm glad I'm still here. For years, I was a victim of my own decisions." According to Wiggins, Lance Armstrong, who admitted to systematic doping in 2013 and is banned for life, "had also been worried about me for a long time."

“There were times when my son thought I would be found dead in the morning.” Bradley Wiggins

Wiggins became the first Briton to win the Tour de France in 2012 and subsequently won Olympic gold in the individual time trial in London. He won four more Olympic gold medals on the track between 2004 and 2016. He was celebrated as a national hero in his home country. After retiring in 2016, however, his career spiraled downwards, mired in debt and addiction. His autobiography, "The Chain," in which he describes his childhood trauma, his turbulent career, and his downfall, is scheduled to be published later this year.

Schlagwörter: cycling racing bike Cocaine Spray Drying