“I threatened to leave the Tour” - Bradley Wiggins reflects on Froome’s 2012 attack and reconciliation years later
CyclingWednesday, 02 July 2025 at 10:07
Bradley Wiggins’ 2012 Tour de France victory remains one of
the most iconic achievements in British cycling history. But more than a decade
later, Wiggins has opened up about the turmoil behind the scenes, particularly
the moment his teammate Chris Froome attacked him on Stage 11 to La Toussuire.
The move shocked fans at the time. Froome rode clear of
everyone, including race leader Wiggins, who was already in the yellow jersey
and holding a two-minute advantage. What looked like a moment of impulsive
ambition caused visible tension between the pair on the road and sparked wider
questions about Team Sky’s leadership structure.
“I threatened to leave the Tour. I was leading by two
minutes and I didn't expect that action at all," Wiggins has now admitted at the Wattage Festival.
Froome later claimed the move was strategic, motivated by
concerns over bonus seconds. “Chris said he was worried about his position,
because of the bonus seconds at the finish. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able
to catch Vincenzo Nibali in the time trial, so he wanted to gain as much time
as possible. At that point I became collateral damage.”
While Team Sky kept the leadership issue contained enough to
secure Wiggins’ historic win, the incident marked the beginning of a strained
relationship between Britain’s first two Tour winners. Wiggins never competed
in the Tour again after winning in 2012, and Froome went on to win the race
four times himself.
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Yet for years, the
two remained publicly at odds.
However, Wiggins has now revealed that he was the one who
re-initiated contact, at a low point in his post-cycling life. “I was high and
drinking when I called him. I was in a depressive period at the time with a lot
of self-loathing. Making up was part of it for me. I was very selfish during my
career. That was not the person I wanted to be.”
The call led to an honest reckoning between two riders who
were once central to British cycling’s golden era. “We were a threat to each
other's ambitions, but now I understand that I have become a completely
different person. That was liberating for me. We made up a few years ago. I
told him then: Look ... I was an asshole, you were too and our team manager
Brailsford was the biggest asshole. Then we kissed and hugged and from that
moment on we are friends again.”
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Strongest rider should've won the Tour.. Like Froome in 2012, Contador in 2014, Landa in 2017, Roglic in 2020 but Pogi resilience to make it.
Given the TTing in the 2012 Tour, I don't think Froome could have taken the necessary amount of time out of Wiggins. Had he taken a minute per mountain top finish (which would have been ridiculous), he still wouldn't have won.
He couldn't, the correct guy won the 2012 Tour.
Wiggins was the strongest rider in 2012, by a good bit.
Wiggins was a superior TTer. He won it outright. Landa was a bad TTer, He lost it outright
The problem is that grand tours are not always won by the best riders. In the 2025 Giro d'italia, Carapaz was the strongest rider - but Simon Yates and Del Toro had really good days on Stages 20 and 9 respectively, so they both finished ahead of him