BBC Sports says that the five-time Olympic champion, Sir Bradley Wiggins, has announced his retirement from cycling at the age of 36.
Sir Bradley Wiggins was the first Brit to win the Tour de France, after nearly 20 years of cycling professionally around the world, and has become Britain’s most awarded Olympian.
His personality made him hugely popular in the summer of 2012, when he won Olympic time trial gold in London, just 10 days after winning the Tour de France. On their own, these achievements are spectacular, but to achieve both, and to achieve them both at such close intervals, solidified Wiggins as one of British sporting most praised figures.
That same year, the public voted him the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Knighted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace Bradley Wiggins became Sir in 2013, for services to cycling. This is no surprise, as his achievements in the sport over his 20 year career have been nothing short of spectacular, taking home wins in some of the worlds most prestigious cycling events. Bradley Wiggins has won in the Olympics several times, as well as the Tour de France, amongst others. Take a look below, to see just how much this one man has achieved.
Wiggins’ big wins
- 2000 – wins first Olympic medal, bronze in Sydney
- 2004 – first Briton to win three Olympic medals at same games since 1964
- 2008 – wins two gold medals at Beijing Olympics
- 2012 – first British winner of Tour de France
- 2012 – BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner
- 2012 – Velo d’Or winner (best cyclist of the year award)
- 2013 – knighted for services to cycling
- 2014 – world road time trial winner
- 2015 – sets world hour record on the track at 54.526km
- 2016 – wins team pursuit gold at Rio Olympics
- Won eight world titles on the track and road
- Britain’s most decorated Olympian with five gold medals in his haul of eight
Bradley Wiggins Asthma Secrets Revealed in Hacker Attack
In September 2016, hackers leaked medical information about Bradley Wiggins and the medicine he was allowed to take because of a rule called Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUEs). This rule allows some drugs – which would otherwise be banned – to be used if an athlete needs them for medical reasons that have been checked out by the authorities. Wiggins said he sought a Therapeutic Use Exemption because of suffering from asthma.
Asthma, according to the NHS website, can be described as a common lung condition that causes occasional breathing difficulties. A relatively common condition, it can cause many sufferers to struggle with intensive exercise, due to the strain but on the lungs. For athletes, this can be particularly debilitating, as these intensive sports require frequent intensive bouts of exercise, alongside constant, routine training. It is no surprise, therefore, that Wiggins sought out treatment, to give himself a fair competitive chance against his colleagues.
The TUEs were approved by British authorities and cycling’s world governing body, the UCI. It is unlikely that this medication had any unfair advantages on Wiggins performance, and instead were a necessity to allow Wiggins to compete. Without, Wiggins is unlikely to have been able to achieve all that he had, and have become the icon of British cycling he is today.
There is no suggestion that either he, British Cycling or Team Sky, his former team, have broken any rules. As such, Bradley Wiggins retirement is unlikely to have been caused by any form of foul play, and is instead likely to have it’s roots in a personal choice by Wiggins. Whatever the reason, he will certainly be missed in the British cycling world, and in the world of British sporting as a whole.
