Article by Luminița Paul – published Monday, June 9, 2025 20:05 / Updated Monday, June 9, 2025 22:41
British Bradley Wiggins (45 years old), a Cintuplu Olympic Champion, said that Lance Armstrong (53 years old), the former cyclist fallen in disgrace, played a key role in recovery after cocaine addiction, saying he feels “indebted” to the American.
Last month the winner of the France's tour in 2012, Bradley Wigginshe revealed that he became addicted to cocaine after his withdrawal from sports in 2016 and that he was “lucky” after leaving drugs a year ago.
At the age of 45, he described Armstrong, to whom the seven titles from Tour de France were withdrawn, as a “great strength and inspiration”, after receiving his support since he finished his career.
Bradley Wiggins: “People like to hear bad things”
“Lance was very, very good with me. This is not something everyone wants to hear, because people like to hear only bad things“, Wiggins said in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Is at the human level. You can take someone just as it treats you and Lance was an inspiration for me and a constant source of help to me and is one of the main factors for which I am in this position where I am mentally and physically, so I am indebted for it. ”
Wiggins became the first British to win the tour of France in 2012 and gathered a British record of eight Olympic medals, including gold at the 2012 London games.
He now collaborates at Armstrong's podcast, The Movewhere they will cover the tour of France this summer, and said that their relationship was based on mutual understanding beyond cycling.
Lance Armstrong in 2024 Photo: Imago Images
In December last year, Wiggins said Armstrong was offered to finance his therapy for his mental health problems.
Bradley Wiggins, disturbing confessions after withdrawal
Since his withdrawal from sports, Wiggins has spoken about the jealousy of his father, a former cyclist, and about the fact that he was physically abused by a childhood coach. In June 2024, he declared a lot.
The British detailed the extent of his cocaine addiction last month, which he developed after withdrawal from cycling, and explained how his family members feared for him. In the BBC interview, Wiggins said he wanted “to be the one who tells his story”.
Bradley Wiggins (left) with Mark Cavendish in 2016 Photo: Guliver/Gettyimages
“We are all people, after all, and it is a human story. I had a lot of events in my life that described the problems I had in my post-cycling life“He said.
I have never done therapy or counseling during the time I was a sportsman because you are perceived as a cyclist – or certainly when you are an Olympic champion or winner of the French Tour – incredibly powerful – mentally – Bradley Wiggins
The British won the golden Olympic medals on the track at the 2004, 2008 and 2016 Olympic Games and also won the road Contrat in London 2012, two weeks after imposing itself in the tour of France.
I was the kind who did not accept help or did not ask for help. I will never make the same mistake twice, so I just swore that. I learned from the past – Bradley Wiggins
Continued: “I approached the 10 years since the withdrawal and I didn't know anything else besides cycling, indeed, and having everything programmed daily for me. It took me a long time to adapt to normal life, so to speak, and to all the things that contribute to maintaining me in a stable place”, Bradley Wiggins assured.
