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Bradley Wiggins: ‘There are times when I wish I hadn’t won Tour de France’ Bradley Wiggins: ‘There are times when I wish I hadn’t won Tour de France’
(34 minutes later)
Sir Bradley Wiggins has admitted that he has struggled with his rise to household-name status, and said there are times he wishes he had never won Olympic gold or the Tour de France in 2012.Sir Bradley Wiggins has admitted that he has struggled with his rise to household-name status, and said there are times he wishes he had never won Olympic gold or the Tour de France in 2012.
Wiggins, in Glasgow to compete in the team pursuit alongside Ed Clancy, Steven Burke and Andy Tennant for his first Commonwealth Games gold medal, told the BBC: “It was nice people saying ‘it changed my life’ and hearing things like ‘the Wiggo effect’; that was a positive.Wiggins, in Glasgow to compete in the team pursuit alongside Ed Clancy, Steven Burke and Andy Tennant for his first Commonwealth Games gold medal, told the BBC: “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. I left for the Tour de France that year relatively unknown in the public’s eyes. When I came back, for a week or so I felt like the most famous man in the country.“From a personal point of view, there’s been times I wish I’d never done all that. I left for the Tour de France that year relatively unknown in the 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.”“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.”
Wiggins, whose fourth Olympic gold came just 10 days after his 2012 Tour victory, said: “You can plan physically to try to win the Tour but I could never plan for what was going to happen after it.Wiggins, whose fourth Olympic gold came just 10 days after his 2012 Tour victory, said: “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.“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. You realise that it’s not just you.”“Talking to people like Chris Hoy really helped, because he went through a similar thing after Beijing. You realise that it’s not just you.”
Wiggins also said he only decided to compete on the track in Glasgow after he was left out of Team Sky’s Tour de France line-up, and based his decision on advice from Team Sky’s Sir Dave Brailsford. Wiggins also said he only decided to compete on the track in Glasgow after he was left out of Team Sky’s Tour de France lineup, and based his decision on advice from the general manager Sir Dave Brailsford.
“As soon as he said it, I thought that was the next best thing really. 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.“As soon as he said it, I thought that was the next best thing really. 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.”“It’s given me another focus rather than just lolling about at home feeling miserable.”